Considered one of the greatest pianists, renowned Romanian musician Radu Lupu has passed away at the age of 76.
His manager, Jenny Vogel, confirmed the tragic news to NPR, saying he died "peacefully at his home in Switzerland" on Sunday evening.
The pianist's death was caused by "multiple prolonged illnesses," which were not specifically detailed.
A lot of musicians in the industry look up to Lupu as he's popularly known for playing his rendition of known musicians like Schubert, Beethoven, Mozart, Bartok, Brahms, and many more.
The outlet noted that he has his own artistic expression whenever he plays the piano.
Aside from his manager, George Enescu International Festival and Competition in Bucharest also announced his passing.
In 2019, Lupu officially retired from doing public performances as he has been canceling many engagements due to his medical condition.
He had also not recorded in a studio since the mid-1990s.
The pianist is also known for being a public figure who shied away from the spotlight as he recoiled from interviews and press appearances.
He also didn't allow radio stations to broadcast his performances.
Radu Lupu was born in Galati, Romania, on November 30, 1945. He's been fond of music since he was a kid, as he began piano lessons at the age of six.
Years later, he performed at his first public concert, playing his own compositions. He later went to school at the Moscow Conservatory in 1961.
He got international recognition when he joined three of the highly prestigious music competitions in the world, the George Enescu International Piano Competition, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition.
After joining the England-based competition, he signed and recorded music with his label Decca for the next 20 years.
He also has recorded pieces with other labels collaborating with other musicians like pianists Daniel Barenboim and Murray Perahia, singer Barbara Hendricks, and violinists Szymon Goldberg and Kyung-Wha Chung.
Shortly after the news of his death started circulating online on Monday, many of his friends and fellow musicians have paid tribute to him on social media, including Vikingur Olafsson, Lars Vogt, Gabriela Montero, Igor Levit, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and many more.
Musician Steven Isserlis took to Twitter to express his grief, writing, "Devastated to hear that Radu Lupu has left us. Not only one of the greatest, warmest, most profound musicians I've ever heard, but also a deeply kind, compassionate, modest and humorous man."
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
