Marriner and Lupu unite
Commenting on his soloist in a series of performances by La Camerata, the Athens chamber orchestra, world-renowned conductor Sir Neville Marriner underlined the famous Romanian pianist Radu Lupu’s spontaneous artistic nature at a recent news conference in Athens. «Radu Lupu is a wayward pianist. He’s a bit crazy. Each concert performance is entirely different – uniquely superb,» Marriner noted. La Camerata started its current series of four concerts at its home base, the Athens Concert Hall, on Tuesday, with works by Beethoven and Ravel. Lupu will join the orchestra for performances of Beethoven concertos for piano tomorrow, Sunday, and next Tuesday. «I decided to reconsider my musical preferences following my six-month illness,» said Marriner. «One of my greatest desires was to collaborate with Radu Lupu on Beethoven’s piano concertos,» added Marriner, who was appointed La Camerata’s conductor two years ago and is now its honorary president. Lupu, who is regularly invited to perform with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, as well as major UK and American orchestras, made his public debut with a complete program of his own work at the age of 12. His early musical education in Romania was followed by studies at the Moscow Conservatory, on a scholarship, in the early 1960s. La Camerata, with Lupu on piano and Marriner on the podium for all three nights, will perform Beethoven’s «Creatures of Prometheus» Op. 43 as the introduction to tomorrow’s performance. Also on the program are Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15, and Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58. Sunday’s concert will open with Beethoven’s «Leonora Overture» No. 1, Op. 138 and continue with Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat, Op. 19 and Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37. Next Tuesday’s final night will open with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, and continue with Piano Concerto No. 5 in E major, Op. 73 «Emperor.» Tickets were still available for all three performances yesterday but were limited for Tuesday’s final performance. Athens Concert Hall, Vas. Sofias & Kokkali. For ticket reservations, 210.728.2333.
