Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Artur Rubinstein :: Arthur Rubinstein: Ludwig Van Beethoven Piano Sonatas

High class

Kevin McManus | Milan, MI Italy | 04/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Arthur Rubinstein is immediately associated with Chopin's music, and we all agree on that: he completely changed the way people see Chopin, either as a man and as a composer, and he found a way to get over Cortot's over-romanticism without choosing a "teutonic" approach. But as Rubinstein set a standard for Chopin, a new standard for Beethoven was found by distinguished pianists such as Backhaus and Fischer; Rubinstein didn't probably disagree enough with them to seek a completely different path, and maybe he wasn't as close to Beethoven as he was to Chopin. Nonetheless, he would never play "the German way"... that's why his sonatas sound Rubinstein-like, but they're actually not meant to go down in history.
So here we have four famous works played in an "usual" way, but with a tone quality and a good taste that couldn't be more "unusual": it's Ruby all the way, folks!The "Pathetique" is a triumph of great sound and proportions, as well as the "Appassionata", but I think they both lack the sparkle of earlier recordings (vol. 10 and 14). The "Moonlight" sounds beautiful in its under-romanticism, and "Les Adieux" is probably the winner of the whole disc, with its lovely and passionate tone and clever use of rubato."

Loved for his elegant style, Rubinstein applies it to Beetho

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 06/01/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When great pianists come to the the sacred Beethoven sonatas, they diverge into two camps. The first camp tries to serve Beethoven first, the second imposes a 'personal' style with secondary attention to the composer. In the first camp everyone would put Schnabel, Serkin, Annie Fischer, Wilhelm Kempff, Murray Perahia, and perhaps nowadays Andras Schiff and Leif Ove Andsnes. In the second would be Horowitz, Richter, Cortot, Rubinstein, and a panoply of earlier greats in the Lisztian romantic tradition. These were the unabashed stylists, whose fans want to hear a pianist more than they want to hear piano music.



Rubinstein's fans were particularly devoted to him--he was that rare thing, a loable human being who also happened to be a virtuoso--and since he was less agressive than Richter and less flamboyant than Horowitz, Rubinstein's gentle, sophisticated way with Beethoven, which could evoke Paris over Vienna, felt more agreeable. But it's not selfless by any means. Rubinstein is the anti-Serkin, bringing the same dreaminess to the Moonlight that he brings to Chopin, smoothing over the outbursts in the Appassionate so that it will be more civilized (but losing half of Beethoven's revolutionary genius in the bargain), and generally giving his audiences what they want.



On its own terms, this CD is a lovely example of the Rubinstein method. Personally, I side with the first camp, but I can see why many listeners so admire this epitmoe of sophisticated elegance who never slips into vulgarity or blatant showmanship."

Flawless Renditions of Familiar Pieces

R. J. Marsella | California | 03/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 4 Sonatas represented here are probably among the most familiar of all of Beethoven's work to the general listening public. They are beautifully rendered by Arthur Rubenstein in a recording of very good quality. This is an ideal purchase for someone who is seeking an introduction to Beethoven's work since the music is highly accessable and the price is very affordable. Rubenstein's playing is basically straightforward and sensitive, perfectly suited to the 4 selections presented here."