Poetic Reading of Beethoven's Famous Sonatas
Abel | Hong Kong | 06/03/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Radu Lupu hasn't made an awfully lot of recordings. His Beethoven as well as his Schubert certainly rank among the best in view of his total musicality and complete artistry. Without naming names, by comparison, nowadays, some top-notched pianists really made `too many' recordings to be truly representative of his/her capabilities.
The three very popular Beethoven Sonatas collected in this recording showcased Lupu's keen sense of interpretation and diabolical keyboard facility. The `Moonlight' and `Waldstein' are nothing short of heart-stopping performances, yet at the same time the musical contents of the pieces conveyed in entirely convincing authenticity.
Lupu is one of those pianists who never `shows off' his technical prowess, yet who is one of those having most of such in store. The result is of course complete command of the pieces that he plays.
Even in the less demanding `Pathetique', Lupu paints a vivid picture in terms of fully articulated emotional nuances and musical atmosphere, some thing of which he is among the most polished among pianists.
Highly poetic performances. Heartily recommended."