Radu Lupu

May 23, 2006 at 5:44 AM

hi all,

I feel sorry for hanging the wrong picture in my last entry. There are many others where I look much worse (i.e. much more like I really am). Now some of you have the wrong impression that I'm a good looking guy and that's not true (except maybe for my mother and my grandmother, or maybe they just try to be nice...)

Friday I was in Slovenia again and this time I wasn't alone. I travelled with a colleague who started learning piano together with her daughter two years ago, Pierre, a french student who plays the violin since he was 6, and Claire who sits with me in the second violin at the chamber orchestra. The trip was more exciting than it should had been because Claire forgot her documents at home, fortunately they only checked my identity card, otherwise we'd have missed the concert.
Those who are a little bit familiar with piano music might have heard of Radu Lupu. For me he is one of the greatest. While living in Germany I got his recording for Decca of Brahms Rhapsodies op. 79, op. 117, 118 and 119 and I find his playing absolutely amazing. Live it's even better! He played Schumann's forest scenes and humoresque, Schubert's sonata D960 and 2 more pieces that I couldn't recognize (sounded like Beethoven and Chopin to me...). I thought this music could only sound that perfect when coming from a studio recording with Brendel, Horowitz or Rubinstein, but I was wrong.