Radu Lupu

Radu Lupu was born in Romania and began studying the piano at the age of six with Lia Busuioceanu, making his public debut with a complete programme of his own music at the age of 12. He continued his studies for several years with Florica Muzicescu and Cella Delavrance before winning a scholarship in 1961 to the Moscow Conservatoire where he studied with Galina Eghyazarova, Heinrich Neuhaus and later with Stanislav Neuhaus. He won first prize in three competitions: the 1966 Van Cliburn, the 1967 Enescu International and the 1969 Leeds International. In 1989 he was awarded the prestigious "Abbiati" prize, given by the Italian Critics' Association.

He is regularly invited to play with all the great orchestras of the world including the Berlin Philharmonic, with whom he made his debut at the 1978 Salzburg Festival with Karajan, the Vienna Philharmonic, with whom he opened the 1986 Salzburg Festival with Muti, the Royal Concertgebouw and all the major London and American orchestras. His first major American appearances were in 1972 with the Cleveland Orchestra and Barenboim in New York and with the Chicago Symphony and Giulini. He has played at all the major music festivals and has been regular performer at the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals - often with the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras and sometimes in recital.

Radu Lupu has been and exclusive Decca recording artist since 1969. His discography includes the Beethoven Piano Concertos with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta; several Mozart Piano Concertos; Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 and the Grieg and Schumann Piano Concertos. He has also recorded the Mozart Violin Sonatas with Szymon Goldberg and solo discs of works by Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann and Schubert. His most recent releases on Decca were Schubert's Sonatas in A major, D664 and B flat major, D960 which won a US Grammy and Schumann's Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana and Humoreske, which won a Dutch Edison Award.