Rubinstein Persian Songs Reviewed

[saxtromba]

I thought I remembered there already being a post devoted to this recent release, but I couldn't find it.  Hence this new thread.

Rubinstein: Persian Love Songs (Helene Lindqvist, soprano; Philipp Vogler, piano)

6 Songs, Op.32; 12 Songs, Op. 34; 6 Songs, Op. 57; 6 Songs, Op. 72

This release from the Art Song Project (main site: http://theartsongproject.com/ ; this release: http://theartsongproject.com/persian-love-songs-rubinstein-english ) is a major addition to the Rubinstein discography, and the most important recording of his lieder yet released in any format.  Rubinstein composed somewhat over 150 solo lieder, so the thirty on this CD represent just under 20% of the total; the quality of the music, the performances, and the recording make an excellent case for further recordings of the remainder.

Several of Rubinstein's most famous songs appear here.  "Der Asra" (Op. 32, #6) is a hauntingly gorgeous piece which used to be a common encore number; listen to it two or three times and you will remember it for a long time to come.  "Du bist wie eine Blume" (Op. 32, #5) has been recorded before; it, too, was once well known.  And of course the whole of Op. 34 was justly famous; Rubinstein manages to capture the hints of exoticism implied by the title without ever doing violence to his own style, mainly through careful use of occasional unexpected flats, sharps, or naturals, and a great deal of melismatic writing, all of which is beautifully done by Lindqvist.

Speaking of which-- the singing is superb.  Lindqvist's voice is light but warm, pure, unforced, and very smooth; she uses comparatively little vibrato, and her grace notes and mordents are crystal-clear (not the vague blur all too common).  Her interpretations are very intelligent, and the quiet intensity evidenced in, for example, "Es war ein alter Konig" (Op. 32, #4) or "Nun die Schatten dunkeln" (Op. 57, #2) is radiant.  In some of the more dramatic pieces she slightly favors a thoughtful approach over a passionate one, but never to the detriment of the music (only "Die Waldhexe" (Op. 72, #3) is, I think, a little too calm, though since the poem itself (by the rather obscure Gustav von Boddien (1814-1870) is something of a knock-off of Goethe's "Erlkonig", too much forcefulness in the performance would simply call attention to the similarities rather than the musical differences).

Vogler's pianism is likewise very clear and rhythmically crisp, with comparatively little use of pedal (one of my few quibbles comes in "Der Asra" (Op. 32, #6), where the descending bass line as the slave reveals his name and fate strikes me as too dry and distinct).  A couple of oddities do appear; in Op. 32, #5 the last two measures are omitted, making the ending rather abrupt, and in Op. 57, #4 the penultimate measure is omitted (as this is also the case in the only other recording of this set (Johanna Rutishauser and Ana Dimova on the Real Sound label), this may stem from the use of an alternate edition not known to me).

Lindqvist likewise opts to drop a few verses from strophic songs.  In the case of the hilarious drinking song "Die Weise guter Zecher" (Op. 34, #5), where she sings verses 1, 2, and 5, this is of little importance; Rubinstein simply put repeat marks at the final measure, so if you want the full effect you can just program your player to repeat.  In "Schlag' die Tschadra zuruck" (Op. 34, #7), though, Rubinstein actually wrote out the strophic verses in full, which to my mind suggests that he very much wanted to avoid having the last (of three) omitted.  It might also be worth noting that Lindqvist occasionally substitutes vocalises for words (as in Op. 34, #5) or extends them, though in no case does she do so to the detriment of the music.  In the case of the drinking song, the words would probably come across as something of a gabble, which I suspect was Rubinstein's intention (it is a drinking song, after all), but this is a minor point.

I cannot imagine anyone who has even a remote openness to solo vocal music not enjoying this disk, and it goes without saying that anyone interested in Rubinstein's music should buy it.  There are simply no comparable recordings.  An old Melodiya recording of Op. 34 has no modern incarnation (it may have been released in the West on cassette(!) decades ago, but not since then).  Only one other complete set of solo Rubinstein songs (Op. 57) has been recorded, so far as I know; this is the aforementioned Rutishauser version.  Her voice is heavier and darker (rather more operatic than I think is best for the songs, but that's a matter of taste), and she uses way more vibrato.  Other than that, every other recording is either duets or selections from single opus numbers.  I recommend this very highly, and, as I said, hope to hear more such Rubinstein recordings.

[mbhaub]

Thanks for the heads up on this. I'll order it immediately. This sounds promising and for those of us who are partial to Rubinstein it's an essential purchase. I went to theartsongproject website and read some things. Found this excerpt from Norman Lebrech:

"Solo vocal recital discs flood my desk. Few grip the ear so fast and tight as this delightful discovery from a composer deservedly forgotten. Anton Rubinstein..."

Ouch!

[erato]

The website talks about a CD release, but all I can find on various amazons are MP3 downloads. any ideas?

[hemmesjo]

This worked for me.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007C7Q7YM/ref=wms_ohs_product

[erato]

Thanks. They're not very keen on selling discs though. £ 34 on amazon.uk (and 7.50 for the mp3), better priced on the US site though with substantially higher shipping fees.

[Artonglind]

Thank you for your interest in our Rubinstein CD. We sell it on Amazon in Germany for EUR 15,99 and it is supposed to be offered in other countries at this price as well. I just saw that it doesn't show up on seaches on the .uk site- we're not "premium sellers" on Amazon so the service is below what you would expect. I'm sorry for this; you could try to order it via the german Amazon here: http://www.amazon.de/Persian-Songs-Helene-Philipp-Lindqvist/dp/B007C7Q7YM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1339139273&sr=8-2

...or let me know via the contact form at the Art Song Project, and I'll send you a copy personally.

[mbhaub]

I tried to order it from Amazon US. The order was delayed from shipping for three weeks until they decided they can't get the cd, and shipped the rest with it. Looks like the mp3 download is what I'll have to do.

[Artonglind]

I'm very sorry for this. Obviously, We're at the other end of this wondering why we don't get more CD's sold...Please contact me at lalindqvist@web.de and I'll get you one right away.