Albeniz Iberia No 6 Triana Rubinstein Rec 1931

Chapter four of Harvey Sachs Rubinstein: A Life, is entitled, The Latino from Lodz. Sachs writes, His Spanish debut performances (1915) were no mere success: they were a triumph more immediate and immense than any he had known. This debut concert was an all Brahms program in which Rubinstein performed that composers Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor. This triumph prompted Rubinstein to vastly enlarge his repertoire of music composed by Spanish and Portuguese (Villa Lobos) speaking composers. This was not an unwelcome task for Rubinstein. The pianist is quoted as saying, I loved everything about the country---Spanish food, Spanish dress, the Spanish language .To me Spain had always seemed the most glamorous country of all. However in later life after he had become the Great Rubinstein, the ghost of his childhood teacher Heinrich Barth came back to haunt him and he proclaimed that his real love had always been for the classics, Brahms , Beethoven, Chopin et..al..,
Rubinsteins recorded performances of the music of Albeniz, de Falla, etc. should be presented with the caveat of the pianists remark to record producer Fred Gaisberg, I want you to know that I play these pieces in my own fashion. It is rather more the syntheseis of the musical content than the notes. In other words, he didnt play all of the notes. He wrote that the Albeniz Navarra was unplayable as written.
This is Rubinstein's only recording of "Triana."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Albeniz
• Triana
• Rubinstein

[donaldcallen]

This is shockingly awful playing from a great pianist who I've admired my entire life (I even had the privilege of meeting him once). I think it's too fast, too many wrong notes, and he's re-written much of the piece. I know what he said to the record producer, but I still object. A pianist of his caliber could have played this as written -- many have. I just think he didn't put the work in. He didn't become a real pianistic craftsman until some years after this recording was made.

[Beckmesser2]

And your ideal performance is played by,

who? Or favorite performance?

[troppofiato1]

@Beckmesser2 The ideal and greatest Iberia interpreter is Alicia De Larrocha. Rubinstein himself said so after her NYC Iberia in the mid 60's that launched her international career.

[Beckmesser2]

@troppofiato1 I agree but not because of Rubinstein's anointment. His pronouncements regarding other pianists are suspect. He evidently was not jealous of Larrocha's success playing the music of Spanish composers which he had mostly dropped from his repertoire by the mid 60's.

[Thracozaag]

@luizfernandg Kapell

[luizfernandg]

I think the people here have given him a worse time than he deserves! Not too bad! But true, he can play and has played much, much better than that! In some cases he is a reference even today: Chopin Sonatas, Fantasia op. 49... He is one of the few to have solved the great problems of these pieces. Is there a better recording of Chopin's Sonata 3?

[brianCIM]

@donaldcallen you are spot on Khagar! Listen to live from Moscow and you will hear possibly the most ravishing tone i have ever heard. He is my favorite all-time pianist and his recordings are of course remarkable but they don't capture the sound, temparment and spontaneity of his live performances.

[Thracozaag]

What a fantastic performances, love all the textual emendations.

[Braveheart89]

Es rápido pero hace muchas trampas. Por cierto, ellos dos se conocían. Rubinstein fue una vez a casa de Albéniz a tocar. Tocó Triana, y estuvieron bromeando acerca de las trampas que hacía en la obra. De hecho fue si no me equivoco la nieta de Albéniz quien desenmascaró esas trampas. No obstante, un gran pianista...

[donaldcallen]

@KhagarBalugrak I think he was a different pianist in the concert hall than in the recording studio in the latter part of his career. And he was a very different pianist in the early part of his career than later. Earlier, he was a fire-breathing virtuoso, wrong notes be damned. He became much more of a craftsman later on. But he was less inhibited in the concert hall than in the recording studio. I agree with you that some of his recordings are not good, but he was amazing in concert.

[KhagarBalugrak]

@donaldcallen, Rubinstein sometimes just phoned in recordings and performances. Like how he plays the Chopin concertos - he just mechanically blows through the music at a breakneck tempo with no nuance at all. However - I have heard Rubinstein play marvelously as well, i.e. his recordings of the Chopin nocturnes. Rubinstein was such a hit or miss pianist - and that's fine with me in the end, cause that means we all get to hear incredible recordings and can ignore the bad ones.

[josetato]

unique interpretation but definitely dont agree with him (Rubinstein) I mean it doesnt even feel spanish and the whole suite is trying to evoke different aspects of spain. Sorry Rubinstein, donno what the hell did you did with the piece....sorry for my english.