All of us at The Leeds have been greatly saddened by the news that Radu Lupu has died. One of the true musical giants of all time, he placed poetry above mere pianism, and had that rare gift, given to only a few of the greatest artists, of drawing one into his playing so that one had the sense of partaking in an intensely private communion rather than a public performance.
His final appearance in London, where he followed a magisterial rendering of Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto with a late Brahms Piano Piece which held a packed Royal Festival Hall audience in rapt stillness, will linger for ever in the memory, along with his irreplaceable performances of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann.
Adam Gatehouse – Artistic Director
Read the full statement, made by the George Enescu Festival here