Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 77

On this CD:

1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Daniel Barenboim

2. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra with Artur Rubinstein
Conducted by Daniel Barenboim

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 was actually the first he composed, and its debt to Mozart and Haydn are everywhere evident. The easygoing final movement is here played with verve and grace by the 88-year-old Artur Rubinstein, and the middle movement, so peaceful, is beautifully played (with perhaps a missed note or two). The No. 1 also owes much to Beethoven's Classical forebears, but Rubinstein adds Romantic flourish to the way he uses dynamics--at times a bit drastically, but always for the music. Daniel Barenboim leads without awe but with great respect--he never gets in Rubinstein's (or Beethoven's) way, and the London Philharmonic lends strong support. A good pair of performances. --Robert Levine

Tracks:

Mazurka No.1 in f#, Op.6
Mazurka No.2 in c#, Op.6
Mazurka No.3 in E, Op.6
Mazurka No.4 in e flat, Op.6
Mazurka No.1 in B flat, Op.7
Mazurka No.2 in a, Op.7
Mazurka No.3 in f, Op.7
Mazurka No.4 in A flat, Op.7
Mazurka No.5 in C, Op.7
Mazurka No.1 in B flat, Op.17
Mazurka No.2 in e, Op.17
Mazurka No.3 in A flat, Op.17
Mazurka No.4 in a, Op.17
Mazurka No.1 in g, Op.24
Mazurka No.2 in C, Op.24
Mazurka No.3 in A flat, Op.24
Mazurka No.4 in b flat, Op.24
Mazurka No.1 in c, Op.30
Mazurka No.2 in b, Op.30
Mazurka No.3 in D flat, Op.30
Mazurka No.4 in C#, Op.30
Mazurka No.1 in G#, Op.33
Mazurka No.2 in D, Op.33
Mazurka No.3 in C, Op.33
Mazurka No.4 in b, Op.33

Tracks:

Mazurka No.1 in c#, Op.41
Mazurka No.2 in e, Op.41
Mazurka No.3 in B, Op.41
Mazurka No.4 in A flat, Op.41
Mazurka No.1 in G, Op.50
Mazurka No.2 in A flat, Op.50
Mazurka No.3 in C#, Op.50
Mazurka No.1 in B, Op.56
Mazurka No.2 in C, Op.56
Mazurka No.3 in c, Op.56
Mazurka No.1 in a, Op.59
Mazurka No.2 in A flat, Op.59
Mazurka No.3 in f#, Op.59
Mazurka No.1 in B, Op.63
Mazurka No.2 in f, Op.63
Mazurka No.3 in C#, Op.63
Mazurka No.1 in G, Op.67
Mazurka No.2 in g, Op.67
Mazurka No.3 in C, Op.67
Mazurka No.4 in a, Op.67
Mazurka No.1 in C, Op.68
Mazurka No.2 in a, Op.68
Mazurka No.3 in F, Op.68
Mazurka No.4 in f, Op.68
Mazurka 'A'Emile Gaillard' in a
Mazurka 'Notre Temps' in a

Amazon.com

Chopin wrote mazurkas throughout his all-too-brief life, using this Polish dance as the basis for short pieces that encompass a world of harmonic explorations and varied emotions, from the subtly comic to the intensely sad. Rubinstein plays the 51 in the standard canon, skipping the unpublished youthful ones. Of his three recordings of the set, connoisseurs tend to prefer his first, from 1938-1939 (available on RCA, EMI, and Naxos) for their spontaneity. But these 1965-1966 stereo recordings in refreshingly alive transfers can't fail to please most listeners. They're a bit weightier than the early ones, but the added depth and Rubinstein's characterization of each piece yield big dividends. In the great C sharp minor Mazurka, Op. 50, No. 3, for example, he plays the beautiful opening theme with disarming simplicity that invests it with mournful regret, manages the transitions to bolder statements flawlessly, and turns a charming dance into a dramatic tone poem that says in five minutes what some composers need a full symphony to say. That miracle is repeated often in this set, as Rubinstein appears at first to be underplaying a piece until you realize the sophistication of his carefully modulated dynamics, gentle rubato, and varied tone. His was an outward simplicity that hid complex art. Throughout, he plays with a wonderful, singing tone, rhythmic life, and an aristocratic authority few have matched. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

piano for the suburbanite.......2005-04-23

nothing artistic here.
plays like a student.
pass it up...

