Artur Rubinstein

Recordings

Possibly the best-loved pianist of his day, Rubinstein’s enthusiasm for music was contagious. His interpretations are often light and always pleasing, but there are "cannons among the flowers," and he displays a wide range of feeling. His most famous recordings are of Chopin, which he recorded both early and late in his career. The early recordings, on EMI 64933, are bright and full of vitality. The later ones, for RCA, are more polished but no less energetic. Don't overlook the Schubert and Brahms Sonatas on RCA 6257 and 61862 respectively. The short pieces by Grieg, on RCA 61883, which also includes the Grieg Concerto, are energetic and more earnest than usual for these light works.

Rubinstein was also an outstanding chamber musician, partnering with Szeryng, Heifetz, Piatigorsky, the Guarnieri Quartet, and others in the music of Brahms, Schubert, and Dvorak. Some of the best examples are the two Brahms Piano Quartets on RCA 5677 and the Schubert and Schumann Trios on RCA 6262.

Rubinstein has also been the subject of an 82-disc retrospective set on RCA 63000 (single discs are also available separately). There is no other pianist for whom so grand a tribute would even be possible, for none recorded so extensively, and there are few for whom it would be as well deserved.

External Link

Look at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/rubinstein_a.html for more info.

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