The Romanian Radu Lupu (1945–2022) was a pianist’s pianist: one his contemporaries admired and younger musicians hoped to emulate. What was it about his playing that was so special? According to Mitsuko Uchida (herself a major pianist), Lupu coaxed a uniquely wide gradation of expression and colour from the keyboard. He also had a pearly singing tone, as can be heard here in The Old Castle (from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition) and the finale of Schumann’s Faschingsswank Aus Wien, Op. 26. 

Lupu played and recorded a considerable amount in the early years of his career, making over 20 recordings for Decca between 1970 and 1994. He was not contracted to a company from then on, and little of his later work was made available (usually only in live recordings). He had a reticent public personality, refusing to give interviews from the word go, and holding himself to the highest standards musically. He was plagued by self-doubt throughout his life.

Nevertheless, during those Decca years, he gave us highly regarded recordings, including the Five...