Specificity of Radu Lupu’s perfor-mance interpretation of George Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” and “Rhapsody in Blue”

The relevance of the article. The performing activities of the outstanding Romanian pianist Radu Lupu aroused considerable interest in the music community during his lifetime. His stage presence and philosophy-focused depth of performance gave the musician a unique mystique and even charm. After the pianist’s death, this interest continues, as evidenced by the release of a CD series entitled “Radu Lupu Live” and a number of academic studies devoted to the study of his creative work. The purpose of the article is to identify the distinc-tive features of R. Lupu’s interpretation of G. Gershwin’s works and to reveal the performance approaches to this music. Because understanding how the pianist represents music that goes beyond the classical-romantic era contributes to a more detailed study and revelation of new aspects of his performing style. The methodology is based on an integrative approach. The following approaches proved to be key ones: inductive, deductive, comparative, analytical, and structural-functional. The results. In interpreting Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F, the pianist strives to accurately convey the peculiarities of their style, figurative and substantive content. This is facilitated by both strict adherence to all the author’s remarks indicated in the score and minor adjustments to the original musical text in the solo fragments of the works in consideration. This creative approach, combined with flexible agogics and dynamics, allows for adding an element of quasi-improvisation to the development of the thematic material of the works, which is appropriate in the context of jazz stylistics. Conclusions. The analyzed interpretation of Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F demonstrate R. Lupu’s mastery as an ensemble participant. He uses all the solo episodes as a chance for some bright creative self-expression, and in the tutti sections R. Lupu clearly follows the overall logic of how the performance dramaturgy develops. As a result, the piano part does not come to the fore here, but is perceived only as one of the voices of the orchestra. It is also worth noting the pianist’s masterful use of the piano’s sound palette, which allows him to emphasize the peculiarities of the timbral coloring of different registers and differentiate the layers of polyphonic texture. The practical significance. The material of the article can be used in subsequent studies of the characteristics of R. Lupu’s individual performing style, as well as in courses that examine issues of performance interpretation and contemporary trends in piano performance art.