Search - Radu Lupu, Schubert :: Plays Schubert

Recommended

Glen Koehn | London, Ontario | 11/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Intelligent, sensitive phrasing, and a wonderful ability to sustain Schubert's melodic line. Without fussiness or excess sentiment, Lupu has given us some fine recordings of this inexpressibly beautiful music."

Musical pearls; peerless performances!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 08/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Radu Lupu (1945) may boast of being actually one of the maxim exponents in which concerns to be among the best interpreters of Franz Schubert.



This extraordinary set should be labeled as sublime, because he make us to realize ourselves Schubert is a dramatists rather than a lyricist, he underlines too the rhythmic metamorphosis of melodies, the cohesiveness of its drama sense, precise modulations, remarking besides, the demanded juxtapositions of major and minor keys that integrate and define the interplay of shade and light and unexpected shifting of perspective. The level of technique perfection is under the service of the febrile poetry of this composer. And I would like emphasize these features, because just a few pianists around the world are capable to play a Schubert with such grandness and accuracy..



Don' t hesitate just a second. This should be personal must in your invaluable musical collection. Go for this treasured and rewarding album.



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Refinement, poetry, intense musicianship...

P. Adrian | Arad, Romania | 02/07/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Released by DECCA as a celebratory bow for the 60th anniversary of Radu Lupu, this Schubert CD box set comprises recordings made for this label by the great Romanian pianist over more than twenty years, since his emerging on international concert platform in early 1970s. Coming with three first prizes won in prestigious international piano competitions (Van Cliburn - 1966, Enescu - 1967, Leeds - 1969) Lupu rapidly established himself as one of the top performing artists with a pronounced affinity for the classical-romantic repertoire. His refined craftsmanship seems especially suited to those lovely singing melodies and delicate moods embodied in Schubert's sonatas, impromptus, scherzos and moments musicaux. Yet Lupu hates self promotion and publicity, being widely regarded as a genuine anti-star, his arrival as one of the most acclaimed and sought-after musicians of our time has covered him by flattering engagements with most impressive concert stages and orchestras around the world.



Radu Lupu's pianism has frequently been characterized as full of delicacy, exhibiting a pure romantic insight and a compelling sense of narration, kindling uneven poetic colours and masterful contrasts out of his keyboard. All that artistry - copiously flowing throughout sonatas and other pieces gathered here - is possible by simply relying on two features of Lupu's way of playing: 1) flawless technical skills engrafted onto a full-range sensitivity (mainly that crystal-clear conception and finger-work leading to his immediately recognizable touch, praised by Daniel Barenboim as "unmatched aural imagination and ability to create orchestral sonorities and textures"), and 2) an unfailing curiosity for the depths of the scores (where he finds solid arguments in order to build-up the adequate atmosphere of a certain piece, with a special care for details).



Deliberately, I won't make here any nominations or comments on a particular work on these records. They were recorded at various moments in Lupu's career, on different instruments, in different halls, with - evidently - different soul dispositions, but each of them seems to convey something very deep and unique. As a whole, all these renditions (along with that wonderful CD devoted exclusively to Impromptus and not included in this compilation) offer a faithful image of the evolution of this special pianist's approach to Schubert repertoire.



I honestly do consider this CD box set as a must for all who love Schubert piano music and are interested in fine accounts of it. Radu Lupu's are among the very few authentic and valuable ones on the market now. In my own collection it secured for itself a first rank place, a kind of crown pearl among other sparkling jewels. And that is not only for Lupu has - temporarily, I hope - retired from recording studios, but also for the intense and natural musicianship these records breathe. Don't miss this marvel at an affordable price.

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