It takes only 10 discs to contain the complete solo Decca recordings of
Radu Lupu, one of the great pianists of the late 20th century. It's also amazing that these few recordings stretch over a quarter of a century, from 1971 to 1995, making
Lupu one of the most infrequently recorded of the great pianists; even
Argerich and
Michelangeli have outdistanced him. Yet even that is not the most amazing thing about this collection; it is the performances themselves, some of which are among the greatest ever made. Has any pianist ever topped
Lupu's heroic account of
Brahms' F minor Sonata, or his poetic readings of the composer's late piano works? Has any ever equaled, much less surpassed, his deeply inward performances of
Schubert's Moments musicaux or his two sets of Impromptus? Has any account of
Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata ever glowed brighter, or any reading of the "Waldstein" Sonata ever been more ecstatically serene? And has any pianist ever caught the uncanny mixture of the playful, the romantic, and the diabolical in
Schumann's Kreisleriana? Anyone interested in great piano playing should avail themselves of these superlative performances at their earliest possible opportunity.