I just can't believe that he's been forgotten!! I only started listeining to his works recently (not that many people record them), but I really like them. And he wrote so many too! Just look on [url]piano.ru[/url] and you'll find so much of his music (sheet music)!!

The reasons that I've seen as to why his music isn't popular include that his music isn't distinguished enough from his Russian comtemporaries. Even if that was completely true (it isn't), that doesn't mean that his music isn't beautiful. I mean, even the relatively well known Melody in F is really a pretty piece of music (usually well known pieces like Fur Elise aren't pretty). I find his music to be a blend of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin, but with some of his own flavor too.

So does anyone besides me like Anton Rubinstein's works? What does everyone think of them?

You're right! No one did reply, even me! I must have overlooked this.

A little OT but still interesting: Look at the similarities between del Toro and Rubinstein....long long lost twins?

del Toro
http://upload.moldova.org/movie/actors/b/benicio_del_toro/thumbnails/tn2_benicio_del_toro_4.jpg

Rubinstein
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/af/VanIIRubinstein.jpg



out of all his music I like his piano concerti. They are not like anything of his time, but not necessarily out-classing composers of his time. Simply they are Rubinesque.

You should have put another option:

"I've never even heard any of his music."

Sad, I know...

Haven't you even heard the famous Melody in F Major? I don't think that I can change polls after I make them either.

I also really like his piano concerti, they are so beautiful. Out of all the composers, they sound the most like Rachmaninoff to me. I also have recordings of his barcarolles and some of his etudes for piano. They are very nice to listen to, while not that memorable, and are very pretty.

A reason why many people can't get into him is because there's nowhere to find his music. I've looked everywhere online, and I can barely find any music books of his for people to buy (besides the concerti). There's like one edition of his barcarolles and about two books with six or so random pieces. I don't even know if Schirmer, Alfred, or Dover make anything of his! I find this strange because, if you look on IMSLP, you can see that he has many works, especially piano pieces. But I hate having millions of sheets of paper lying around my piano room .

So then why don't you record one piece at a time. Maybe within three years you could have most of his works recorded and on this site? (Minues the concerti and some insanely difficult pieces)

Chopinman - I love to hear when someone is passionate about a certain composer, and because of you I went to my piano and looked through this big book of romantic music that I have sitting there. I found only this one little Polka (very short piece). Forgive the recording, as I didn't practice it beforehand and it's probably the wrong tempo, style, and all that, but in case you don't know this one, here it is. Also, I think I remember seeing somewhere a piece of his that is very pretty and almost 'smultzy', but I can't remember which book it's in.

I don't have any technology to record stuff. Unless you'd want an ugly MIDI file from my Clavinova.

Anybody willing to record some of his works? As I previously mentioned, imslp.org has much of his music, and I forgot to say that so does piano.ru/library-e.

Pianolady: I'm so sorry, for some reason I just noticed your recording. I think it sounds great! Was that sight read? If so, nice job! Sounds very Russian and Rubinsteinian(?), and I've never heard the piece before. Thank you!

Sorry, I voted "no it just isn't that great". Earlier this year I played his Cello Sonata Op.18. What a lot of work for very little musical reward; after Ruby states his themes, he just juggles them aimlessly and fills in the void with great expaneses of busy but very difficult passagework. The first and last movements had some interesting and charming moments but that middle movement was just dreadful; what a sacharine syrupy victorian gob o' goo. I ended up treating the piece as an etude, and it did help me regain a great deal of facility after some rough times.

Since this was a joint recital of Russian music, I read through and listened to a great deal of his solo piano music, but it all came up wanting; I almost programmed #22 from "Kameniy-ostrov" but instead opted for Medtner, Scriabin and Rachmaninov for my solo selections. Their music is vastly superior to Rubinstein's; as President Carter wrote, "Why Not the Best?"

If I want to hear Rubinstein, I'll listen to Josef Hoffman's live recording of the d minor Concerto. It is an astonishing performance.

Gee I just read this and it's awfully negative, but it's my well considered opinion.

Perhaps I'll post some of the Rubinstein Sonata...

I definitely think that his music is not of the caliber of other Russians like Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. However, I still think most of it is nice to hear. If you could post up a recording of the sonata, that would be great! I've never heard it before.

Chopinman0901 - or anybody else - I was just flipping through another book, randomly playing a few pieces and came across another Rubinstein piece. It's titled, "Romance", which got my attention right away because I usually like that kind of piece. Do you know anything about it? My thoughts when i was playing it were that I should have a lighted and really big candleabra on the piano, and lacey handkerchiefs to gently dab away the tears (hard to do while playing, though ). And I'm not sure about this, but maybe that candleabra idea came to me because Liberace played this (and added a zillion arpeggios). It's a pretty piece, if a little on the smultzy-side.

Was it in E-flat Major? If so, then I have heard it before. It's probably one of Rubinstein's more famous pieces (which is still not famous at all ). It's really pretty, and definitely a Romance.

I like the candelabra idea! Maybe I should try it some time...

Yes, it is the one in e-flat major. Just played it again. Fun to get into those big melodramatic ff sections. I think I'll record it this week.