Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Erich Leinsdorf, Boston Symphony Orchestra :: Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 58

Beethoven's heart and soul

Kevin McManus | Milan, MI Italy | 04/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Arthur Rubinstein never wanted to go down in history as a major Beethoven performer; he had been a legend for his Chopin, Brahms and Schumann recordings, and, as for Beethoven, he probably didn't feel like looking for a "new way". Anyway, it's pretty interesting to hear a statement Rubinstein made in the beautiful 1970 movie "Rubinstein: l'amour de la vie": "I could accept the disappearance of a whole island from the face of the earth, but I couldn't live without Beethoven". It's Rubinstein's way to love music: a matter of heart and soul, not the result of so-called "philological studies". So that's Ruby's Beethoven: maybe classical in its approach and style, but with a firing excitement running through the whole performance. Compare this recording of the "Emperor" third movement with the "standard" Backhaus' rendition: if Backhaus seems to seat on every note, not to sound too childish or "naive", Rubinstein just jumps into music and lets it run through the most thrilling finale ever heard. Or listen to the beginning of the Fourth Concerto: tone quality and beautiful use of rubato allow Ruby to SING the introduction without choosing a too easy "Frank-Mills-like" approach.Rubinstein recorded Concerto n. 4 four times, and I think this is the one to own, if you really can't have them all; his early recording with Beecham is also beautiful, but suffers from the effects of the odd Saint-Saens cadenzas; both n. 4 and n. 5 also appear in their splendor in the two other Ruby's all-Beethoven sets, with Krips (vol. 36) and Barenboim (voll. 78 and 79); in my opinion, anyway, this performances with underrated conductor Eric Leinsdorf and the splendid BSO are by far the best: Rubinstein is at the peak of his artistry, and the orchestra provides for a passionate and powerful playing."

Fine Quality Renditions

chopin87 | Midwestern USA | 08/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Beethoven is not as easy as he sounds. Sure, his concertos are not as difficult as Brahms's or Rachmaninoff's, but they do require a great deal of thought and interpretation, especially his fourth (which happens to be his finest in terms of form). The fourth concerto is a great masterpiece-Rubinstein's favorite of Beethoven's actually. It has very poetic content and is perfect in it's design. (On a personal note, I'm currently working on this piece. I must say that it is very difficult to interpret in some places.) I think Rubinstein does a swell job.The fifth concerto (the "Emperor") is played with much élan. This piece demands for a wide horizon of style and good technique. It too, can be difficult to interpret.I think this disc is a fine model for students to follow, or for personal enjoyment. I hope you will disregard Mr. Nelson José de Camargo's review below. The sound is great, the performances are wonderful, and I am not ashamed that I own this recording in the least. I'm down right proud of it."

The best rendition of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, Peri

megabeilin | MD USA | 01/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been listening a lot lately to Beethoven's 4th and 5th Piano Concertos, and this 1964 performance of No. 4 by Rubinstein is the best I've heard. You can also see a film clip of his performance on the DVD "Art of the Piano." A truly moving and masterful rendition that Rubinstein plays, I think, at the perfect tempo, which is a little slower than other celebrated performances by his contemporaries, such as Wilhelm Backhaus. Rubinstein's performance of the Emperor Concerto is also beautiful, and to have both for the price of one CD is a steal."