MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2023
Approaching 60,000 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


CD REVIEW

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

Not available in the USA

CD: Crotchet
Download: Classicsonline


Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Piano concerto no.1 in E minor, op.11 (1830) [38:29]
Piano concerto no.2 in F minor, op.21 (1830) [28:29]
Arthur Rubinstein (piano)
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/Alfred Wallenstein (concerto no.1)
NBC Symphony Orchestra/William Steinberg (concerto no.2)
rec. Carnegie Hall, New York City, 25 March 1946 (concerto no.2); Republic Pictures Studios, Hollywood, 12 December 1953 (concerto no.1)
NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.111296
[66:58]
 
Experience Classicsonline


The main marketing angle of this new Naxos Historical issue is, according to its notes, that these recordings typify Arthur Rubinstein’s “middle period” Chopin.
 

Given that Rubinstein was performing as soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of just 13, it might seem more than a little unlikely that his “middle period” would include recordings made at the age of 59 and 66. But in fact the chronology of Rubinstein’s artistic development was significantly skewed both by his decision, at the age of 45, to embark on a major re-evaluation of his technique and repertoire - he himself termed it “the second beginning of my career” - and the fact that he was still working in the recording studio in his ninth decade. 

The Naxos synopsis, on the disc’s back cover, adopts a linear view of the way in which Rubinstein developed his approach to the Chopin concertos. Thus, the 1930s recordings with John Barbirolli are said to be generally characterised by “fire and youthful exuberance”; the final recordings in the stereo age supposedly exhibit “greater maturity and structural coherence”; and, so runs the argument, these “middle period” accounts from 1946 and 1953 successfully combine the best features of both. 

That is a somewhat sweeping generalisation and Rubinstein was no doubt all the more interesting – and a greater artist - because of the spontaneity and unpredictability that he was wont to demonstrate in live performance. And yet, on the basis of these recordings, it does seem to me that the Naxos analysis is generally correct. 

Just to take something as superficial – though relatively objective - as the timings of these concertos in various Rubinstein recordings over the years, a remarkably consistent pattern does emerge quite clearly.

Op.11 1937, London Symphony Orchestra/Barbirolli 1953, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/Wallenstein 1961, New London Symphony Orchestra/Skrowaczewski
I. Allegro maestoso 15:34* 18:58 19:36
II. Romanze. Larghetto 9:26 9:47 10:42
III. Rondo. Vivace 8:11 9:44 10:01
* Comparison not possible as a truncated orchestral introduction was used

Op. 21 1931, London Symphony Orchestra/Barbirolli 1946, NBC Symphony Orchestra/Steinberg 1958, Symphony of the Air/Wallenstein
I. Maestoso 10:56 12:30 13:15
II. Larghetto 8:06 8:10 8:34
III. Allegro vivace 7:33 7:49 8:03

As can be seen, there is, in progressive recordings, a marked and measurable tendency to slow down and to demonstrate greater introspection and deliberation in each movement of both concertos. So, in that sense at least, these Naxos accounts are very much “in the middle”. 

But does that make them the best of the bunch? The answer will almost certainly be a matter of personal preference, but I think it is fair to say that there is a great deal to be said in their favour. 

An English reviewer of the 1946 performance of the F minor concerto, quoted in Jonathan Summers’s excellent booklet notes, wrote perceptively that “you might feel that there is an absence of quiet, delicate playing. [Rubinstein] … takes a dashing view of the concerto, of the first movement especially, and scarcely anywhere is there any pianissimo ravishment. But it is a valid view and this virile performance, with some wonderful playing, held my attention all through with delight.” Virility is indeed the key concept here, I think, and I personally found this account something of a breath of fresh air, banishing even the slightest hint of over-sentimentality and revealing the concerto in a fresh coat of paint. 

The performance of the E minor concerto is rather less novel in approach though it has one quirky moment where Rubinstein gives the very opening phrase of the first movement a curious rhythmic snap – which I don’t, pace Mr Summers, detect to “exactly the same” extent in the subsequent 1961 re-recording. Nevertheless, this is another very fine performance, superbly conceived and executed. Contemporary critics had a few negative things to say about Alfred Wallenstein’s direction of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but I actually found that to be one of the recording’s great strengths. The conductor fully matches Rubinstein in strength and vigour and, in Mark Obert-Thorn’s expert restoration, the orchestra comes out sounding very well indeed, even allowing for the date of the performance. Initial pressings must have been rather odd because one English reviewer swore that he detected a saxophone in the orchestral mix! 

When wanting to listen to a Rubinstein account of these concertos in the future, I imagine, then, that it will almost certainly be this one – rather than the over-impulsive 1930s accounts or the comparatively stately traversals of his final “grand old man” phase – that I will be taking from the shelves with the greatest sense of pleasurable anticipation.

Rob Maynard


 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.