Rubinstein Piano Concertos 2 & 4

[Alan Howe]

...forthcoming from cpo:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/anton-rubinstein-klavierkonzerte-nr-2-4/hnum/9735537

[Mark Thomas]

Most welcome. Dare we hope for recordings of the other three concertos? It would be especially good to finally have a recording of No.5 which realises its potential, and I could at last retire Adrian Ruiz's ex-LP recording for Genesis, in which he is rather let down by a lacklustre orchestral contribution.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I agree entirely, Mark. A really top notch performance of the 5th would be hugely welcome.

[Christopher]

Most welcome. Dare we hope for recordings of the other three concertos?

And indeed for more recordings of all his works eh Alan? 

[Alan Howe]

Oh, absolutely. I wish the symphonies could be re-done by better orchestras and conductors, for example.

[eschiss1]

MDG did release a 2-CD set of his orchestral music (various works including symphony 2, the A minor cello concerto, Don Quixote, an overture and this that...)  3-odd years ago. No idea if that was intended to launch a series, but if so, the continuation would probably be delayed.

(Ah, the 2-CD set listed at Presto Classical combines a "Vol. 1" and a "Vol. 2" separately released by them earlier, reviewed so by Musicweb.) (There's also a more recent? - 2019-published? - recording of piano concertos 3 & 5 conducted by Neeme Jarvi on Sorel Classics, Anna Shelest, piano, which is part of a series by them- preceded by concerto no.4 and Caprice russe. Anotther Rubinstein piano concerto series from the 2010s that seems to have been mostly complete was on Centaur.)

[dhibbard]

I love my Marco Polo recordings of those..

[Alan Howe]

Yes, I like them too. Excellent pianist - the (now) veteran, Joseph Banowetz.

[MartinH]

Good news - I like the Banowetz recordings, too, but new ones are always welcome. Now if pianists would enliven the repertoire and start putting these back in live concerts!

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, I have the Centaur recording but Zamparas is no Banowetz, never mind Ruiz. Every recording of this magnificent piece is flawed: either the soloist, conductor, orchestra or recording lets them down, which is why I hope that cpo may have found the right combination. Does anyone know anything about Schaghajegh Nosrati? According to cpo she has an "outstanding reputation as a Bach interpreter", which doesn't on the face of it seem to have much relevance to getting the best out of Rubinstein, but still....

[eschiss1]

Would her having recorded Alkan (concerto from op.39 and other works), as shows up on Google early on, point more in that direction? (She performed the Alkan concerto at Carnegie hall two months ago, also. Edit: I apparently cannot see the word "Cancelled" in front of my face.)

[Alan Howe]

How about Schaghajegh Nosrati in Rachmaninov's Paganini Rhapsody?>>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocTaVFEirN0&t=1184s

Sounds pretty good to me...

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, I agree. Fingers crossed, then. Let's hear how PCs 2 and 4 come out.

[4candles]

Nosrati's Bach and Alkan recordings have both received excellent reviews and I can attest to the quality of the latter. She is a protege of both Rainer Maria Klaas (I think) and Andras Schiff, so her technique and musical pedigree have plenty of upside and potential. I think she will be more than up to the task. As ever, the results will come down to personal tastes.

[Alan Howe]

This is a very beautiful recording of PC4. Does it lack elan? I did wonder about this, but the orchestral contribution is very fine, with plenty of heft when needed (to be honest, this is probably as good a rendering of the orchestral part as we have yet had). So, it remains to be seen what listeners think of the soloist's playing (no problem with her technique!) She's certainly not Hamelin in this music, but I wonder whether his performance is just too much of a good thing - not to mention simply too fast (e.g. in the finale).

You pays yer money and you takes yer choice...