This would be the greatest exce[pt...........2002-01-08

This would be the greatest of all Rubinstein Chopin recordings except...there are the Polonaises (Volumte 28!), and the Nocturnes (Volume 46!). Count this one tied for 3rd, with the Ballades, the Waltzes, the.... Hey, wait -- you might as well get them all.

My only problem with this recording is that the repeat button on my CD player isn't working. I listen to one and say, "That's gotta be the best Rubinstein/Chopin Mazurka there could possibly be," but no sooner than I think that, that another one comes on, EVEN BETTER.

Okay, I have my fav. The great B Minor Opus 33 Number 4. This is mid-period Chopin at his finest, and Rubinstein at his finest, and we are privileged to be alive so that we can rehear it.

Who Better than to Record the Mazurkas?.......2001-12-01

Chopin. Rubinstein. Mazurkas. Perfection. The impeccable Rubinstein rubato shines most when he plays the works which invite overindulgence, like the dance forms, or the easily sentimentalized nocturnes. Especially in these mazurkas where his rhythmic restraint is admirable. These recordings are quirky yet authoritative enough to make me wonder whether only a fellow Pole can play Chopin with such multifariousness (16 letters!) of movement within the staff. I've heard other recordings of the mazurkas, mainly Ashkenazy (boring... where's the life?) and individual performance pieces in compiliations, but none sparkle like the way Rubinstein makes them sparkle. Sublime.

Arthur Rubinstein: Chopin's 51 Mazurkas.......2001-04-07

Fabulous! Polish music at its best!

The unsurpassable Rubinstein.......2001-03-29

While his recordings of other composers is somewhat uneven, Rubinstein is the absolute master of Chopin. Noone else captures the beauty, nuance, depth, poetry, and feel of his music in quite the same way, and the Mazurkas (which by the way sound wonderful in their new remastering) are no exception. Even the very familiar ones sound fresh in Rubinstein's hands, and whether you listen to these a few at a time (as I usually do) or straight through, I highly recommend this recording as well as the other reissues in this series.

Average customer rating:

A top recording in the Rubi collection
Magical
A true must-have album

Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 67

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005427O
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

Pno Qnt in f, Op.34: Allegro Non Troppo
Pno Qnt in f, Op.34: Andante, Un Poco Adagio
Pno Qnt in f, Op.34: Scherzo
Pno Qnt in f, Op.34: Finale
Pno Qnt in A, Op.81: Allegro Ma Non Tanto
Pno Qnt in A, Op.81: Dumka: Andante Con Moto
Pno Qnt in A, Op.81: Scherzo (Furiant): Molto Vivace
Pno Qnt in A, Op.81: Finale: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

A top recording in the Rubi collection.......2006-11-01

Rubinstein and Guarneri give us a very important contribution in the field of chamber music recordings. A must, one of the finest RCA recording in the Rubi collection.

Magical.......2006-02-11

I was first introduced to the Guarneri String Quartet in high school. My friend made me a cd of this recording and I listened to it every single day because it is so addicting. The Brahms is unlike anything I've ever heard before. The andante is dissonant and tense, yet melodic. It's very romantic and powerful! The Dvorak piano quintet is a different kind of listening; pleasant, not boring. The recording is altogether perfect.

A true must-have album.......2005-07-30

Rubinstein and crew provide insightful, emotional insights into two of the greatest piano quintets in the repertoire.

There are moments where Rubinstein's playing could be a little more sensitive (more a matter of interpretive differences from my playing of the pieces), but the overall effect is so great that minor quibbles can certainly be forgiven.

I've told friends and family that their lives will not be complete until they hear this album, and I'd stand by that statement for anyone who asks.

