Rubinstein, Anton

Rubinstein, Anton – Piano Concerto No. 3, op. 45

(b. Podolia, Russia, 28 November 1829 – d. Peterhof, Saint Petersburg, 20 November 1894)

Moderato con moto p.1
Andante p. 60
Allegro p.70

Preface
As a pianist, Anton Rubinstein stood among the greatest virtuosos of the nineteenth century and became ‘one of the most renowned Russian performers thanks to his series of historical concerts—seven extensive and sequential programmes dedicated to the history of piano music’ [2, 38]. Rubinstein’s artistry emerged as an intrinsically international phenomenon. Closely connected to both Russian and German musical cultures, he embodied a rare type of musician in the nineteenth century—one who felt a deep sense of belonging to several national traditions, without adhering rigidly to any specific compositional school or stylistic movement.

Rubinstein was the first performer of most of his own works, which enjoyed immense popularity during his lifetime. The prominent critic Vladimir Stasov (1824–1906) described him as ‘the most brilliant, the most profound in spirit and poetry… greater than anyone save his companion and contemporary—Liszt’ [4]. His remarkable virtuosity was coupled with what some described as the ‘humanisation of instrumentalism’ [2]. Rubinstein’s playing was frequently likened to the expressive achievements of vocal bel canto and even to theatrical or architectural experiences. His concerts conveyed contrasting emotional spheres, echoing the same heroic and lyrical dimensions found in his symphonies. These included densely textured writing and a sense of competition as a dramatic principle. Above all, however, they showcased the expansive expressive and formal scale of Rubinstein’s piano literature. Without pitting ‘concert’ style against ‘chamber’ intimacy, Rubinstein had, as early as the 1840s–50s, ‘laid the foundations for the realistic lyrical-heroic concert style that, to a certain extent, determined the future path of the Russian piano concerto’ [1, 129]. …

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