Track Listings (6) - Disc #1| All Artists: Ludwig van Beethoven, Daniel Barenboim, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Artur Rubinstein Title: Rubinstein Collection, Beethoven piano concertos nos. 3&4 Members Wishing: 1 Total Copies: 0 Label: RCA Original Release Date: 1/1/1975 Re-Release Date: 8/8/2000 Album Type: Original recording remastered Genre: Classical Styles: Forms & Genres, Concertos, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830), Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Instruments, Keyboard, Symphonies Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPC: 090266307821 |
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Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Daniel Barenboim, London Philharmonic Orchestra :: Rubinstein Collection, Beethoven piano concertos nos. 3&4
 | Ludwig van Beethoven, Daniel Barenboim, London Philharmonic Orchestra Rubinstein Collection, Beethoven piano concertos nos. 3&4 Genre: Classical
These concerti were recorded when Rubinstein was 88 years old. It was the third time he had recorded all of Beethoven's piano concerti as a cycle (the other two were in 1956 and 1967), and, indeed, elsewhere in his career,... more » |
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Amazon.com These concerti were recorded when Rubinstein was 88 years old. It was the third time he had recorded all of Beethoven's piano concerti as a cycle (the other two were in 1956 and 1967), and, indeed, elsewhere in his career, he recorded the last two concerti a time or two more. Rubinstein is not known as a Beethoven interpreter, but it's hard to tell why not. Here, his playing is lucid and big-boned (yes, even at 88), and he gets through the third movement of the third concerto--the acid test--with flying colors. The second movement is handsomely lyrical when called for, as well. His Beethoven playing is always noble--perhaps that's what some objected to (many prefer hell-bent to noble, especially in the late concerti)--but he rarely misses a dramatic point. He holds back nicely at times, bending the rhythms suitably (plenty of this in the middle movement of the fourth). Daniel Barenboim proves to be a fine conductor (he had just begun to conduct), and the sound is far better than on the original LPs, which nobody liked because the orchestra-piano balance was way off. In short, these are splendid readings. --Robert Levine Similar CDsSimilarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsRubinstein's Autumnal Beethoven Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 08/12/2000 (4 out of 5 stars) "Arthur Rubinstein 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 reason 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 recording gave the impression of a bogged down "arthritic" performance. The audio has been greatly improved for this, the first release of these performances on CD. The balance is natural, and the orchestral sonority is plush. Rubinstein's performances here can best be described as "stately." He is certainly still capable of creating a fortissimo which can rock the piano on its wheels, without ever making a harsh or unpleasant sound. Some purists may quibble with Rubinstein's use of rubato, approach to ornamentation, and use of Busoni's editions of Beethoven's cadenzas--but these performances are nevertheless a joy from first note to last.Rubinstein recorded three complete cycles of Beethoven's concertos. For those only wishing to obtain only one, I would recommend the cycle with Leinsdorf and the Boston Symphony orchestra, recorded in the mid-1960s. But these performances are worth a listen as well." He's 88? shantinik | 10/23/2001 (4 out of 5 stars) "Perhaps it's fitting that Rubinstein's age on this recording would match the number of piano keys! First, the negatives. For anyone familiar with the Rubinstein/Leinsdorf recording of the early 60s, the opening of the 4th Concerto is a great disappointment. It lacks the nobility of statement that marked Rubinstein at his finest. This one is very inward, and almost sounds bent and cramped (rather like he was at the time?) The use of rubato, while always within reason, makes a portion of the recording sound more like Chopin than Beethoven. And, on the whole, this is not very fiery Beethoven, nor, a la Brendel, "thinking man's Beethoven" either.Having said that, the Third Concerto is extremely convincing. The plaintive soul of the Concerto comes through loud and clear, and Barenboim and Rubinstein are clearly of one mind, throughout. The playing is gorgeous, and still, in Rubinstein's 9th decade, stately and powerful. The great downsweeping runs in the 2nd movement of the Fourth Concerto show that Rubinstein could still PLAY, and the virtuosity is always at the service of the music.Buy this one as a remembrance of the power of youth that can continue well into old age. (I like the packaging, too -- could essay on relationship between Rubinstein and Barenboim, and a retrospective on the former's career. The cover photo, in autumnal bronze seems to carry the exact same facial expression as the famous Kissin Chopin Concerto recording, made when Kissin was 13. If you could blow them up and frame them, you'd have some gorgeous stuff for the living room!)"
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