Familia Alcantara Coral, Vol. 2 [Import]

1. Abertura

2. Congo

3. Pariazá

4. Acidá

5. Chora Marinheiro

6. Povo Daqui [Canto da Despedida]

7. Candongueiro

8. Brincadeiras Entre Uma Gravaçáo E Outra

9. Mulher Papuda

10. Bofe Coração

11. Sô Lilá Mais Sô Lilito

12. Oh! Que Beleza

13. As Estrelinhas

14. Vem Ver Maria

15. Viva Nossa Senhora

16. Rainha Senhora

17. Talari

18. Registros E Cantos de Vó Mena

19. Conversas

Tracks:

Pno Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Les Adieux: Adagio; Allegro
Pno Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': L'absence: Andante Expressivo
Pno Son No.26 in E flat, Op.81a 'Les Adieux': Le Retour: Vivacissimamente
Pno Son No.18 in E flat, Op.31 No.3: III. Menuetto: Moderato E Grazioso
Prld, Chorale & Fugue: Prld
Prld, Chorale & Fugue: Chorale
Prld, Chorale & Fugue: Fugue
Prole Do Bebe, Book I: No.2. Moreninha
Prole Do Bebe, Book I: No.6. A Pobrezinha
Prole Do Bebe, Book I: No.7. O Polichinelo
Prole Do Bebe, Book I: No.8. Bruxa
Prole Do Bebe, Book I: No.5. Negrinha
Prole Do Bebe, Book I: No.3. Caboclinha
Prole Do Bebe, Book I: No.1. Branquinha
Alegria Na Horta (Ste Floral, Op.97 No.3)
4 Mazurkas, Op.50: No.1. Sostenuto. Molto Rubato
4 Mazurkas, Op.50: No.2. Scherzo: Allegramente. Poco Vivace
4 Mazurkas, Op.50: No.3: Moderato
4 Mazurkas, Op.50: No.4: Allegramente, Risoluto
Saudades Do Brasil: No.5. Ipanema
Saudades Do Brasil: No.9. Sumare
Saudades Do Brasil: No.11. Larenjeiras
Prld No.2
Valse Oubliee No.1

Customer Reviews:

Around the World with Arthur Rubinstein.......2001-05-15

There is something for nearly everyone in Volume 11 of RCA's complete Arthur Rubinstein collection. More than any other volume in the collection, these mono performances, originally recorded on 78RPM discs from 1940-1946 demonstrate Rubinstein's incredible diversity and breadth or repertoire.

Beethoven's "Les adieux" Sonata, Op. 81a, was a great favorite of Rubinstein's. In addition to the 1940 performance featured here, there is a stereo recording from 1962 (Volume 56). The earlier performance is somewhat more freewheeling and sectionalized than the later more architecturally minded version. But there is a beauty to Rubinstein's sound (which comes through even on these old mono recordings) and a natural rise-and-fall to his phrasing which silences all criticism--even of the brief tangling of fingers in the transition from slow movement to finale. The 1945 performance of the slow movement from Beethoven's Sonata, Op. 31, No. 3, was originally recorded as a filler for the Appassionata Sonata Rubinstein recorded that same year.

Rubinstein recorded Franck's Prelude, Chorale & Fugue three times, this one being the earliest version. The pianist must have pulled some strings to record this work, which despite its excellent quality has never been a repertoire staple. Rubinstein makes an excellent case for the work here, as he does in his other recordings (the 1970 version is the best of the three versions).

Heitor Villa-Lobos was a close friend of Rubinstein's, and the pianist performed that composer's Prole do bebe ("The Baby's Dolls," roughly translated) from 1920 until his retirement. Unfortunately, he never made a complete recording of the suite--and for some reason decided to perform the pieces out of order in this recording. Nevertheless, this and the Allegria da horta from Villa-Lobos' Flower Suite are a joy to hear.

Rubinstein was also a close friend with his fellow Pole Karol Szymanowski. The four Mazurkas Rubinstein plays here were dedicated to the pianist. This 1946 performance is more rustic than the suave, aristocratic version of the Mazurkas Rubinstein recorded live in Carnegie Hall in 1961--reminding us that the Mazurka is a Polish peasant dance.

