Arthur Rubinstein

[brewtality]

Any fans of this pianist? He seems to get a lot of flack from pianophiles (snobs who frequently equate obscurity with greatness). Who think it was his personality and gift for self promotion which made him famous. And that he was not really a 'great' pianist. Things like this are not uncommon amongst pianophiles: https://www.arbiterrecords.com/musicresourcecenter/rubinstein.html

Personally, I love Rubinstein. His earliest recordings are his best imho. He really was a tremendous virtuoso with a gigantic technique (despite his claims to the contrary). Just listen to his Chopin Scherzo 2 from 1933, I've never heard those runs played so fast! and yet it is all under control. His 1927 Barcorolle is amazing. This isn't 'tuberculous' (as rubinstein put it) playing, but noble and strong. It is really invigorating and yet moving. His early cycle of the Mazurkas is unbeatable as a set, the feeling is so natural which is exactly what these pieces need. For me only Friedman and in certain instances Horowitz and Pachmann can match him. There is also a fantastic Beethoven 3rd with Ormandy from 1943 which is simply the best version I've ever heard. Not to mention his smashing 1929 Albeniz Sevilla and Narvarra which he played with incredible ease (omitting a few notes in the process).

 Unfortunately his playing got boring during his 'middle' period (I refer by recording not age). Ironically, these are the most widely available of his cds. I'm talking about his Ballades (though the climax in the first is incredible), 2nd and 3rd cycle of Mazurkas, Scherzos etc. I class this as after WW2 through 1970ish, towards the end he was great again, taking risks (I love his 1975 Appassionata despite the technical struggles).

He also gets mah respect for being such a pimp. His wife was just gorgeous when she was young (22 yrs younger than him btw) and apparently a sparkling personality who had to put up with a notorious womaniser. Ruby eventually left her in his 90s for a beautiful woman in her mid 30s! I'd show you the picture if I could get the bloody scanner working.

His memoirs are very interesting, and frankly the young year tales made me want to live the "Rubinstein" life. The second volume is less enjoyable, with criticisms of his fellow pianists that set my teeth on edge not to talk of his political views (he was positively right wing with respect to Israel). The story with Heifetz and the "Rubinstein, God, Piatigorsky " trio is genius. I'd also recommend the Sachs biography, handy because it corrects the mistakes in his books and gives the perspective of his wife, mistress, children and friends.

Anyway, what do you guys think of this pianist? Was he all hype and no substance? Just a pianist who managed to seduce the public with his charisma (lifting hands high etc)? or truely one of the all time 'greats'? Btw if anyone saw him in concert I'd love to know what you thought.

[bench warmer]

Posted this somewhere else a while ago, but worth repeating.

My wife & I were at  one of his last solo concerts and he started playing the Chopin Bb minor scherzo. Got past the the triplets section and into the lyrical melody section when he stopped playing. He turned to the audience and said " I'm very sorry, I don't like how I started this and I"m not playing it well."  He asked if the stage manager could dim the spotlights since they were bothering his eyes. Then he said, "Thank you. Now I'd like to star this over with your permission.".... And he did.

Of course he got a standing ovation at the end of it.

When we were leaving, I told my wife I'd be happy to play it the way he did when he thought it was crappy!

[dnephi]

I have his Brahms Piano Quartet and I am thoroughly pleased.  I don't know anything else about him.

[arensky]

He's one of the greatest. I've gone through periods of like and dislike of his playing. For many years I found him to be boring, but in the last few years I rediscovered his Chopin recordings and found in them something real that I can sink my teeth into. His Chopin has meat and substance, without mannerisms. When I listen to certain recordings (the Polonaises, the Ballades) I have an almost synesthetic reaction while I listen, not with color but with some sort of floating heavy mass or substance. It's an abstract thing, can't really describe it, but it's unique to Rubinstein playing Chopin. Anyway....

I think he incurred a lot of jealousy from other pianists because it was all so easy for him in many respects, so while they were slaving away and having stage fright he was wining, dining and as you phrase it pimping. An artist who has this complete abscence of the typical hangups that go with the life of a concert artist and is enjoying life is going to be able to communicate with his audiences more directly and therefore make a greater impact. This lack of inhibition and the resulting self confidence made his performances miracles of performer to audience communication, and it comes through on the records, too. To sum it up I think he was "over himself", unlike many pianists.

I agree about many of the recordings from the late 50's through the late 60's, he seems bored. Perhaps if one records the almost complete works of Chopin about three times one gets bored.

He was neither the fastest, loudest, cleanest, or most accurate pianist of his time but he knew how to put it across to the audience like no one else, which gives us a lesson in what is perhaps most important in music making; communication.

He is the best Chopin interpreter I've ever heard, sorry I never heard him live. But a friend of mine who heard all the great mid-century pianists and string players, (from Rachmaninov, Hofmann and Kreisler on) and was one of them himself, when I asked him who was the greatest pianist he ever heard live, he replied "Rubinstein. I felt he was playing just for me in his living room, he was so at ease and comfortable. God it was beautiful."

[mephisto]

Definetly in my top 10.

