The Rubinstein Collection Volume 56 - Beethoven Piano Sonatas

The Rubinstein Collection Volume 56 - Beethoven Piano Sonatas
Genre: Classical Piano Sonatas | 1CD | FLAC (CUE+LOG) | Covers & Booklet (pdf) | 327 MB MB
1962 & 1963 recording, 1999 release | Publisher: RCA Red Seal 09026 63056-2


Performers:

Arthur Rubinstein (piano)

Tracklist:

1. (00:08:49) Sonata for Piano No. 8 in C minor, op. 13, 'Pathétique': I. Grave; Allegro molto e con brio
2. (00:05:40) Sonata for Piano No. 8 in C minor, op. 13, 'Pathétique': II. Adagio cantabile
3. (00:04:52) Sonata for Piano No. 8 in C minor, op. 13, 'Pathétique': III. Rondo: Allegro
4. (00:06:10) Sonata for Piano No. 14 in C-sharp minor, op. 27/2, 'Moonlight': I. Adagio sostenuto
5. (00:02:40) Sonata for Piano No. 14 in C-sharp minor, op. 27/2, 'Moonlight': II. Allegretto
6. (00:06:44) Sonata for Piano No. 14 in C-sharp minor, op. 27/2, 'Moonlight': III. Presto agitato
7. (00:09:26) Sonata for Piano No. 23 in F minor, op. 57, 'Appassionata': I. Allegro assai
8. (00:06:30) Sonata for Piano No. 23 in F minor, op. 57, 'Appassionata': II. Andante con moto
9. (00:08:04) Sonata for Piano No. 23 in F minor, op. 57, 'Appassionata': III. Allegro ma non troppo
10. (00:07:39) Sonata for Piano No. 26 in E-flat, op. 81a, 'Les adieux': I. Les adieux: Adagio; Allegro
11. (00:03:23) Sonata for Piano No. 26 in E-flat, op. 81a, 'Les adieux': II. L'absence: Andante espressivo
12. (00:05:37) Sonata for Piano No. 26 in E-flat, op. 81a, 'Les adieux': III. Le retour: Vivacissimamente

Review:

Rubinstein knew all 32 of Beethoven's Sonatas by heart, but in public and on record, limited himself to the most popular half dozen or so. The four Sonatas on this CD–originally recorded at RCA Italiana Studios in the early 1960s–were, with the five Concertos, the core of Rubinstein's Beethoven repertoire.

Rubinstein's approach to the Pathetique is characteristic of his Beethoven playing: Tempos are sensible, avoiding extremes of speed or slowness; phrasing is devoid of artifice; pedalling is sparser than Beethoven's written indications, but many of Beethoven's contemoparies claim Beethoven over-pedalled; repeats are generally taken. Some purists will object to the way Rubinstein plays some of the grace notes and ornaments in the first movement, but there has been no conclusive evidence either way on the "correct" manner to handle them (Beethoven probably didn't care anyway).

This CD contains Rubinstein's only recording of the inescapable Moonlight Sonata. He performed it in public several times during the 1962-1963 season, and then dropped it from his repertoire. The first movement is played simply, even a little dryly, as is the second movement. But Rubinstein lets loose in the Finale, bringing the work to a stunning close. Nobody else could hit a piano that hard and still create such a beautiful sound.

The Appassionata was a favorite of Rubinstein's. He featured it in his earliest concert performances, played it almost to the end of his career, and recorded it three times. This recording is more successful than the previous two (the first was almost comically slapdash). Max Wilcox, the producer of the original recording, has noted that this was one of the few times Rubinstein became hampered in the recording studio, and many takes were required before Rubinstein was satisfied. But one could never guess that from listening to the resulting performance, it is totally organic and betrays no hint of being spliced together.

The Les Adieu Sonata rounds out the album, bringing a joyous conclusion to a wonderful recording.

RCA has remastered the sound, which was pretty good to begin with, with their usual attention to detail. (Hank Drake)

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