Rubinstein: Kammennïy-ostrov, Vol. 1
Published:
COMPOSERS: Rubinstein
LABELS: Marco Polo
WORKS: Kammennïy-ostrov, Vol. 1
PERFORMER: Joseph Banowetz (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: 8.223846
Anton Rubinstein, the now legendary Russian pianist-composer, emerges rather disappointingly from this disc. These 12 pieces are literally portraits – of members of a Grand Duchess’s court – and they could certainly have charm, even if they are not strikingly memorable. Unfortunately, Banowetz’s somewhat heavy-handed and unimaginative playing does them few favours. Jessica Duchen
Authors
Jessica Duchen studied music at Cambridge University and was the classical music correspondent for The Independent from 2004 to 2016. She has also written for The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Times, BBC Music Magazine and the JC, among others.