Search - Franz Schubert, Radu Lupu :: Schubert: Moments Musicaux, D780 / Piano Sonata in C Minor, D958

Lupu is simply the greatest Schubertian alive! (Snookie)

06/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recently I added this recording to my collection of Radu Lupu's stunning Schubert recordings. I already have him playing the B Flat Sonata D. 960 along with the little A Major D. 664; the A Major Sonata D. 959 along with the a minor D. 784 and the E major D. 157; the a minor D. 845 along with the G Major D. 894; and of course, his famous recording of both sets of the Impromptus. Both the Moments Musicaux and the c Minor Sonata D. 958 have Lupus sense of lyricism, his feel for Schubert's darker moments, as well as his penchant for making time literally stand still.The audio itself is transparent and really crystal clear. I am rather obsessive regarding Schubert solo piano music. I already have Brendel, Schiff, Perahia, Rubinstein, and Schnabel playing either the Posthumous Sonatas, the Impromptus, or the Moments Musicaux. No one has quite the affinity that Lupu has for Schubert. I just hope London/Decca releases Lupu playing the great D Major Sonata."

SOUND

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 09/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As far as the playing goes, this is a very safe recommendation either for dyed-in-the-wool Schubertians or for newcomers to his piano music. The playing, it must be said, doesn't actually go all that far. The contents of this disc used to fit comfortably on to an LP, and Lupu does not even make the repeat in the first movement of the sonata. I can hardly imagine anyone not liking Lupu. He has a really lovely touch, he is more of a virtuoso, in a quiet sort of way, than I have sometimes seen him given credit for, and his finger-control is something verging on perfect. More than that he has a very distinctive and individual manner, and while some of his more idiosyncratic touches in other recordings have raised my eyebrows I doubt if there's anything here that will offend anyone's taste. Searching for a parallel, the nearest I can come up with would be Curzon or Perahia -- three very polished and poetic players, except that Lupu, when he sees fit, can unleash some sheer power that I don't associate with the other two. This version of the sonata is as good as I know among versions currently available. There is a good one by Zacharias only available, if I am not mistaken, as part of a complete edition, something I am not keen on as it it too suggestive of the late R A Butler buying his books by the yard. Even so I can confidently recommend Lupu as better in this sonata. He shows more individuality generally, the later stages of the slow movement are breathtakingly beautiful from him, the finale has an alertness that Zacharias doesn't match, and Lupu gets the tempo of the minuet right where Zacharias is that crucial bit too slow. Not many 'true' minuets (as opposed to some that are scherzos in all but name) that I can recall offhand are marked an unqualified 'allegro', and when they are, here or in Beethoven's opus 10#3, it is important to keep the tempo flowing. This is not the only way this sonata can be played, and I recommend everyone to stay watchful in the hope that the BBC may issue commercially a recording they have from Ogdon. Ogdon's reading is a bigger thing altogether, with the entire huge finale taken in what seems like a single phrase - Mr Toad's wild ride. I have also heard tell of a piano-roll version by Serkin aged 20-something, and I should be more than interested to hear that. In the moments musicaux there are obviously plenty of good versions and I doubt that any particular set would be likely to deliver a killer punch to its rivals. Either flog through them all, or at least read their reviews, and see which suits you best. You are not going to go wrong with this one, I promise you."

The sound regarded as a logical extension of the spirit !

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 10/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Without these well accustomed poses of cheap ostentation (that seems to hover so many young fashionable pianists) and just following his own bliss, Radu Lupu occupies actually one of the most prestigious and coveted status as artist and poet according the Greek quotation (poetry derives itself from the Greek term "poyesis" that means creation).



His consecrated attitude before the king of the instruments enhances it even more. The sound that emerges is unique. Every single accord played by him seems to be dictated by a febrile and creative pulsation, a slender connection between soul and mind.



And despite he is well apart from the noisy turbulence emanated from the show business, he has achieved to engage and captive several generations of exigent connoisseurs.



Presence, personality, temperament and attitude are some of the multiple qualities of this peerless interpreter..

"