His Chopin is for me with out a doubt the greatest of all time. The mazurkas are sublime as are the polonaises.  The only not so good recording is the preludes. Love his Ballades.

He has and early Saint Saens 2nd wich also is very good.

A lot of his other recordings are great to such as Schumann fantasiestucke and much of his Beethoven such as an early 1945 Appasionate wich is insanely fast. And a bunch of stuff. I am really interested in getting his compleet recs on rca but o my god so expansive(but it is 94 cds or something like that).

One thing I love about Rubinstein is how he plays Chopin so masculine when that is needed. Many pianists play Chopin like a pussy and a salon composers, wich only gives Chopin a bad name.

I hate his political oppinions.

[zheer]

  Yes , but his FI by Chopin is not so good, aside from that he was not a flashy pianist but a musician , he said that " i am an instrument of music ".
 

[mephisto]

Well that piece sucks.

[gruffalo]

When i got hold of some of his Chopin, i didnt think he was great technically, but i admired his musicality. however, on da sdc, i got hold of recs of his Liszt, things like Mephisto Waltz and Sonata in B minor. i think he has a fabulous technique and i wish i discovered that side of him before.

[kempff1234]

Rubinstein always has a special place in my heart...next to the AV node.

I love every single thing about him. Such a man full of compassion and love for people, music, life...it is impossible to find today.

I am proud to say that I have almost all of his RCA Rubinstein collection recordings. They are gems. He can bring tears to my eyes, make me laugh or ponder on the meaning of life. His golden tone, warm and yet masculine never fails to melt me down. Of course there was a period in which I hated every thing Rubinstein stood for. But I have now re-discovered him. His Chopin is simply put, THE BEST. Of course there billions of pianists today that can play much faster and with more accuracy that Rubinstein, but no one can mateched the natural, un hurried rubato that Rubinstein had. His Schumann, Brahms, Beethoven and even Schubert were brilliant as well. I have never ever herd Saint-Saens second concerto being played with such emotion, power and intellect. And who can match him in Spanish music (apart from La Roccha)? To me, Rubinstein is different from other "romantic" pianists. When he played, you could sense that he is in service of the music and not vice versa. I am sure that if any of the composers could have heard Rubinstein play their music, they would approve indefinitly. Such is my belief in him.

R.I.P Artur. You brought joy and happiness to millions of people around the world through your music. Thank you.

[brewtality]

And who can match him in Spanish music (apart from La Roccha)?

Datz rite!! He just has such joie de vivre, its really captivating. Btw how much Spanish music did he record? I only have a few bits and pieces. I don't think he did complete Iberia, but did he maybe record Triana? (one of his young day specialties). How about Szymanowski, de falla, villa lobos (apart from ritual fire dance, terror dance)?

[mephisto]

Datz rite!! He just has such joie de vivre, its really captivating. Btw how much Spanish music did he record? I only have a few bits and pieces. I don't think he did complete Iberia, but did he maybe record Triana? (one of his young day specialties). How about Szymanowski, de falla, villa lobos (apart from ritual fire dance, terror dance)?

He did record Triana(and also evocation, but I wish he had recorded the compleet set when he was still young):

https://www.amazon.com/Rubinstein-Collection-Vol-7-Artur/dp/B00005426Z/sr=8-1/qid=1159387476/ref=sr_1_1/102-8681066-4422520?ie=UTF8&s=music

He did record Szymanowski`s Symphony No. 4, for piano & orchestra ("Symphonie Concertante"), Op. 60 and some of the mazurkas.

Most of the first baby suite by Villa Lobos.

And there is of course this cd;

https://www.amazon.com/Rubinstein-Collection-Vol-Vladimir-Golschmann/dp/B000031WBO/sr=1-2/qid=1159387372/ref=sr_1_2/102-8681066-4422520?ie=UTF8&s=music

[brewtality]

He did record Triana(and also evocation, but I wish he had recorded the compleet set when he was still young):

https://www.amazon.com/Rubinstein-Collection-Vol-7-Artur/dp/B00005426Z/sr=8-1/qid=1159387476/ref=sr_1_1/102-8681066-4422520?ie=UTF8&s=music

He did record Szymanowski`s Symphony No. 4, for piano & orchestra ("Symphonie Concertante"), Op. 60 and some of the mazurkas.

Most of the first baby suite by Villa Lobos.

And there is of course this cd;

https://www.amazon.com/Rubinstein-Collection-Vol-Vladimir-Golschmann/dp/B000031WBO/sr=1-2/qid=1159387372/ref=sr_1_2/102-8681066-4422520?ie=UTF8&s=music

Thanks for the info Meph. I will have to get these. I also want the stuff he recorded with Kochanski, have you heard this?

[pianolist]

Rubinstein always has a special place in my heart...next to the AV node.

Ah, it's not just one lost pianist, it's a whole generation of them! Listen to the unhurried serenity of Ernest Schelling - visit https://www.pianola.org/reproducing/reproducing.cfm and scroll down the page. And while you're there, listen also to the intimacy of Scriabin playing his own Poème, Op 32, no 1. By accident there are a few birds twittering in the background, but they rather suit the performance. These are just two examples of a multitude of pianists who were also sensitive musicians.

