Search - Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc, Gabriel Faure :: Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 43

Ravel blind taste test ...

Craig Matteson | Ann Arbor, MI | 08/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So, last night I sat four of my kids down and played four different pianists performing the first of the Ravel "Valses nobles et sentimentales". They were Paul Crossley, Jean Yves Thibaudet, Friedrich Gulda, and Arthur Rubinstein. I didn't tell them who the pianists were and simply asked them which of the performances they preferred. My middle daughter (13) and middle son (15) immediately and without hesitation picked the Rubinstein performance. They commented on the care he took to PLAY the piece. My son felt the other performers pounded too much and my daughter felt some of the others too rushed. They all liked the Gulda second best, the Crossley third. The middle daughter hated the Thibaudet. She said it sounded harsh and clanged. Brian felt the Thibaudet was all over the place - rushed, then too slow, then rushed again. My youngest daughter (9) liked them all. She noted that they were different, but didn't feel she could like one better than the others. My seven year old son was just too young but knew he liked the music. Then I played the orchestrated version conducted by Boulez and the ALL loved and responded in a big way and decided that the orchestrated version was MUCH nicer than the piano version because of the rich sounds of the orchestra.For my own rating, I love the Rubinstein, admire the Gulda, and like the Thibaudet and Crossley for what they are while not being totally convinced by their performance choices. And being a pianist of a sort, I always like the piano best even when I also like orchestrations."

Rubinstein at His Best

Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 08/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some of Rubinstein's best work on record is on this disc. Although known as a Chopin player, that was by no means the limit of his pianistic culture. Rubinstein, who lived a considerable portion of his life in Paris, was especially adept in the French repertoire. Ravel's Valses Nobles and Sentimentales, and the other pieces, benefit from Rubinstein's urbane, unfussy approach. Rubinstein never attempts the "piano without hammers" approach of Gieseking, but his tone is far from percussive. The Chabrier Scherzo Valse demonstrates Rubinstein's remarkable memory and ability to assimilate new music. While recording this album, a friend showed Rubinstein the printed score for the Scherzo Valse. The pianists liked the piece, memorized it overnight, and recorded it the next day. He sounds like he has known the piece his entire life.The sound, stereo except the Debussy pieces, is fine."

Among Rubinstein's finest recordings

jsa | San Diego, CA United States | 02/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most of this music was released on an RCA LP called "Music of France," which consisted of pieces by Ravel, Poulenc, Faure & Chabrier, & was soon recognized as one of Rubinstein's recorded masterpieces. I owned the LP & cherished it - from the opening bars of Ravel's waltzes you knew that Rubinstein had an instinctive feel for this music. Indeed, he lived in Paris & knew Ravel among others; but he never was known as a "specialist" in French music, like Gieseking, even though as this recital demonstrates, he had a great affinity for it. To say that his interpretations are charming is to completely underestimate them - they do have charm, but also so much more: breadth, dash, nuance, insight, structure, perfect pace. For example, I have never heard a more inward and gorgeous Valle des Cloches, including Richter's classic reading from his 1960 Mosque Theater recital. This is Rubinstein at his most sublime.



The original program was also brilliantly conceived, with rarely heard pieces by Poulenc, Faure & Chabrier - and no Debussy! When "The Music of France" was transferred to cd it was altered from its original gem-like incarnation with the addition of the Debussy tracks. They're nice to have, but are almost an afterthought. I'm sure RCA's intention was good - where else to put these pieces? - but, the original disc stands alone as a timeless classic of recorded piano music."