I came here to listen to the Schumann, found your comment, Googled the book title and listened to the audio version of First Person Singular. Thank you for introducing me to these short stories!
You have no clue what "underrated" means lol... FYI, Carnaval is certainly NOT underrated. Pretty much everyone who has heard it rates it highly, and it's one of the works Schumann is most known for. Educate yourself, my man.
Rubinstein's performances of this work have always been a cut above the others. He understands the young Schumann's changing moods and poetic architecture perfectly. I wonder what Richter would have made of this had he palyed it?
¡Felicitaciones! Por compartir este excelente vídeo de uno de los más grandes pianistas del mundo. Otro gran pianista que merece igual atención, lo fue el insigne pianista de Vladimir Horowitz. ¡Saludos desde México! GRACIAS!!!
Hearing any performance by Artur Rubinstein, I do not pay attention to his technique; I am overwhelmed by the sheer musicality (I once read that the top ten Russians [for example] in a given competition can meet any technical standard, but they are unable to play at a Rubenstein-level. This recital is an example of artistry at its absolute highest echelon)
Fluffed notes? I heard maybe one or two, but playing this incredibly difficult piece, at 79, while making it incredibly musical and engaging, is quite a feat.
I saw Rubinstein play the Schumann concerto in London in the mid-1970s. He had lost a lot of vision from macular degeneration, and he missed many notes. I saw his finger come down next to the key rather than on it. The loss to the musicality of the performance was zero.
Really though? For a live performance this is pretty tight - by any standards. Yes he himself underplayed his technique and goes on about it in his autobiography, but its a rock solid technique. Clean passage work, incredibly nuanced, always a gorgeous tone. I’m conservatory trained so I’m quite picky.
