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For my money, it doesn't get better than this performance of Chopin's Barcarolle. The tone, the touch, the expression... Simply amazing.

Rubinstein - Chopin Barcarolle

I agree with you, Damon. I've always been a devotee of Rubinstein but I did not like his rendition of 119/3. He made it into a romantic piece when I think it should sound more like a scherzo.

Oh OK -- my bad.

(I mean I don't really think so, but what the heck, I'll take the blame.)


P.S. Great memory!!!

Yes! We could quibble about whether it can get better -- I think I'm more partial to Horowitz, but as in that post about the Brahms concerti, it's more like they're just "different" -- but whatever....it's wonderful.

It sounded to me like he couldn't quite decide. Rubinstein usually is much more consistent. I am quite undecided myself about how I want it to sound. At least I can play the notes now.

Rubinstein's D Minor and B flat major are both great, though I still have to take Firkusny, Serkin, and Ogdon (especially Ogdon in the third movement) for the D minor and de Larrocha (even over Richter) in the B flat.

The set has the same contents as the 1999 muy-expensive box, except it does not have the 1964 Moscow recital - which is available elsewhere on both CD and DVD. However, the new set contains three CDs of previously unreleased live performances from Rubinstein's 1961 ten concert marathon at Carnegie Hall. included are four pieces new to Rubinstein's discography: Scriabin's Nocturne for the Left Hand, Debussy's Isle of Joy, Falla's Dance of the Miller's Wife Stravinsky's Three Scenes from Petrouchka. The set is already out at some international sellers.

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The heck with it, I can't get the video to embed. So, here's my old blog post with the video included - some early Rubinstein.

http://hankdrake.blogspot.com/2011/05/rubinstein-revisited.html

Did Rubinstein play Albeniz' Iberia? I thought I heard somewhere that he did... Maybe I'm wrong.

Yes, he played quite a lot of Spanish music including Iberia. His performances in Spain and his interpretation of Spanish music helped his career tremendously. Navarra was one of his signature pieces.

Sure. He was considered at least (let's see, what to call it) a semi-specialist in Albeniz and Granados. Some of the pieces are on youtube.

(I see that Deborah beat me to it....)

Dunno which are the most readily available or frequently listened to, but in the 1999 box set there are three recordings of Op. 15 (1954, 1964, 1976) and four of Op. 83 (1929, 1952, 1958, 1971).


Unfortunately, only 'Evocación' and 'Triana' are present in the 1999 collection.

He's not usually associated with Mozart; however, I'm particulary fond of his recording of Concerto No. 17 with Wallenstein and the RCA Orchestra.

Yes! One of the reasons I love him is because he was such a champion of Spanish and Latin American music. I've always had an affinity for this music, and I've studied flamenco in Spain, so it's logical that I love all the classical Spanish composers like Albeniz, who worked in various folk dances and some flamenco styles.

Spanish folk music is that much more removed from the rest of Europe to make it so interesting!

I don't know if Rubinstein played the complete Iberia. I doubt it, as it was not his way to play complete cycles of music in his recitals. But from 1916 onward, Spanish music figured generously in his repertoire. Unfortunately, he began dropping many of these pieces from his repertoire after the mid-1950s, so we have very few stereo recordings of Rubinstein in Spanish repertoire. Volume 18 of the 1999 Rubinstein collection is devoted to these works - a must have.

On the Brahms Concertos: Rubinstein's recording with Reiner - early stereo from 1954, is generally considered the best of his three recordings of the D minor. There is also a video version from 1973 with Haitink that's quite good.

Rubinstein's early recording of the B-flat with Coates is quite unpolished, but very exciting - it's one of the few performances that actually follows Brahms' metronome markings. But on balance, the 1958 version with Krips is the one to get among his versions.

Yes, and I actually love his interpretation.

That's excellent news! Amazon had it listed on pre-order at $259. About a quarter of the previous box set, which two independent sellers on Amazon are now trying to get $3000 and $5000 respectively.


edit: Thanks for the info and the link to your blog!

When I looked at Amazon earlier today, there was also a used set for around $1,250 in addition to the new ones Damon mentioned. Maybe it's been snapped up already, as most times that I check there are none for sale at all. It's become hard to find.

(this was about 119/3)
I don't see the problem. Maybe my problem is that this was the first version of the piece I ever heard so, you know how it can be with that. Anyway I think the varying moods and touches are wonderful; it never occurred to me that there was anything wrong with the different ways. IMO he gives each different way its own good character, and it all fits together more than fine.