Though Rubinstein was also associated with Darius Milhaud, this version of the Saudades do Brasil is the only recording the pianist made of the French composer's music. He captures the underlying savagery and modernity of the pieces without ever sounding ugly.

Despite being an American citizen from the 1940s onward, the only American work Rubinstein performed publicly was Gershwin's Second Prelude. If this is an example of Rubinstein's approach to American music, it's probably for the best he avoided it. The performance is completely unidiomatic: both tempo and phrasing are inappropriate; and he even tampers with Gershwin's harmonic scheme, eliminating the blues chord at the end! This performance is the only failure on the CD.

Liszt's Valse Oubliee is a satisfying encore to an effective recital.

Tracks:

Vn Partita No.2, BWV 1004: Chaconne
Prld, Chorale & Fugue: Prld
Prld, Chorale & Fugue: Chorale
Prld, Chorale & Fugue: Fugue
Pno Son in b, S. 178: Lento Assai
Pno Son in b, S. 178: Andante Sostenuto
Pno Son in b, S. 178: Allegro Energico
Pno Son in b, S. 178: Stretto Quasi Presto
Vals Oubliee No.1
La Plus Que Lente (Valse)
O Polichinelo (Prole Do Bebe, Book I, No.7)

Customer Reviews:

My Desert Island Rubinstein CD.......2001-10-27

The program in Volume 68 of RCA's Complete Arthur Rubinstein Collection is uncommonly well balanced to demonstrate that the pianist's musical sympathies went far beyond Chopin and Brahms.

Rubinstein considered Ferruccio Busoni's arrangements of J. S. Bach's music to be the ideal transference of Bach's musical thought to the modern piano. This, Rubinstein's only recording of the Chaconne, was recorded in 1970. The pianist moves through the shifting moods of Bach's variations smoothly, characterizing the contrasting episodes while maintaining the basic pulse. Anyone who thinks Rubinstein did not possess a rock-solid piano technique need only listen to this performance as proof of the pianist's abilities. He can match his younger colleagues finger for finger, and tonally he can't be beaten. Unlike, say, Kissin, Rubinstein is able to push the piano to its dynamic limits, without ever creating a harsh sound.

If I had to choose one solo recording to demonstrate Rubinstein's gifts as a pianist and interpreter, it would be this version of Franck's Chorale, Prelude & Fugue, also recorded in 1970. Basically, the key to bringing this difficult piece to life lies in the careful balancing of totality and detail. Despite his posthumous reputation as a "Romantic" pianist, Rubinstein was essentially concerned with the big-picture, musically speaking. By avoiding the temptation to point out certain details in Franck's piano writing, the framework of the piece emerges more clearly. Rubinstein, at 83, plays with all the brilliance heard on earlier versions, and with even greater structural control.

I don't think Rubinstein loved Liszt the way he loved Chopin or Brahms. Although he performed Liszt's mammoth Sonata virtually from the beginning of his career, he did not record it until 1965, when he was 78. There are three basic approaches to this work: Demonic, Narrative, or Structural. Rubinstein unhesitatingly chooses the latter course, with just a dash of the previous two. This performance does not have the frisson or diabolical qualities of Horowitz' legendary 1932 recording. Nor does it have the ineffectual mooning of Watts' unfortunate 1985 version. Nor, thankfully, is it sterile, as is Pollini's recording. Rubinstein plays the Sonata as a SONATA, not as a balancing act between orgies of speed and sentimental interludes. The music gains from Rubinstein's approach, which is reasonably brilliant, warm, and coherent. Also included on the CD is Liszt's Valse-oubliee, along with the Sonata Rubinstein's only stereo recording of Liszt's solo music.

Rubinstein was playing Debussy's music when it was hot off the press, and La plus que lent was a great favorite is his. The Villa-Lobos O Polichinelo was long associated with the pianist, and was the last piece he ever played in public. It makes an effective encore here.

RCA's remastering preserved Rubinstein's unique tonal qualities, and has greater dynamic impact than previous issues.

International Music:

International Music

International Music