Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Artur Rubinstein :: Beethoven Sonatas [Hybrid SACD]

Strong, Committed Performances

Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 02/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rubinstein knew all 32 of Beethoven's Sonatas by heart, but in public and on record, limited himself to the most popular half dozen or so. The four Sonatas on this CD--originally recorded at RCA Italiana Studios in the early 1960s--were, with the five Concertos, the core of Rubinstein's Beethoven repertoire.

Rubinstein's approach to the Pathetique is characteristic of his Beethoven playing: Tempos are sensible, avoiding extremes of speed or slowness; phrasing is devoid of artifice; pedaling is sparser than Beethoven's written indications, but many of Beethoven's contemporaries claim Beethoven over-pedaled; repeats are generally taken. Some purists will object to the way Rubinstein plays some of the grace notes and ornaments in the first movement, but there has been no conclusive evidence either way on the "correct" manner to handle them (Beethoven probably didn't care anyway).



This CD contains Rubinstein's only recording of the inescapable Moonlight Sonata. He performed it in public several times during the 1962-1963 season, and then dropped it from his repertoire. The first movement is played simply, even a little dryly, as is the second movement. But Rubinstein lets loose in the Finale, bringing the work to a stunning close. Nobody else could hit a piano that hard and still create such a beautiful sound.



The Appassionata was a favorite of Rubinstein's. He featured it in his earliest concert performances, played it almost to the end of his career, and recorded it three times. This recording is more successful than the previous two (the first was almost comically slapdash). Max Wilcox, the producer of the original recording, has noted that this was one of the few times Rubinstein became hampered in the recording studio, and many takes were required before Rubinstein was satisfied. But one could never guess that from listening to the resulting performance, it is totally organic and betrays no hint of being spliced together.



The Les Adieu Sonata rounds out the album, bringing a joyous conclusion to a wonderful recording.



RCA's SACD remastering has not radically altered the sound picture, but there is a greater sense of space around the piano. The packaging recreates the original cover art and liner notes.

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A legendary pianist performs works from a legendary composer

Eric S. Kim | Southern California | 08/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rubinstein has to be my favorite pianist when it comes to Beethoven. He conveys the right amount of tranquility and excitement for all four of these sonatas that are featured on this disc. Unlike Rudolf Kempff, Rubinstein plays the first movement of the "Moonlight" very slowly (but not too slow) and the third movement very quickly (but not to the point that it feels like the speed of light). I think this portrays Beethoven's original intentions almost perfectly. "Pathetique" is also a hit, with a relatively intense first movement that actually sounds intense, and a meditative second movement that actually sounds meditative. "Appassionata" and "Les Adieux" are some of my least favorite works from Beethoven, but the two pieces still manage to make me feel very comfortable. Rubinstein once again plays brilliantly here. Now normally, I focus only on the composer and his music rather than the players that perform the music, but here, I can't help but admire Rubinstein for his extraordinary performances of Beethoven's greatest piano sonatas. Kudos to both the composer and pianist for these splendid recordings.



Also, one of the reviewers said that the slight tape hiss ruined this recording. Well, that's because these works were recorded in the early 60's, where analogues were being used. So therefore, all of the tape hiss can't be removed even with today's technology. And besides, why be so bothered by it? This is a classic recording of some of Beethoven's most beloved piano works, and we should all enjoy it for what it is."