César Cui, one of the group of five nationalist Russian composers of the second half of the 19th century known as The Five or The Mighty Handful, was the son of a French officer who had remained in Russia after the retreat of Napoleon in 1812. In common with other composers of his generation and background, he had a career apart from music, in his case as a professor at the Academy of Military Engineering, an expert in fortification. This did not prevent him from ambitious activity as a composer and an important career as a critic, often harsh and intolerant in his judgements. He is best known for his colourful short piano pieces.

The Alkan Piano Concerto is an orchestration by Karl Klindworth of the three Op. 39 Etudes referred to collectively by Alkan as 'Concerto' These are Etudes 8 to 10 of the Op. 39 set. In Alkan's lifetime the Concerto was never played complete and when it was played it was in excerpts. Thus the Portuguese virtuoso, Jose Vianna da Motta (whose symphony is available from PORTUGALSOM and has been reviewed on this site and whose piano concerto is soon to be released by Hyperion) performed the first movement in Berlin in 1903. Think of the orchestral treatment as an extension of Tchaikovsky's early symphonies (particularly No. 3) and add in a perpetually strenuous piano part typical of the high-flown romantic genre - rolling pearly runs of notes, clangorous heroism and gently reflective soliloquising.

This disc brings to a conclusion Joseph Banowetz's admirable survey of Rubinstein's complete music for piano and orchestra for Marco Polo. The Fifth Concerto (dating from 1874) is by far the most monumental, both in terms of duration it spans some 46 minutes—and in the virtuosic demands that it places on any pianist brave enough to undertake a performance. Like the Fourth, which was taken into the repertoire of Josef Hofmann the Fifth also found a legendary advocate in Josef Lhevinne, who included it in his sensational American debut concert with Safanov and the Russian Symphony Orchestra in New York in 1906.

Anton Rubinstein was a towering figure of Russian musical life, and one of the 19th century’s most charismatic musical figures. Rivalled at the keyboard only by Liszt, he was near the last in line of pianist-composers that reached a climax with Liszt, Busoni, and Rachmaninov. Like them Rubinstein’s reputation as a composer in his day was more controversial than his reputation as a performer, but unlike them, his vast compositional output, much of it containing music of beauty and originality, still remains relatively unexplored territory. Rubinstein wrote his eight works for piano and orchestra over the last 44 years of his life, with the five concertos dating from 1850–1874.

The Fourth is probably the best of Rubinstein’s Symphonies. Written in 1874 it’s a deeply uneven and ultimately unconvincing work but contains enough perplexing turbulence to elevate it far beyond the merely decorative, beyond the post Mendelssohnian symphonic statement. If it never reaches the heights of a genuine Romantic crisis symphony it contains intriguing material sufficient to warrant more than a second hearing and this Naxos issue, first issued on Marco Polo 8.223319 in 1991, provides just such an opportunity.

The Symphony No. 3 in A major Op. 56 (1855) makes a useful introduction to Anton Rubinstein's complete set of six. It's less inflated and rhetorical than its siblings, having a directness to its thematic material that's immediately appealing. And because No. 3 is abstract in content, and therefore far less reliant on descriptive effect than Rubinstein's later programmatic symphonies, the orchestration is more conservative–just pairs of woodwinds, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings.

We remember Anton RUBINSTEIN as an outstanding pianist who rivalled, and even outshone, Liszt. He gave his first public concert when aged 10 and toured Scandinavia, Austria, Germany, London and Paris as a child virtuoso…
Symphony No. 1 in F Major is a charming and well-crafted work, written at a time when Rubinstein was in St Petersburg, being supported by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, sister-in-law of the Tsar. The work has strong influences of Mendelssohn (who died three years previously) with a clear framework, memorable themes and dynamic rhythms. This symphony combines technical skill with romantic charm.

Rubenstein's First Symphony is a charming (and well-constructed) concoction that sounds very like Mendelssohn with perhaps a touch of Bizet's Symphony in C. It's no great shakes, but it is pleasant listening and ought to be played occasionally. The filler item is a little less inspired, but certainly listenable. The playing here is a little ragged, but since this is the only recording of this piece that I know of, it shouldn't keep you from buying it.