Aged 76
Romanian star pianist Radu Lupu dies
Star pianist Radu Lupu almost never gave interviews and has avoided recording studios since the 1990s
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The Romanian star pianist Radu Lupu is dead. He died at the age of 76.
Romanian pianist Radu Lupu has died at the age of 76. This was announced by the organizers of the George Enesco Festival on Monday evening via Facebook. According to media reports, Lupu died in Lausanne of a long illness. “We will always admire his extraordinary ability to transform music into magic,” said the festival organizers, honoring Lupu as a “legend”.
Lupu was born on November 30, 1945 in the eastern Romanian city of Galati. He began playing the piano at the age of six and was admitted to the Bucharest Conservatory.
Radu Lupu played the piano on a chair instead of a stool
Lupu was known for appearing with tousled hair and a thick beard. On stage, he sat in a chair with a backrest rather than a piano stool at his instrument.
His career began with appearances under the baton of Daniel Barenboim with the Cleveland Orchestra and with the Chicago and San Francisco Symphonies. Lupu also worked with other star conductors such as Herbert von Karajan and Zubin Mehta and made a name for himself as a sensitive interpreter of works by Schumann, Brahms, Mozart and Beethoven.
Lupu was a reserved and perfectionist musician. The Grammy Award winner almost never gave interviews. He has avoided recording studios since the 1990s. He settled in Switzerland and ended his career at the end of the 2018/2019 season due to health reasons.
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