Much as Arthur Rubinstein enjoyed making recordings, he loved to play in public even more, and his extant live performances usually communicate more verve, sweep, and joie de vivre than his later studio efforts. A previously unreleased live Brahms Second concerto from Zurich on May 23, 1966 is a case in point. To my mind, this performance splits the difference between the impetuous, skittish qualities of Rubinstein’s 1958 studio version under Josef Krips and the stricter metrics characterizing the pianist’s impressive yet relatively stolid 1972 Ormandy/Philadelphia remake.
Rubinstein’s large hands grasp Brahms’ unwieldy textures with the utmost ease and eloquence, from the first movement’s burly chordal passages to the finale’s scampering coda. In turn, Christoph von Dohnányi provides a marvelously alert, supportive, and full-throated orchestral framework. The (unnamed) third-movement cello soloist plays with subtle freedom and a gorgeous tone to match.
Previously unreleased solo pieces from Rubinstein’s inspired April 20, 1963 Nijmegen recital (type Q11948 in Search Reviews) fill out the disc. Brahms’ B minor Rhapsody soars and flows with far more poetry and controlled freedom than in Rubinstein’s studio versions. Similarly, the Op. 76 No. 2 Capriccio is less square and studio-bound with an audience present, while the Chopin D-flat Nocturne and C-sharp minor Waltz feature heartfelt turns of phrase and rubatos that their stereo studio counterparts only hint at. As for the concluding Ritual Fire Dance, I can’t tell who enjoys those extroverted upward glissandos more: myself, the audience, or Rubinstein. Probably the latter! The engineering typifies German Radio’s high standards in the 1960s. Warmly recommended. [2/21/2011]
