If one looks at a roster of great pianists who have also made separate careers for themselves as chamber music collaborators, meaning that they could adapt themselves and play with anybody, the numbers are relatively few. Only the collaborations of Arthur Rubinstein and Rudolf Serkin stand out for me personally.
This seventh volume in the mammoth Rubinstein Collection, which includes all of Arthur Rubinstein's authorized recordings, contains a legendary recording that great pianist made with the greatest violinist of the twentieth century, Jascha Heifetz. Their 1937 recording of the Franck Violin Sonata, composed for Eugene Ysaye who was a friend of Rubinstein, reveals how close they were musically. The perfect combination of Rubinstein's directness and warmth with Heifetz's steely technical virtuosity make for a recording that is breathtaking in its breadth. Listen to the lyricism in the fourth movement or the fantastic piano writing in the first movement and you will immediately know what I mean.
Also included on this CD is a beautiful and lithe recording of Faure's Third Nocturne, a work that Rubinstein cherished because its opening reminded him of Chopin's works.
The "Trois Mouvements Perpetuels" and "Napoli Suite" by Francis Poulenc, a friend of Rubinstein's, make for wonderful displays of Rubinstein's note spinning as well as his monstrous chord crashing.
The four pieces by Isaac Albeniz, one of Spain's greatest composers, are some of Rubinstein's earliest achievements on record. His "Cordoba", while a bit faster than that of most other pianist, is full of Spanish verve and sounds like a guitar. The "Evocacion" and "Sevillanas" perfectly capture the warmth of Rubinstein's musical personality. His performances of these staggering pieces may sound easy, but would make other pianists run for the closet.
Since these recordings date from 1929 to 1947, there are inevitably going to be issues about the quality of the sound. While the reissue engineers have done their bit in using untouched acetate and shellac originals, the sound can be a bit harsh at times and it can grate on the ear. While this can be a major problem for those who are not used to listening to archival recordings, most people's ears will adjust to the sound after a couple of listening sessions.
Overall, I do recommend these recordings despite their age for the simple reason that this is the only recording that Heifetz and Rubinstein made as a duo and also for the beautiful and lively renditions of repertoire for which Rubinstein otherwise was not well known for.
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