Search - Edvard Grieg, Sergey Rachmaninov, Alfred Wallenstein :: Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 60

Grand Grieg and Luxurious Rachmaninoff

Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 10/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rubinstein was never satisfied with his 1956 recording of the Grieg Concerto, with the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alfred Wallenstein. The performance was rather perfunctory, with an undistinguished orchestral contribution, and dry, constricted sonics. This 1961 remake, with the same collaborating forces, fares much better. Tempi are more relaxed, and phrases are molded with greater flexibility. The orchestral playing is also on a higher level, with silky strings and sweeter sounding winds. Rubinstein was so pleased with this recording, that he issued a bold statement which appeared on the album cover: "In the rare coincidence of sound, balance, and performance of conductor, orchestra, and soloist, this is the most perfect recording I have made."Rubinstein recorded surprisingly little of Rachmaninoff's music. Among that composer's works, however, the Second Concerto had pride of place in Rubinstein's repertoire. The pianist made his third, and final, recording of this work with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, which Rachmaninoff himself considered the world's finest orchestra. Rubinstein does not play the Concerto's outer movements with as much drive as in his earlier recordings. But the pianist's exquisite tone, phrasing, and balancing of inner voices more than make up for any lack of virtuoso fireworks. (It should be noted that, at 84, Rubinstein still plays the work with more elan than most pianists half his age.) This rich, lush "Philadelphia Sound" that Rachmaninoff loved is very much in evidence here.These recordings were considered to be state of the art in their day, and RCA's remastering has improved the sonics ever further. Seldom have I heard an analog concerto recording with such excellent balance and low-frequency response."

Rubinstein and Ormandy, Aged but Prime

Interplanetary Funksmanship | Vanilla Suburbs, USA | 04/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike Artur Rubinstein's famous 1956 recording of Rachmaninoff's Second Concerto with Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony, this lesser-known recording with Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, originally released as a quadraphonic LP recording, has captured my heart in a way no other recording of the Second has been able to.In 1971, Artur Rubinstein was already in his 80s, and this disc clearly evinces that fact. His timing has slowed down a fraction and he even misses a couple of notes. However, what Rubinstein lacks in speed, he more than makes up in profundity and emotion.When I received this late addition to my library, I shelved it with the other dozen or so other versions I have of the Second. Although I am a die-hard Rachmaninoff fan, I must confess that the Second is my least favourite of the five works he wrote for piano and orchestra. I much prefer the Third Concerto. At least, I *did*; I've been living with it since I was four years old, and my mind tends to jump ahead of the music as I'm listening to it thinking "I know what's going to happen next......."Yet, when I pulled this CD remastering of Rubinstein's 1971 recording off the shelf, from the opening chords on the solo piano to Artur Rubinstein and Eugene Ormandy the close of the brilliant, sunlit finale, it was as though I was hearing Rachmaninoff's Second Concerto for the very first time.Though Rubinstein, because of old age and arthritis-wracked hands, played slowly, he certainly did not play with a heavy hand. Quite the opposite; here his touch is as light as ever. Whereas before, I would marvel at Rubinstein's ability to gracefully and flawlessly execute the concerto in the 1956 recording, in this version, I heard a Rubinstein that is almost absent before his final performances. Here, I listened intently, and I heard the old master endow each note - so clearly and distinctly played - with a sense of beauty, warmth and an honest love for the music itself. Through Rubinstein's mind and hands, something very unique has been wrought.Accompanying with Rubinstein is Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, both of whom Rachmaninoff himself chose to accompany him on his own recordings of his works and to whom he dedicated his final masterpiece, "Symphonic Dances," Op. 45.Yet, "accompany" does not quite do justice to Ormandy's contribution to this recording, for the word suggests passivity. As with so many other recordings Ormandy made with the great soloists of his time, the Philadelphia under his baton comes across sympathetically. Often, a conductor will sound as though he is "competing" with the soloist, either by beating too quick a tempo, making the soloist have to "keep up," or by overpowering the performer with sheer volume. What Ormandy and the Philadelphia do is provide a sumptuous orchestral collaboration with Rubinstein's equally sonorous playing, giving the soloist plenty of room to subtly change tempo or dynamics.But Ormandy does not take a backseat to Rubinstein either, for the
strings provide a warm harmony over which the pianist can weave his medlodic themes. The winds are demure at times, thoughtful at others, but always appropos. The percussion is crisp and forceful, and the brass is equally dramatic.Together, Artur Rubinstein, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia
Orchestra weave a beautiful tapestry of sound that will make you hear each phrase and nuance discretely, yet will allow you to soak in the whole work as a seamlessly unified whole. The actual recording, engineered by Paul Goodman, has a very natural, unobtrusive, full sound (I was listening to it over a Carver tube amplifier and through ADS speakers).It is booked with Grieg's Piano Concerto, Op. 16. RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, Alfred Wallenstein, conductor. This is my favorite of all the Rubinstein recordings of this "warhorse": Majestic, but not weighty, this recording is Rubinstein's most convincing statement of this music and its meaning.Like a fine wine, Rubinstein just kept getting better with age."

Rubinstein: Always very good!

Maria S. G. Santos | BRA | 06/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rubinstein is always very good. And especialy in romantic composers, it fascinates us.



You will not be disappointed to buy this CD."