Average customer rating:

Rubinstein's Late Beethoven

Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 77

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004TG7H
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15 In C: Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15 In C: Largo
Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15 In C: Rondo: Allegro scherzando
Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 19 In B-Flat: Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 19 In B-Flat: Adagio
Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 19 In B-Flat: Rondo: Allegro molto

Amazon.com

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 was actually the first he composed, and its debt to Mozart and Haydn are everywhere evident. The easygoing final movement is here played with verve and grace by the 88-year-old Artur Rubinstein, and the middle movement, so peaceful, is beautifully played (with perhaps a missed note or two). The No. 1 also owes much to Beethoven's Classical forebears, but Rubinstein adds Romantic flourish to the way he uses dynamics--at times a bit drastically, but always for the music. Daniel Barenboim leads without awe but with great respect--he never gets in Rubinstein's (or Beethoven's) way, and the London Philharmonic lends strong support. A good pair of performances. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Rubinstein's Late Beethoven.......2000-08-11

The "Late" here refers to Rubinstein, not Beethoven. The great pianist was nearly ninety when these concertos were recorded. When this cycle of Beethoven Concertos was originally released in 1976, the set was generally panned by critics. One factor may have been the sound on the original LPs: the piano was virtually in your lap, with the orchestra far in the background and very poorly mixed. The sound gave the impression of a bogged down "arthritic" performance. The audio has been greatly improved here. The balance is natural, the orchestral sonority is plush.

Rubinstein's performance here can best be described as "stately." He is certainly still capable of creating a fortissimo which rocks the piano on its wheels, but never makes a harsh sound. (There is a technical slip on Rubinstein's part during the last movement of the Second Concerto which should have been corrected.) Some purists may quibble with his use of rubato, approach to ornamentation, and use of Busoni's edition of Beethoven's cadenzes--but the performances are an autumnal joy from first note to last.

Customer Reviews:

Get this especially for Maryla Jonas.......2005-12-08

I heartily agree with Mr. Morrison's previous review and would only add that one of the more obscure pianists on this set, Maryla Jonas, was de Pachmann's successor -- and there is no higher praise.
Vladimir de Pachmann was lauded in the late 19th century for rescuing Chopin from Lisztian virtuosi and restoring him to the charm, intimacy and mystery of the salon (although de Pachmann managed to make his confessional tone carry in the largest halls).
More recently, the salon aspects of Chopin have been disparaged and pianists like Rubinstein were praised for giving us more masculine, literal performances. But Rubinstein, who spent more time training in Berlin with Joachim and his circle than he ever did in Poland, always struck me as being more sympathetic to Brahms than he was to Chopin. Indeed, it took many years and a changing aesthetic for Rubinstein's Chopin to be hailed by the same audiences who considered Toscanini and Heifetz to reign supreme.
Which brings us to Maryla Jonas. She was Polish through and through and somehow, like the Russian de Pachmann, channeled what I sense was Chopin's own capricious, witty, nostalgic and nocturnal poetry.
It speaks well for Rubinstein that, though his compatriot's playing was so different from his own, he helped bring Jonas back to the piano after the broken woman was forced to flee to Brazil to escape the Nazis. Sadly, Maryla Jonas was too ill to build a major carreer and died at just 48.
For more Jonas, including her revelatory Schumann, buy the Pearl issue before it disppears. But this is a fine introduction.

A Treasure Trove of Historic Chopin Performances.......2005-03-25

Collected here on 4 CDs, in Volume 2 of this Andante series, are historic performances of some of Chopin's solo piano works. In Volume 1 were performances of the Waltzes, Impromptus, Scherzos, Andante spianato and Grande polonaise, Ballades, Études, Préludes, the 2nd & 3rd Sonatas, Barcarolle and Berceuse. In Volume 2, CD 1 are the legendary performance of the Op. 10 Études by Edward Kilenyi, plus some single études played by various other great historic artists (including the only student of Chopin to live into the recording era, Francis Planté). On CD 2 are Nocturnes played by such artists as Rubinstein, Paderewski, Sofronitsky, Busoni, Cortot, Lipatti, Maryla Jonas, and Raoul Koszalski. On CD 3 are some Polonaises, most played by Rubinstein, but with single polonaises played by Paderewski, Friedman, Sofronitsky and Jonas. CD 4 is devoted to Mazurkas played by Horowitz, Friedman, Sofronitsky, Kapell and Jonas. Volume 1 was a huge artistic success (although for some strange reason it has not been reviewed here at Amazon.com). The same is true for the present volume. It is hard to imagine any other collection containing so many important historic recordings all in one place. If you are a Chopin lover you will be in heaven.

