"If ever a pianist's appearance, especially in his later years, belied the character of his playing it was Lupu: that the intensely serious, heavily bearded figure who hunched over the keyboard in a way more appropriate to a seance than a recital could produce playing of such velvety tonal beauty was extraordinary enough; that such a beguiling sound world was allied to a mind of such penetrating musical intelligence sometimes seemed miraculous."
"Lupu died in 2022, at the age of 76. He had retired from the concert platform three years before, and had ceased to make studio recordings some years before that. Decca, for whom he recorded exclusively for over two decades, released his complete recordings in 2015, and with that comprehensive box, one thought, the legacy would be complete. But now, to mark what would have been the pianist's 80th birthday, the company has produced this wonderful surprise:"
"The set begins with Mozart's G minor and E flat piano quartets, for which Lupu was partnered in 1976 by members of the Tel Aviv String Quartet, in performances of such pristine studio quality Lupu at his most inward in the slow movements, dazzlingly buoyant in the finales that it's mystifying they have never previously been released. A 1990s disc of Schubert sonatas"
Radu Lupu was a pianist known for velvety tonal beauty and penetrating musical intelligence; he died in 2022 at age 76 after retiring from the concert platform. Decca recorded him exclusively for more than two decades and issued his complete recordings in 2015. Decca has released a six‑disc set of unreleased studio sessions and BBC, Dutch and SWR radio tapes dating from 1970 to 2002. The set features Mozart G minor and E flat piano quartets with members of the Tel Aviv String Quartet, a 1990s disc of Schubert sonatas including the unfinished D840 and D850, and sequences of Haydn and Mozart sonatas. The performances display inward, velvety slow movements, dazzlingly buoyant finales, and some unexpectedly downbeat Schubert readings.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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