Rubinstein: Piano Concertos - Grieg | Chopin | Saint-Saens (DVD9) [Repost]

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Rubinstein: Piano Concertos - Grieg | Chopin | Saint-Saens (DVD9) [Repost]

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Rubinstein was the ultimate concert pianist. He played 100-plus engagements a year for some seven decades. Even as an old man he had ten recital programs and twenty concertos at his fingertips. With Previn and the LSO providing elegantly phrased backup, the performances themselves are invaluable.
These, literally, are Rubinstein's final thoughts on a trio of audience favorites he'd performed over many decades (three-quarters of a century in the case of the Saint-Saens). Even at 88 he's easily equal to the stiff technical demands (cleaner and firmer with Chopin's passagework than in his Philadelphia recording seven years before). Finally there's a splendid bonus: a 29-minute conversation with PBS newscaster Bob MacNeil, recorded in the late 1970s after Rubinstein's retirement. The pianist tackles a range of material with humor and shrewdness: communicating with popular audiences, producing his famous sound, his concept of God, life after death. It's easily the most articulate and stimulating interview I've heard him give. So this DVD paints the regal close of a colossal reign: as indicated, the bonus is a delight, and you'll never hear more opulent, more exhilarating performances of these three pet concertos. Heartily recommended for all viewers. Including folks who normally avoid classical music.