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Romanian pianist Valentin Gheorghiu dies aged 95.
Pianist and composer Valentin Gheorghiu, one of the greatest pianists in our musical history and appreciated composer, member of the Union of Composers and Musicologists from Romania (UCMR), passed away at the age of 95, told Agerpres.
The announcement was made by violinist Gabriel Croitoru.
"On this July night our great pianist and good friend, Maestro Valentin Gheorghiu, left us to go and play in other worlds! May God rest his soul in Peace and Light", he wrote on Facebook.
Pianist and composer Valentin Gheorghiu was born on March 21, 1928, in Galati.
Valentin Gheorghiu's composition creation was awarded the "George Enescu" Prize of the Romanian Academy for his Concerto For Piano And Orchestra and the 2020 UCMR Grand Prize, for his entire activity.
Appreciated by George Enescu and Cella Delavrancea, Valentin Gheorghiu was one of the most important post-war Romanian musical personalities, with an impressive artistic activity spanning over eight decades. After his first public appearances, George Enescu, in a letter addressed to the Ministry of Culture, considered Valentin Gheorghiu "a talent to be closely watched".
His teachers at the Royal Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in Bucharest were Mihail Jora, Constanta Erbiceanu, Mihail Andricu and Constantin Brailoiu. He attended the National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris.
He made his debut, in 1943, as a soloist on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum, with Concerto No. 1 in C major for piano and orchestra by Ludwig van Beethoven, with the Philharmonic conducted by George Georgescu. He was organist at the St. Joseph Catholic Cathedral in Bucharest and concert soloist of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra in Bucharest.
At the first edition of the "George Enescu" International Festival and Competition in 1958, Valentin Gheorghiu was awarded, together with his brother, the violinist Stefan Gheorghiu, the first prize for the interpretation of George Enescu's Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 3 in A minor "in Romanian folk character".
On 26 September 2014, Valentin Gheorghiu was elected Corresponding Member of the Romanian Academy.
On 1 December 2000, the Romanian Presidency awarded him the National Order of Faithful Service, the Grand Cross rank, as a token of appreciation for his "contribution to the progress and development of Romania".
On 23 May 2018, on his 90th birthday, he was decorated by the Romanian Presidency with the highest distinction of the Romanian state, the National Order Star of Romania, "as a sign of deep appreciation for what he has achieved in his extraordinary musical career as a pianist and composer".
The coffin with Valentin Gheorghiu's body will be placed, for a last homage, on Tuesday, between 10:00 and 15:00, in the foyer of the Romanian Athenaeum, and the funeral service will take place on Wednesday, at 10:00, at the Chapel of the Bellu Orthodox Cemetery.
