Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894)
Fantasia in E Minor Op.77 (1866)
Five Pieces Op.69 (1867)
Trot de cavalerie simplified version in D major (1850)
Regina Chernychko (piano)
rec. 2023, Konzerthaus Leibfrauen Wernigerode, Germany
Naxos 8574697 [76]
Anton Rubinstein has fared reasonably well on disc but has made little headway on the concert stage. I cannot recall seeing one of his symphonies on a programme and even the fourth piano concerto, probably his most recorded work after the once ubiquitous Melody in F, is rarely heard in concert. It is unlikely that the situation will change greatly; he is considered too conservative, quite old-fashioned, adept but not ground-breaking and, for a Russian composer, not Russian enough. The D minor concerto will probably continue to find its champions in every generation – Earl Wild, Raymond Lewenthal, Grigory Ginzburg, Shura Cherkassky and, more recently, Marc-André Hamelin, Anne Shelest and Joseph Moog have all succumbed to its fiery drama – but it will never replace the Rachmaninovs or Tchaikowskys of this world in the public’s heart. While I can’t imagine any resurgence in large scale interest in his vast catalogue of solo piano music either several record companies have released decent amounts so that there are just a few opus numbers left unrecorded; Naxos especially have been building on the eight concertante and solo CDs that Joseph Banowetz recorded for Marco Polo and this latest release couples his huge Fantasia with one of his sets of short piano pieces and the Trot de cavalerie. No world premieres here; Leslie Howard recorded the Fantasia for Hyperion Records in the late 1990s (2 CDs CDD22023) and Fabio Grasso the five pieces op.69 (Solstice SOCD202). The Trot de cavelerie is rarer though a certain Alfred H. West did record it – granted that was for pathé in 1913 so it is unlikely to see the light of day anytime soon.
The Fantasia with its four movements is essentially Rubinstein’s fifth sonata and at 45 minutes exceeds even the fourth in length. It is introduced by a declamatory adagio that leads straight into the running sextuplets that characterise the figuration of much of the first movement. We hear a lot of the passagework associated with this and a descending chromatic motif that infuses everything except for the second theme, heroically lyrical. One of the best moments for me is when this lyrical theme is developed with a flowing semiquaver right hand accompaniment, unfortunately not repeated when it returns later. The second movement continues without a break and continues the almost baroque promise of the first movement opening with its fugal style. The fugue subject becomes an accompanying figure to the second theme in less archaic style. The third movement is for me the most successful, a finger twisting waltz scherzo that for all its virtuosity is light hearted and spacious. It is contrasted with a trio marked moderato that opens simply but gradually adds complexity that leads it back into the scherzo proper. The finale is the longest movement by some way. After a very Beethoven-like molto lento introduction showing Rubinstein’s feel for the particular timbre imparted by dense bass chords the main theme arrives, a dotted rhythm-triplet-chordal combo. An angular appassionato theme follows and then a third gentler theme with hints of Tchaikowsky. These are all developed and there is a rather obscure section, almost contrapuntal, that emphasises the angular character of the second theme. I am tempted to say that there is even more development…and more…and more… before a presto coda brings the work to a decisive close. Perhaps that is churlish but it does seem that the movement could have been much more effective if half of the material was excised. That said we are talking about a pianist composer who gave lengthy recitals; one Schumann recital included the C major Fantasy, Kreisleriana, Études symphoniques, Sonata op.11, Carneval, several shorter pieces as well as liberal encores so length was evidently not high among his concerns.
More effective in my eyes are the shorter Morceaux. Like the fantasia there is no hint of Russian music in the writing; the ghost of Mendelssohn hovers over the opening Caprice and Schumann in the Scherzo with its agitated repeated notes and impassioned central section and the beautiful Romance that has one of Rubinstein’s tenderest melodies. If there are echoes of Liszt’s lyrical style in the second piece, a tranquil nocturne, the final toccata is an amalgam of 19th century piano writing wrapped up in a fearsomely difficult and dazzlingly thrilling package. As a sort of encore in a lighter vein Chernychko plays the cavalry march trot de cavalerie in the edition published by Edition Europa in 1889. This transposes the piece down a semitone to D major, replaces the tricky repeated notes with easier triplets and takes out all of the large stretches that characterise much of Rubinstein’s writing – his famous pupil Josef Hofmann described his enormous hands; his fifth finger was as thick as my thumb!
Chernychko has all of the requisite technique and temperament for this large scale music and she is the equal of both Howard in op.77 and Grasso in op.69. The sound is clearer and fuller than the Solstice disc and this makes for an well executed and interesting addition to the Naxos Rubinstein catalogue and their apparent commitment to record as much of his solo piano music as possible.
Rob Challinor
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