Arthur Rubinstein plays Beethoven, Ravel & Chopin

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A sense of delight permeates his performance of the Ravel waltzes; he digs into the scrunchy textures and lets the composer's lime-and-soda harmonies fizz and gleam...Shame about the sound quality,... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2013, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 25th Feb 2013
Catalogue No: ICAC5095
Label: ica classics
Series: Legacy
Length: 72 minutes

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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2 No. 3

Work length27:51

$7.00

$9.05

Arthur Rubinstein (piano)
Recorded: 17 March 1963
Recording Venue: Concerto Hall, Broadcasting Hous, London

I. Allegro con brio

Track length10:37

$3.00

$3.85

II. Adagio

Track length8:12

$2.00

$2.60

III. Scherzo. Allegro - Trio

Track length3:48

$1.00

$1.30

IV. Allegro assai

Track length5:14

$1.00

$1.30

Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales

Work length14:54

$8.00

$10.40

Arthur Rubinstein (piano)
Recorded: 17 March 1963
Recording Venue: Concert Hall, Broadcasting House, London

I. Modéré, tres franc (Version for Piano)

Track length1:23

$1.00

$1.30

II. Assez lent, avec une expression intense (Version for Piano)

Track length2:06

$1.00

$1.30

III. Modéré (Version for Piano)

Track length1:11

$1.00

$1.30

IV. Assez anime (Version for Piano)

Track length1:10

$1.00

$1.30

V. Presque lent, dans un sentiment intime (Version for Piano)

Track length1:43

$1.00

$1.30

VI. Vif (Version for Piano)

Track length0:37

$1.00

$1.30

VII. Moins vif (Version for Piano)

Track length2:33

$1.00

$1.30

VIII. Epilogue. Lent (Version for Piano)

Track length4:11

$1.00

$1.30

Chopin: Nocturne No. 8 in D flat major, Op. 27 No. 2

Work length6:28

$1.00

$1.30

Arthur Rubinstein (piano)
Recorded: 17 March 1963
Recording Venue: Concert Hall, Broadcasting House, London

Nocturne No. 8 in D-Flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2

Track length6:28

$1.00

$1.30

Chopin: Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

Work length9:26

$2.00

$2.60

Arthur Rubinstein (piano)
Recorded: 17 March 1963
Recording Venue: Concert Hall, Broadcasting House, London

Chopin: Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise, Op. 22

Work length14:16

$3.00

$3.85

Arthur Rubinstein (piano)
Recorded: 6 October 1959
Recording Venue: Concert Hall, Broadcasting House, London

Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22

Track length14:16

$3.00

$3.85

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About

Arthur Rubinstein (1887–1982) was one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. After brief studies with Paderewski in Switzerland in 1903, Rubinstein moved to Paris, where he met Ravel and Dukas, and played Saint-Saëns’s G minor Concerto to the composer’s approval. He made his debuts in the USA in 1906 and London in 1912. He was a superb performer of Chopin and his 1960s recordings of nearly all Chopin’s solo piano music have been considered essential to any record collection since their release.

He was also a formidable interpreter of Spanish music.

Rubinstein became a naturalised American citizen in 1946, but he maintained residences in California, New York, Paris and Geneva. After the Second World War, he refused to perform in Germany, in response to the Nazi extermination of his Polish family. Rubinstein became a strong supporter of Israel with an international piano competition named after him in 1974. His honours included the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society of London, the US Medal of Freedom (1976), and membership of the French Legion of Honour.

This is a rare live recording of Rubinstein made by the BBC in 1963. It has only recently been discovered in the National Sound Archives.

It has never been issued before in any format.

The recital contains repertoire by composers that were closely associated with the pianist: Chopin, Ravel and Beethoven. Rubinstein’s temperament had sufficient fire for Beethoven but enough poetry for Chopin; his tempos and dynamics were always flexible, but never distorted.

Rubinstein’s recording of Brahms’s Piano Concerto No.2 on ICA Classics (ICAC5003) was a Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’, with Rubinstein’s playing praised for its ‘legendary charisma and indelible individuality’.

Reviews

June 2013

A sense of delight permeates his performance of the Ravel waltzes; he digs into the scrunchy textures and lets the composer's lime-and-soda harmonies fizz and gleam...Shame about the sound quality, which makes the recital sound much older than it is. But it's still a concert to treasure, full of Rubinstein's unquenchable spirit.

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