It’s fascinating that such a radical pianist as Anton Rubinstein, whose thundering style begat Rachmaninov and Horowitz, donned an old-fashioned hat while composing. Rubinstein filled reams of staff paper with sonatas, concertos, and symphonies–all tailored to good German conservatory order. Similarly, his Kamennîy-ostrov (Rocky Island) recalls the complacent charm of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words. The work came about as a result of Rubinstein’s patron, the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna. Each of the 24 portraits depicts a different member of her court. Whether or not the subjects are accurately portrayed in sound, the fact is that these are charming character pieces worthy of revival.
It’s difficult to judge Joseph Banowetz’s pianism here. Does he really play with flattened out dynamics and a choppy sense of line? Or is it the engineering that does him in? Uncomfortably close miking draws attention to hammer noises and moving dampers, leaving little air between notes. I’m slightly disappointed, given Banowetz’s sure command of Romantic style as evidenced in his Liszt and Busoni recordings, to say nothing of his excellent Rubinstein concertos. At least, you can’t complain about the excellent, informative booklet notes.
