Ermell · CC BY-SA 4.0

Radu Lupu won three major piano competitions in as many years — the Van Cliburn in 1966, the George Enescu in 1967, and the Leeds in 1969 — a run that launched an international career built on acclaimed recordings of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Schumann for Decca over more than two decades. He studied under teachers who had also taught Dinu Lipatti and Sviatoslav Richter, and was widely regarded as one of the finest pianists of his generation.