Frédéric Chopin - Waltzes; Impromptus; Boléro (Arthur Rubinstein)

Information

Composer: Frédéric Chopin

1. Waltz No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 18 "Grande valse brillante"
2. 3 Waltzes, Op. 34 "Valses brillantes": No. 1 in A flat major
3. 3 Waltzes, Op. 34 "Valses brillantes": No. 2 in A minor
4. 3 Waltzes, Op. 34 "Valses brillantes": No. 3 in F major
5. Waltz No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 42 "Two-four"
6. 3 Waltzes, Op. 64: No. 1 in D flat major "Minute"
7. 3 Waltzes, Op. 64: No. 2 in C sharp minor
8. 3 Waltzes, Op. 64: No. 3 in A flat major
9. 2 Waltzes, Op. 69: No. 1 in A flat major "L'adieu"
10. 2 Waltzes, Op. 69: No. 2 in B minor
11. 3 Waltzes, Op. 70: No. 1 in G flat major
12. 3 Waltzes, Op. 70: No. 2 in F minor
13. 3 Waltzes, Op. 70: No. 3 in D flat major
14. Waltz No. 14 in E minor, Op. posth.
15. Impromptu No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 29
16. Impromptu No. 2 in F sharp major, Op. 36
17. Impromptu No. 3 in G flat major, Op. 51
18. Fantasie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66
19. Boléro in A major, Op. 19

Arthur Rubinstein, piano

Date: 1962-1964

Label: RCA

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Review

Some time ago I wrote about this pianist’s first recording of the Mazurkas (now on Naxos) and noted that "with Rubinstein one always has the image of a pianist sitting in a room with a roof over his head". This was a distinct shortcoming in Chopin’s poetic evocations of rural and agricultural Poland. But the Waltzes are music for the great ballroom, and who better to play us a Waltz than Mr. Rubinstein?

If I sound slightly reductive I don’t mean it, for, as I listened to these performances with increasing and unclouded delight, I felt that there really was nobody, before or since, better able to play us a Waltz than Mr. Rubinstein. He has such a completely independent left hand and it dances from beginning to end. I don’t mean it sticks rigidly to a one-two-three, one-two-three waltz rhythm, but it the basis of the performances and all its subtle inflexions nonetheless never lose the spirit of the dance; you could dance to these performances.

And upon this basis the glorious melodies are free to sing with all their ardour, poetry and brilliance; how ineffably beautiful are the major sections of the A minor, and how much more poignant are the outer sections when they are not made dolefully turgid. While, at the other extreme, how the so-called "Minute Waltz" gains from Rubinstein’s unhurried 1:53 traversal of it, the brilliance residing in the touch rather in mere digital dexterity. And how alive he is to every contrapuntal strand.

The Impromptus, too, are pure "indoor" music, made for performance before an admiring public. And yet the genius of Rubinstein is to take them out of the salon and realise the universal dimensions, as in the ostinatos of the F sharp major and its touches of ardent heroics.

When I was a young student the recommended performances of the Waltzes were these and Lipatti’s. Influenced by a BBC "Building a Library" programme I got the Lipatti. I don’t regret it for his more concert oriented approach thrilled me at the time and I wonder if I would have appreciated Rubinstein in those days. For years his Chopin seemed to me unduly steady and a bit dry; I have the idea that young people often do react in this way. Nowadays I find him inexhaustibly fascinating and, if you don’t respond, I suggest you put him on one side and try again later. Sooner or later you will have a unique experience.

As for the apparent dryness, by the way, Rubinstein’s supersensitive finger control led him to give a special colour to every note within even the most complex textures, with the result that he needed less pedal than most other pianists to "fill out" the texture, producing an effect which may strike the lazy ear as dry.

The keynote of all the performances here, however, is their apparent simplicity (apparent – try doing it yourself!). As each phrase unfurls, it seems so obvious that this is the way it should go.

The recordings are clearly not recent but they are less brittle and clangy than they used to be (I have an LP pressing of the Impromptus). So here is 70 minutes of some of the greatest pianism committed to disc – don’t miss it.

— Christopher Howell

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Frédéric Chopin (1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849) was a Polish Romantic composer and virtuoso pianist. A prodigy from Warsaw, he moved to Paris at 21, where he spent the rest of his short life. Although often in poor health, he produced a remarkable body of piano-centered works, including nocturnes, mazurkas, waltzes, polonaises, études and two piano concertos. His music, which is known for technical brilliance and innovative harmony, helped shape musical nationalism and late-Romantic style. Chopin's iconic status, dramatic life, and early death made him one of the enduring symbols of the Romantic era.

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Arthur Rubinstein (28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish-American pianist. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time, he received international acclaim for his performances of the music written by a variety of composers and many regard him as one of the greatest Chopin interpreters of his time. Although best known as a recitalist and concerto soloist, Rubinstein was also considered an outstanding chamber musician. He played in public for eight decades and recorded much of the core piano repertoire. All of his RCA Victor recordings have been reissued and amount to about 107 hours of music.

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