Born in Galați, Romania on November 30, 1945, pianist Radu Lupu CBE is recognized as one of the greatest pianists of his generation. He began studying piano at the age of six and by the time he was in his mid-20s, he had won three major competitions: the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (1966), the George Enescu International Piano Competition (1967), and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition (1969). These three milestones launched Radu Lupu’s international career and he began performing with many major orchestras – including the New York Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Berlin Orchestra - at venues all around the world. He specialized in performing Mozart, music from the Romantic period (Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann), Mussorgsky and Bartok. Between 1970 and 1993, Radu Lupu recorded over 20 albums for Decca Records including Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 (1971), Schumann & Grieg: Piano Concertos (1973), Mozart: Sonatas For Piano And Violin (1975), Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 5 Es-dur, Op. 73 (1979), Schubert: Impromptus Op.90 (D899) & Op.142 (1983), Schubert: Lieder (1993), Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2 - Violin Concerto (2002), and Beethoven: The Piano Concertos 3 Sonatas - 2 Rondos (2005). Over the course of his career, he received many awards and honors including the Franco Abbiati Prize by the Italian Critics' Association (1989 and 2006), an Edison Award in 1995 for his album of Schumann music, and a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra). In 2016, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to music. There were several box sets released to celebrate the music of Radu Lupu including 2010’s The Complete Decca Solo Recordings (10 CDs) and 2011’s The Complete Decca Concerto Recordings (six CDs). Radu Lupu died on April 17, 2022, at the age of 76.
