Arthur Rubinstein Plays Chopin and Rachmaninov (2004)

A real piece of work

What you'll get here: 25 minutes of solo Chopin performances given in a
living room set, a 20 minute medley of different sections of the Rachmaninoff
Rhapsody as performed on live TV, and a second performance of the A
flat polonaise from live TV. Most of the Rachmaninoff is there, so
it's not as bad as you think. The sound quality is much like 1940's
radio.

This DVD captures what a piece of work Arthur Rubinstein was,
charismatic, always stoic, and always at full throttle. If he sat on
the keyboard and said, "That's how Mozart is played" you'd believe it.
In mannerism he comes across like the Jesse Jackson of classical music,
not good to get between him and a camera lens.

In the recitals it's like he's waving in the air and somewhere way
below his hands is a keyboard. Despite the amount of altitude he gets
above the keys, not a single hand position is wasted. Every hand wave
seems to have a purpose. Every jump off the bench seems to have a
purpose. He doesn't scratch his nose or shake off the kinks in his
wrists. It's like every millisecond of his playing has been
choreographed down to the last knuckle twitch.

There's enough coverage of his hands to get a feel for his technique.
You can see the direct correlation between his attacks and his
trademark wooden sound. September 8, 2004

rubinstein gold

This DVD is a combination of Rubinstein performances from 1956 Festival of Music telecasts (Rachmaninoff and Chopin Polonaise). It also includes the program "A Tribute to Chopin" available separately from VAI.

The Rachmaninoff is an exciting performance with great view of Rubinstein's hands both in wide and tight shots. This is an abridged performance, but worth every minute.
The "Tribute to Chopin" includes the Scherzo in C-sharp minor, Nocturne in F-sharp, Mazurka in C-sharp minor and the Polonaise in A-flat. Lots of shots of Rubinstein's face and one could wish for more of his hands.

Overall, well worth it - great music-making from one of the 20th century's finest artists and a welcome DVD to anyone's collection. A must for Rubinstein fans! July 5, 2004

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