COMPOSERS: Albeniz,Debussy,Prokofiev,Schumann,Szymanowski,Villa-Lobos
LABELS: RCA Gold Seal
WORKS: Carnegie Hall Highlights: Debussy, Prokofiev, Villa-Lobos, Albéniz, Schumann, Szymanowski
PERFORMER: Artur Rubinstein (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: 09026 61445 2 ADD (1963)
This is a stunning display of virtuoso pianism built around a series of short pieces by 20th-century composers; including two Images and two preludes by Debussy, 12 Visions fugitives by Prokofiev, and four mazurkas by Szymanowski. The performances were recorded at a series of recitals the pianist gave at Carnegie Hall towards the end of 1961.
Rubinstein’s playing is at its most polished, the glittering cascades of notes perfectly controlled. For sheer note-spinning try Villa-Lobos’s Próle do bébé suite, the last movement of which prompts an outburst of applause and cries of bravo from the audience. David Michaels