Ep.5 Anton Rubinstein. His life & music.

[@igormaxwel6093]

One of the most underrated composers, in my opinion!

[@ShelestatthePiano]

Agree- it is really remarkable how prolific he was, I’m just scratching the surface with these concertos. Thanks for watching!

[@igormaxwel6093]

@@ShelestatthePiano Yes. Anton was really a genious of piano and composition. It wrote many excellent compositions (six symphonies, six piano concertos, a violin concerto, many chamber pieces and piano solo pieces too). Thanks for this great video!

[@RaziBacha]

Great great presentation, eloquent, concise and extremely valuable. Thank you

[@ShelestatthePiano]

thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@derisleybrittain]

Excellent video 💖💖💖💖😀😀😀😀👍👍👍👍

[@klaus575]

Congratulations ! Your Piano Concerto No. 5 from Anton Rubinstein, with Neeme Järvi conducting Estonian Symphony Orchestra, is a true master piece. I often listen it, and each time it's like the first time. ( I didn't make the mistake between Anton and Arthur ! It is just to recognize me !). Molodiets !

[@ShelestatthePiano]

Thank you- we thought it was worthy to make a distinction as both Arthur and Anton are great pianists with the first name starting with an A:) We did not mention Nikolai’s great achievement- founding Moscow Conservatory in 1866!

[@horatiodreamt]

Excellent vid. I read once that Rubinstein didn't care for Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto.

[@ShelestatthePiano]

thank you! It was actually the brother of Anton, Nikolai Rubinstein to whom Tchaikovsky showed the concerto.

[@ludmilapolusmiak7624]

Great job!

[@labemolmineur]

Those programs!! I had no idea that such recital concepts existed in the 19th century already: early music from Byrd to Mozart, a recital of only piano sonatas (was Rubinstein the first to undertake this?), and that Chopin program- woah. What a giant undertaking. And to play those same programs in the morning free of charge for students and teachers- I already envy the conservatoire students who got to experience such anthologies of the piano repertoire interpreted by such an immense musician. It is interesting that Rubinstein revered Glinka- I remember reading that they were on two different poles at the time, with Rubinstein regarded as the "westerner" by Glinka and his followers, who sought to found a more national style? The amount of inspiration, kindness, generosity and love in these videos is truly moving. This is like a dream come true: to have artists of your caliber share with us, from their living room, their own beautifully-researched introduction to the composer and to let us into the process of rehearsal and recording. I love this with all of my heart, and the joy and feeling of closeness that it brings is truly priceless. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@ShelestatthePiano]

You are absolutely right about Glinka- he and Rubinstein were on different ideological paths but Rubinstein absolutely admired him and thought him a genius composer. That whole animosity between the Rubinstein and “mighty handful” first started when Rubinstein’s article titled “Russian Composers”was published in Vienna and Berlin in which he criticized the direction the Russian music was taking- mainly the use of folklore and pursuit of a nationalistic style. He was 26 years old at that time and was sincere in his attempt to push Russian music into the “right” direction. Even though in the article he compared Glinka with Beethoven the damage was done as Glinka along with “handful” took it as insult- that article came back to haunt Rubinstein for many years to come. After Glinka’s death Rubinstein played a benefit concert for the composer’s memorial statue but sadly was not invited to its unveiling- he came as a member of a public! Thank you so much for watching!

[@nkyriazi]

I am so happy that you are spreading the word about Anton Rubinstein. I have your recordings of his piano concertos 3-5 and I was planning to attend your performances of his second concerto last year in Budapest and Tallinn. I very much hope that they will be rescheduled. Thank God for you and Neeme Jarvi for performing alternatives to the 'war horses'. I have been listening to orchestral music since 1971 and am sick of hearing the same pieces repeatedly with conductors and soloists desperately attempting to make them sound 'fresh'. I was surprised to hear that Anton Rubinstein's favorite composers did not include Schumann and Mendelssohn who seem to be the composers his music most closely resembles, to me at least. I have sent a link to this video to my friends who also love orchestral music. Keep up the great work. I hope to meet you some day at a performance of one of Anton Rubinstein's pieces.

[@ShelestatthePiano]

Thank you very much...... Maestro Jarvi and myself are committed to this project and just waiting for the concert life to start again- so yes I’m very much looking forward to playing and recording Concertos 1&2. I do hope that there will be a chance to play the Rubinstein Concertos regularly- I must admit after the end of each recording session I felt sad knowing how small a chance there is to return to these pieces- as you know it is challenging to convince orchestras to program lesser known works. Needless to say without Neeme Jarvi’s vision this would not be possible. About Mendelssohn and Schumann in regard to Rubinstein- he held both of them in high esteem. He called Mendelssohn’s oeuvre “a swan song of the classicism” and counted Schumann’s piano works among the most beautiful written for the instrument. There is an article Rubinstein wrote called “Conversation about Music” where he gives extensive critique and descriptions of what he values in music and his approach to art in general- from Palestrina and Frescobaldi to his contemporaries.

[@skiathoss]

You are creating a great content here! Wish you all the best in these hard times for your industry.

[@ShelestatthePiano]

Thank you, we are all learning new ways ;)

[@WonderfulGeoCave-hn4ly]

Luba is my great great great…grandmother!

[@christopherjohnson3372]

What a wonderful project! Such a pity that even the 4th Concerto fell out of the repertory. I am looking at a performance history of the Boston Symphony and see that in the years before the First World War it was performed more often than the Saint-Saens 2nd or the Grieg. And I look forward to when you reach the Fantasie in C, Op. 84. Its monothematic structure is very daring, and the main theme bears an uncanny resemblance to the big tune at the end of the Saint-Saens 3rd Symphony -- which was written much later.

[@ShelestatthePiano]

Thank you, Christopher- it certainly has been a fun journey, every concerto has something to offer, I really loved playing the 5th, it is humongous but so much fun! Fantasie will have to wait till we are done with 1&2, hopefully things will be picking up soon. Best!