Search - Chopin, Rubinstein :: Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2, Fantasia on Polish Airs, Andante Spianato & Grand Polonaise

A lyrical performance by a great Chopin pianist

11/21/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Arthur Rubinstein was a legend during his own life concerning his Chopin performances. He commercially recorded almost everything by Chopin save the Etudes. His style of Chopin was somewhat straight-forward lacking the heretofore traditional over-emphasis on rubato found by earlier performers. For those who noticed his first name spelling: it is and always was "Arthur". That's the way he signed his name on any autograph including the LP cover of the Chopin Polonaises that was on RCA. Sol Hurok, the grand impressario felt that "Artur" was more "European" and would sell the artist to the public. Somehow certain quarters still go with Sol's thoughts. Irregardless of how you spell Rubinstein's first name: his performances when he was alive as well as those that are on recorded media do the job in helping the public appreciate his musical contributions.This was the final recording that Arthur Rubinstein made of this work and the best of the lot. The orchestral support is superlative as was Ormandy's conducting. All though Rubinstein was never known to be overly "romantic" in his Chopin performances in comparison with Cortot, for example, this work is far more lyrical than his earlier recording for RCA with Wallentstein and certainly far superior to his Barbirolli EMI recording made in the 1930's. Tempos seem far more relaxed at times than the earlier recordings but the technique, taking all into consideration, is excellent.Far more amazing was the advanced age of the pianist and his near blindness as a result of magcular degeneration. I believe that this recording was made near the end of his career though rumors abound of a later recording at least of the e minor with Daniel Barenboim that either was not done or never released. There are little details that also abound in this performance: a sudden pianissimo in the orchestral transistion section between the exposition and development section in the first movement as well as other details often overlooked in other recordings. Technique is present but in this instance we also hear a musicial interpretation of the work. Compare this or any other performance Rubinstein made during his last years and you will find a far more musical- even warm - approach than his earlier performances.The Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise is brilliant as well it should be. The other work coupled with the Concerto is the Grande Fantasia on Polish Airs, op.13 which is well executed. A shame that RCA could not have found more material to fill this CD with Arthur Rubinstein's Chopin.A contemporary comparison to the Chopin 2nd is the recently released Argerich performance, coupled with the e minor (1st) Concerto on EMI (EMIC 56798)."