Search - Johannes Brahms, Artur Rubinstein :: Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 63

Youthful Brahms from Rubinstein

Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 08/30/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Brahms was alive until Arthur Rubinstein was 10 years old, and the pianist thought of these pieces as relatively new works, not ancient masterpieces. It helped that Rubinstein studied with Brahms' close associate Joseph Joachim. Despite being in his seventies and eighties when these recordings were made, Rubinstein plays these works with a sense of youthful discovery. The F minor Sonata, taped in 1959, was a favorite of Rubinstein's. The first and third movements are particulalry arresting here, where his impulsive way with the piece best suits the music. In the second and fourth movements, however, the sense of mystery generated by, say, Perahia, is missing. Nevertheless, this is exciting playing, and Rubinstein is in excellent form in the finale. The Romance and Intermezzo are played with the lovely, unforced poetry, and natural lyricism which were hallmark characteristics of Rubinstein's best playing. The four Ballades were recorded in 1970. The elder Rubinstein had, by then, developed a drier, less sentimental approach. There are times when the playing is somewhat shorn of contrast--one misses the extremes of tension and repose. Nevertheless, this is playing to reckon with, remarkably youthful in spirit and full of personality.The sound in the 1959 items is full and natural sounding. The 1970 recordings feature an uncomfortably close microphone balance, but Rubinstein's gorgeous tone forbids any undue harshness."