Villa-Lobos Prole do Bebe Bk1 No. 2,6,7 Rec.1941

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.
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Here Rubinstein plays No's 2,6 and 7 from Villa-Lobos' "Prole Do Bebe.'

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Villa-Lobos
• Prole
• do
• bebe
• Bk
• no.
• Rubinstein
• Rec
• 1931

[daughtersprince]

Thanks Beckmesser2, also for your information about Rubinstein. Yes, haunted by Barth! When his beard turned into a horizontal position, you'd better run.

In this music I certainly hear Rubinstein's love for life!