Not all the performances are necessarily the very best available, one supposes--although the marvelous performances far outnumber those about which one might have some question--but the different pianists give us a view of how Chopin playing may have changed or varied over the years. Musically, from start to finish, this is a very satisfying collection. I've spent literally hours and hours listening and comparing with other Chopin performances I own. I know that I would never want to be without this collection. Add to that the very fine presentation with a hard-bound book that contains essays in three languages, and one has a real winner.

As to individual performances I would want to single out, let me just mention a few. First of all the Kilenyi performances, which I'd heard a few of in the past but never heard at such length, are terrific. Of course, Kilenyi, who recorded the études of Op. 10 in 1937, had made the first really good recording of the set and they were the standard-bearer for years. (Cortot's first recording of them antedated Kilenyi's but they are, to be honest, not nearly as good; he rectified that in later recordings.) While we're talking about the Études I must mention also the two in E major, No. 3, recorded by Paderewski and Brailowsky. The sound, here as in almost all the examples in this set, is marvelous, and both artists caress the keyboard in such a way that this most romantic of all the études is given sumptuous treatment. Busoni's performance of No. 5 in G flat is in not very good sound (an exception) but there are glints of lightning in his playing. Jean-Marie Darré's performance of Étude No. 6 in G sharp minor 'Thirds' is electrifying.

The Nocturnes disc (CD 2) is arranged so that one often gets several performances of a single Nocturne in a row so that one can compared Rubinstein, say, with Paderewski (No. 2) or Sofronitsky with Cortot (No. 4). I was particularly struck with the two (Nos. 19 and 20) by Maryla Jonas, a Polish pianist only vaguely known to me previously. I must hasten to add that these discs do not attempt to give complete traversals of, say, the Nocturnes or Polonaises. These are selected single performances.

CD 3 (the Polonaise disc) starts with performances of six of them by Rubinstein from 1934, among the earliest recordings he made. Not only is the sound marvelous, the playing is supple and echt-Chopin. (I confess that I was weaned on these performances, so they strike a particular chord with me.) Also included, though, is a gangbusters Paderewski performance of the popular A major Polonaise, Op. 40, No. 1 and this then is followed by two performances that are even more striking: Friedman and Sofronitsky in the A flat major, Op. 53 (the one with the horrific left hand octaves). Wow!

The set closes out (CD 4) with two of the greatest ever players of the Mazurkas--Horowitz, who plays eight of them, and Friedman who plays six. But then, and new to me, are performances of ten of them by Vladimir Sofronitsky, recorded in somewhat crude sound but no matter, that blew me away with their rhythmic spring. These are followed by another set very familiar to me, five mazurkas (Nos. 9, 14, 24, 35, and 44) by William Kapell. Simply superb. The disc closes out with four played by Maryla Jonas. She was unknown to me before, but I was won over by her rather airy take on these mazurkas which, for all their delicacy, are so rhythmically alive that one wants to get up and dance.

Hats off to Andante for this wonderful collection of treasurable performances, the excellent sound of the transfers, and for the really classy presentation. First class all round.

Recommended.

4 CDs TT=5hrs 20mins

Scott Morrison

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Wonderful Historic Recordings

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Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Historic Recordings.......2006-07-06

Thanks to Harold Wayne for preserving some rarely heard voices from the turn of the century. The sound on some of these is primitive at best but the singers and style are wonderful. I feel fortunate that my first experiences with classical music were sratchy 78s. I must have a built up tolerance to early recorded sound.

Not for the neophyte opera fan but for serious collectors a great must. The 2 Selma Kurtz items alone are worth the price of the disc.