I remember hearing Rubinstein at the Royal Festival Hall - it was on 6 May 1974. I have the programme in front of me - all Chopin, surprise, surprise! Scherzo in C# minor, B minor Sonata, Ballade in F minor, Polonaise in Ab to end with, plus sundry Preludes, Studies and the Impromptu in Gb. I don't have the sort of mind that can recall the individual details of interpretations at that distance in time. I suppose I judge pianists on the way they express their humanity, and the humanity of the composer whom they are representing, and so it is that aspect of their character that remains with me.

The strongest impression was of his boundless energy - he must have been 86 at the time, and I think I can remember him almost leaping up the steps at the side of the stage. His enthusiasm caught hold of the audience as soon as he stepped out of the wings. I would say he gave the impression of being rightfully proud and vibrantly upright, rather like a matador. It made a sharp contrast when Horowitz appeared on the same stage around 1987; also a dazzling, sensitive and occasionally wicked pianist, but patently an elderly man.

A friend of mine who heard all the great mid-century pianists and string players, (from Rachmaninov, Hofmann and Kreisler on) and was one of them himself, when I asked him who was the greatest pianist he ever heard live, he replied "Rubinstein. I felt he was playing just for me in his living room, he was so at ease and comfortable. God it was beautiful."

Intimacy in public piano playing is very hard to find nowadays. I would not say it was unique to Rubinstein, but it comes from a world where the most important concerts were not always played in mammoth halls. The world has become more massive and uniform. Piano competitions (which I detest) and recordings have led to the uniformity, and there has been a steady progression towards louder pianos and playing styles through the 20th century. This is not simply my imagination; I have some of the archive from Steinways in London, and there is correspondence from between the wars in which the head of Steinways Artists' Department regrets the push for more brilliantly-toned concert pianos.

My personal hero is Rachmaninov, whose music and most of whose performances convince me that he is speaking to me as a friend. There is a certain intimate melancholy in Rachmaninov, even in some of the witty filigree which he injected into familiar music. Rubinstein is more direct, which is also very moving, but in the end I quite like the man who says "Yes, but .." rather than "Yes." By the way, we should not forget that Kreisler (my favourite violinist) was no mean pianist either, and recorded several rolls for Ampico.

Rubinstein made piano rolls for the Aeolian Company (Duo-Art) and the American Piano Company (Ampico) in the teens and twenties. There is Albeniz (Albaicin, Evocation, Triana) etc, Brahms, seven rolls of Chopin, Debussy, de Falla (of course), Liszt, Prokofieff, Rimsky, Rubinstein (Anton) and Schumann.

[brewtality]

Ah, it's not just one lost pianist, it's a whole generation of them! Listen to the unhurried serenity of Ernest Schelling - visit https://www.pianola.org/reproducing/reproducing.cfm and scroll down the page. And while you're there, listen also to the intimacy of Scriabin playing his own Poème, Op 32, no 1. By accident there are a few birds twittering in the background, but they rather suit the performance. These are just two examples of a multitude of pianists who were also sensitive musicians.

I remember hearing Rubinstein at the Royal Festival Hall - it was on 6 May 1974. I have the programme in front of me - all Chopin, surprise, surprise! Scherzo in C# minor, B minor Sonata, Ballade in F minor, Polonaise in Ab to end with, plus sundry Preludes, Studies and the Impromptu in Gb. I don't have the sort of mind that can recall the individual details of interpretations at that distance in time. I suppose I judge pianists on the way they express their humanity, and the humanity of the composer whom they are representing, and so it is that aspect of their character that remains with me.

The strongest impression was of his boundless energy - he must have been 86 at the time, and I think I can remember him almost leaping up the steps at the side of the stage. His enthusiasm caught hold of the audience as soon as he stepped out of the wings. I would say he gave the impression of being rightfully proud and vibrantly upright, rather like a matador.

yes this is what a lot of people say. I can't imagine what kept him going all that time. His career lasted something like 80 yrs!
 
Yet despite having 'done it all', he was still in love with the piano, still in love with music and still in love with life (not to mention ladies). You guys who got to see him in concert are so lucky.

[brewtality]

check this out guys. I am attaching Ruby's sevilla from 1929. Is it not a stunning rendition?

[arensky]

check this out guys. I am attaching Ruby's sevilla from 1929. Is it not a stunning rendition?

 

 


It's probably too fast, the dancers would go flying in to the audience but god it's incredible piano playing. He doesn't roll the chords he doesn't have to, his hand is so big.

Wow.

[brewtality]

 


It's probably too fast, the dancers would go flying in to the audience but god it's incredible piano playing. He doesn't roll the chords he doesn't have to, his hand is so big.

Wow.

Too fast?! I reckon it only sounds great at this speed. He had a big reach but I doubt he can reach the F to Eb in the left hand. Even Rachmaninoff would have to squeeze that one. Btw only 12 dloads, what's wrong with you people? this is a great pianist near (or at imo) his best, and for only a handful of MBs.