WALTZES, IMPROMPTUS [ARTHUR RUBINSTEIN, PIANO]

The sound is immediate without sacrificing warmth, but a bit brighter than in a previous issue, which also included Chopin's Bolero. Highly recommended.

This stereo version of the Waltzes was recorded over the course of a single night in 1963, at RCA's Italiana Studios in Rome. For those accustomed to thinking of Arthur Rubinstein as a "Romantic" pianist, this edition of the Chopin Waltzes will come as a surprise. The pianist plays the Waltzes straight, with very little rubato and at moderate tempos. This is in marked contrast to his 1953 mono set, which was freer in tempo and phrasing. Which way is the "right" way? Comparing both recordings demonstrates that there are many equally valid ways to interpret this music.

Rubinstein recorded the Impromptus several times over the course of his long career--this is his only complete version in stereo. He plays the posthumously published Fantasie-Impromptu (which Chopin, ironically, wanted destroyed after his death) from a previously unknown manuscript, which differs in numerous details from more well known versions.

Reviewer: Hank Drake

Tracklisting:

01 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 18, Grande valse br 05:28
02 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 34 No. 1, Valse bri 05:09
03 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 34 No. 2, Valse bri 05:18
04 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 34 No. 3, Valse bri 02:26
05 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 42, Two-four, in A- 03:51
06 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 64 No. 1, Minute, i 01:54
07 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 64 No. 2 in C-Sharp 03:46
08 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 64 No. 3 in A-Flat 03:23
09 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 69 No. 1, L'Adieu, 03:32
10 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 69 No. 2 in B Minor 03:52
11 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 70 No. 1 in G-Flat 01:54
12 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 70 No. 2 in F Minor 03:31
13 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. 70 No. 3 in D-Flat 02:52
14 Arthur Rubinstein: Waltz, Op. Posth. in E Minor 03:12
15 Arthur Rubinstein: Impromptu, Op. 29 in A-Flat 04:12
16 Arthur Rubinstein: Impromptu, Op. 36 in F-Sharp 05:58
17 Arthur Rubinstein: Impromptu, Op. 51 in G-Flat 04:47
18 Arthur Rubinstein: Impromptu, Op. 66, Fantaisie-I 05:12

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