Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Bought it for the Grieg, Jul 11 2004
By A Customer
I bought this CD for another rendition of Grieg's concerto, but now I listen to it again and again for the Schumann; what a wonderful composition! I had not heard of Lupu until I purchased this CD, but I would now seek out other recordings of his. I highly recommend it.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Grieg and Schumann, May 28 2004
Radu Lupu, André Previn, and the London Symphony Orchestra give us two of the finest accounts of these great concertos. Hands down, these are marvelous interpretations.Radu Lupu's handling of these concertos is very intelligent and passionate. Lupu is in full control of his fantastic technique, which allows him to bring a level of depth to his part that is very deep and thoughtful. Never does he simply "pound" out passages - rather, even during the most dramatic of parts, Lupu is always in total control. His power is wonderful, and he brings a full-bodied approach to the louder passages. But it's his lyric beauty that is truly astounding. Lupu's gentle touch in lighter passages is breathtaking. Previn brings a level of understanding to his part as conductor. As a pianist himself, Previn's sympathetic and insightful interpretation never drowns out the soloist, but accompanies the piano with a high level of sensitivity. In essence, Previn knows what he is doing here, molding the LSO into the perfect companion for Lupu. All together, these two performances are wonderful. Highly recommended.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding performances for both concertos, Sep 1 2001
Radu Lupu, the famously reclusive virtuoso, gives thrilling perfomances of these two concertos, so often paired on LP and CD. The only other recording that comes close is Kristian Zimerman with von Karajan on DG; sonically, it is marginally superior, and Zimerman's flawless technical skill and emotional intensity are beyond reproach. But there's something almost indefinable about Lupu's playing, a sort of barely-controlled passion, that puts his recording in a class by itself. Like Zimerman, he negotiates the most difficult passages with ease, not only hitting the right notes, but giving them just enough of a new interpretation to make you sit up and take notice.But he goes further, playing familiar phrases and entire passages so that the listener hears the notes more clearly than usual, and he doesn't just do this during the big, dramatic moments. It's more than just engineering or recording balances: Lupu plays the notes with a strength that you can hear, while never seeming to hammer them out. Perhaps it's this combination of powerful playing and extreme sensitivity to the music itself that makes his performances so memorable. Whatever the case, this is a recording you can listen to over and over, each time discovering something you had not heard before, and each time marveling at the sheer beauty of the playing.
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