Rubinstein PCs 1 & 2 Anna Shelest/N. Järvi

[eschiss1]

Is this new or a repackaging? Anyhow, expected out August 18th on Music & Arts per Presto.

[Alan Howe]

New - I think.

[hyperdanny]

I just hope that Jarvi père doesn't race coarsely through them like he did with the Scharwenkas for Chandos, a release I frankly disliked.

[eschiss1]

Well, their Rubinstein 3 is significantly faster than Marshev's or even the 32 minute average (coming in at about 29:46), I see... their concerto 5 comes in at about 43:23, again much less than the 48:26 so far average. So it's a concern. We'll see?
(I see Ms Shelest can be heard on Youtube in a 2020 2-piano performance of the first concerto with Dmitri Shelest- itself faster (30:33 vs 38:15) than the norm...)

[Alan Howe]

I recall a comment made by one of the Chandos recording team when I was in the studio while Rufinatscha 6 (now 5) was being recorded. They were discussing upcoming recording sessions (Raff) in Geneva under the great Estonian-born conductor - the comment was: "That'll be fast". And they were right!

[Ilja]

Personally, I've always found that a lot of Rubinstein recordings (particularly the symphonies) sound as though a brisker pace would do them a huge favor (and an attempt at speeding them up in Audacity has so far confirmed that hunch).

[Alan Howe]

Personally, I've always found that a lot of Rubinstein recordings (particularly the symphonies) sound as though a brisker pace would do them a huge favor

The real problem in my view is that there's no absolutely top-flight recording of any Rubinstein symphony. They need an awful lot of help - and never get it.

[Ilja]

Yes, perhaps the torpitude of the current crop of recordings is more of a symptom than a cause. And I fully agree with you: these works need all the assistance that they can get.

[John Boyer]

The real problem in my view is that there's no absolutely top-flight recording of any Rubinstein symphony. They need an awful lot of help - and never get it.

I think the Hanson/Wuppertal recording of the 2nd on MD+G comes closest.  The Wuppertal band has always impressed me as a fine ensemble -- no exception here -- and MD+G provides them with their usual great sound. 

[Alan Howe]

I think you're probably right, John, although it's 'only' the 4-movement version.

[John Boyer]

I think you're probably right, John, although it's 'only' the 4-movement version.

Another point in its favor!

[Alan Howe]

I nearly added something to that effect, but didn't want to be accused of anti-Rubinsteinianism 

[Mark Thomas]

It's an odd thing that his music provokes such strong feelings, when on the whole it is unremarkably conventional, even for its own time. I wonder why? I certainly appreciate his gift for memorable melody and some of his works have either a syrupy charm or rythmic muscularity, so I wouldn't want to be without my Rubinstein recordings because of that but otherwise, with those few notable exceptions, there really isn't much nourishment in his music

[John Boyer]

there really isn't much nourishment in his music

Nor in popcorn, but I can't resist pouring out another bowl. 

[John Boyer]

I nearly added something to that effect, but didn't want to be accused of anti-Rubinsteinianism 

You're in good company!  Tchaikovsky agrees with you.  He was an astute judge of music; read his comments about "Carmen" and "Die Walkure".  Writing about the six-movement version of the "Ocean" symphony -- never mind the final seven-movement one -- he wrote that "Rubinstein has added two movements to his Symphony; although very charming, they destroy the artistic balance of the classical sonata form and make this perfect work excessively long."