Ludwig van Beethoven Franz Joseph Haydn Josef Krips - Rubinstein Collection Vol 36 (20 tracks) +Album Reviews

Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Joseph Haydn, Josef Krips :: Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 36

Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Joseph Haydn, Josef Krips
Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 36
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (6) - Disc #1
1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15: Allegro con brio
2. Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15: Largo
3. Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15: Rondo: Allegro
4. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19: Allegro con brio
5. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19: Adagio
6. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19: Rondo: Allegro molto
Track Listings (6) - Disc #2
1. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37: Allegro con brio
2. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37: Largo
3. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37: Rondo: Allegro
4. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58: Allegro moderato
5. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58: Andante con moto
6. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58: Rondo: Vivace
Track Listings (8) - Disc #3
1. Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major ('Emperor'), Op. 73: Allegro
2. Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major ('Emperor'), Op. 73: Adagio un poco moto
3. Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major ('Emperor'), Op. 73: Rondo: Allegro
4. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major ('Hunt'), Op. 31/3: Allegro
5. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major ('Hunt'), Op. 31/3: Scherzo: Allegretto vivace
6. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major ('Hunt'), Op. 31/3: Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso
7. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major ('Hunt'), Op. 31/3: Presto con fuoco
8. Andante with variations for piano in F minor, H. 17/6

CD Details

All Artists: Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Joseph Haydn, Josef Krips, Symphony of the Air, Artur Rubinstein
Title: Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 36
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: RCA
Original Release Date: 1/1/1954
Re-Release Date: 10/9/2001
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genre: Classical
Styles: Chamber Music, Forms & Genres, Concertos, Sonatas, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830), Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Instruments, Keyboard
Number of Discs: 3
SwapaCD Credits: 3
UPC: 090266303625

CD Reviews

Vintage Beethoven in Living Stereo

Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 12/20/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With these recordings, made in 1956, Arthur Rubinstein became the first pianist to record a complete cycle of Beethoven's Piano Concertos in stereo.

When the young Beethoven took Vienna by storm, his initial success was as a virtuoso pianist. Arthur Rubinstein's early career was along the same lines. Although, at 69, Rubinstein was a fully mature artist, this set contains a more virtuosic approach than most sets by Beethoven "specialists." Purists will doubtless take issue with Rubinstein's approach to ornamentation, trills, and the like. Many will also object to his use of Busoni's reedited Beethoven cadenzas in Concertos 1, 3 and 4. But Rubinstein's selection of tempi, his natural manner of phrasing, dynamics, and overall brio must certainly be close to what the composer intended. I cannot imagine Beethoven preferring the performances of, say, Alfred Brendel over these. Josef Krips and the Symphony of the Air (formerly the NBC Symphony Orchestra) provide a satisfactory accompaniment.

The snag here is the recorded sound. Even with remastering, the piano sound distorts at dynamic levels above mezzo-forte, and the orchestra mix leaves something to be desired.

Rubinstein's 1954 recording of Beethoven's Sonata, Op. 31, No. 3 is used as a makeweight here. This version is more balanced than the pianist's rather unsettling 1946 performance (volume 14), but still lacks the charm of Rubinstein's valedictory 1976 recording (volume 79). The Haydn Andante and Variations--Rubinstein's only recording of music by this composer--makes one wish Rubinstein had recorded more Haydn.

All three or Rubinstein's cycles of Beethoven Concertos are worth having. But for those who can only obtain one, the cycle to have is Rubinstein's 1960s version with Leinsdorf and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The recorded sound there is smoother, and the accompaniment finer."