Rubinstein 4 reissue gets a drubbing...

[Alan Howe]

Do let us know what you think when it arrives...

[khorovod]

I will do for sure.

[Alan Howe]

Thank you. Maybe you can dissuade me from my negative view of the piece...

[Gauk]

This thread inspired me to dust off my well-worn CD of this piece ... except I couldn't find it. My collection is so disorganised! However, thanks to the invaluable Naxos streaming subscription I listened to it again. I have to say I can't be so negative about this piece. It may not be "great music" but it isn't tedious either. Perhaps I'm a forgiving listener. There are places where the finale does tread water rather, but not so much that I would condemn the whole piece out of hand, and I still have bits of the scherzo chasing around in my mind a day later.

[khorovod]

Well I have listened to it three times the last few days and I reckon my views so far are more akin to Alan's than anyone else's but I guess that it could be a lot better performed and recorded than the Naxos recording is. I do like the themes though and I think if all the movements (except the slow movement) were about half the length that they are then it could be more worthy of the name Dramatic. I mean if Rubinstein had made the work shorter not that there should be cuts introduced by the way, as I would always prefer to here the composer's thoughts than someone else's after the event!! It does seem a bit rambling in this recording though and not sure I want to spend money on another version of it tbh!

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for taking the time to buy a recording and report back.

[Alan Howe]

Here's a much more positive review. I don't agree with it for a second, but in the interests of fairness...
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Apr13/Rubinstein_sy4_DRD2012.htm

[Peter1953]

Thanks for the link, Alan. No surprise perhaps, but I almost fully agree with the reviewer, except for his remark on the finale. The more I listen to the Fourth, the more I love it.

[Mark Thomas]

Wouldn't it be a boring world if we all agreed? Normally I find Byzantion a perceptive critic (i.e. I agree with what he says!), but I feel that he has been way too kind to Rubinstein here. However, "à chacun son goût" as they say in foreign climes.

[Alan Howe]

It's always good to have a different perspective. Makes one re-think one's opinions.

[Gerhard Griesel]

I am grateful for this thread. It made me look again at Rubinstein, of whom I have only the PCs. I tried to listen to samples of the different symphonies on various sites, and a glimpse of No. 6 was impressive. I tried especially hard to see whether a box set of Rubinstein seems to be available, but this does not seem to be the case (pun unintended).

[Alan Howe]

No.6 is the best of the bunch, I believe.

[JimL]

I've gotten to know both 5 and 6, and I'd say they're both equally fine, however the 5th is more concise.  I also have a soft spot for No. 1.