Valentin Gheorghiu

Valentin Gheorghiu (b. 1928) is one of the leading Romanian pianists composers of the twentieth century. Born in Galaţi, he studied piano with Constanța Erbiceanu and composition with Mihail Jora and Mihail Andricu at the Bucharest Conservatory and then at the Conservatoire National de Musique in Paris with Lazare Lévy. At the first edition of the George Enescu International Competition in 1958, he won the first prize for the best performance of the third sonata by Enescu, together with his brother the violinist Ştefan Gheorghiu. Gheorghiu's wide repertoire includes many Romantic composers such as Schumann, Grieg, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Chopin, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, in addition to music by Beethoven, as well as modern compositions by Romanian composers, George Enescu, Paul Constantinescu and himself. His works include 2 Symphonies (1949; 1953, rev. 1974), Piano Concerto (1959), Imagini din copilarie, suite for Orchestra (1961), Burlesca for Piano and Orchestra (1964), String Quartet (1946), Piano Sonata (1946), Cello Sonata (1950), Piano Trio (1950), and songs.