Beethoven "Pathetique" !st Mov. Rubinstien Rec 1946

This is the first recording of the "Pathetique" Sonata Op.8 no.13, that I ever owned. When I first started collecting recordings as a teenager, one did not just walk into a record store and choose from countless performances of Beethoven Sonatas. A customer was lucky if he or she could find one recording of a particular named (Moonlight, Appassionata etc.)sonata. Forget the unamed ones. Those unamed sonatas recorded by Schnabel were not made available to the general public and even his recordings of the most popular sonatas were nearly impossible to find. This was also true of other pianist's recordings that were made prior to WW Two. So when a pianist of the stature of Rubinstein made a recording of a Beethoven Sonata ,there was a mad dash to the local record store.Needless to say,I have always been particularly fond of this performance. Rubinstein was not a pianist whose playing I knew only from his recordings. I heard him play many times in Los Angeles.This recording reminds me of the Rubinstein whose playing so enthralled me when I first heard him play.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Beethoven
• Pathetique
• Sonata
• Rubinstein

[mf4251]

awesome, but wheres the repeat gone?!

[Beckmesser2]

@mf4251 This sonata was recorded during the 78 rpm era when recording time was limited.

[utubuser10]

@Beckmesser2 i don't think this recording is from 1946? it sure as heck sounds like the rca recordings of 1962-63?

[Beckmesser2]

@utubuser10 Yes, this is the 1946 recording. I have had the original 78 RPM album ( DM 1102 -- Rec 8-26-27-1946) in my collection for over 60 years and am very familiar with it. It was the first of his 3 recordings of the Pathetique the others being recorded in 1954 and 1962.

[Kygoski246]

lol At&t commercial led me here

[dominatore0291]

Absolutely the first...the difference is in his awesome touch...

[anonymous4gud]

* * * * *

[SilvaAdrianiel]

Hrm... so far, this is the interpretation that I've liked best. There's much more dramatics here than I've heard from other pianists and I believe that the Pathetique really needs that extra drama.

[rubestuh]

I think Rubinstein's mastery is evident here as in so many other composers. I don't think his Beethoven was as masterful as his Chopin, say, or his Schumann, but he still served the music well. The crispness of tone, the spontaneity, the long melodic line all do as much for Beethoven as for any other composer. It's true that he allowed more fluctuation of tempo than many pianists do today ... but my ears, perhaps not purist enough, take no offense.

[sltomsik]

@mf4251 In his era, pianists were allowed some latitude & liberty with the score. It was even expected. As long as they presented a strong performance, the audience wasn't religious about holding to the score note for note back then. This started changing about 1970 or so.

[twgirl1]

Everybody good this wonderful music really pleasant to hear performance's attagirl

[Tu16]

@mychemicalrelapse Keep on going. I thought the same thing, and a few years ago I played this, and now I'm doing one of the Hungarian Rhapsodies written by Liszt. 'Wo ein Wille ist, ist ein Weg': Where there is a will, there's a way!

[kiaragre]

the best from 1.28 on...

[crosleyper]

I think Rubenstein always does a wonderful interpretation of Beethovens music. Others may prefer anothers interpretation. Different interps. take us different places.'' I think its wonderful how the same composer has taken me different places under the fingers of a different pianist .