Artur Rubenstein recital
On PBS last night I saw a piano recital by Artur Rubenstein videotaped when he was aged 88. (He died at 95 in 1982). He played the Beethoven Appassionata sonata and works by Debussy, Schumann and Chopin. It was superb and awesome. I have heard performances of the Appassionata which I like better (Rudolf Serkin is my personal favorite), but as the recital went on, I felt I was truly comprehending the meaning of the term 'play' in music. The compositions seemed to be grids on which he could freely play his own feelings and drives (suggested by the composers' feelings}, thus 'recreating' them as we listened. I keep thinking of the common illustration of Einstein's General Relativity theory where a rubber sheet with a grid pattern on it is distorted by a ball, to show how spacetime is distorted by a massive object. It had the quality of an improvisation or meditation on the composers' ideas, rather than a recital. The fast passages were nearly flawless, no sign at all of stiffness in his fingers, but also always in service of his idea of the piece, rather than for dexterity. The Chopin etudes were simply ravishing.
Also the physical strength required to play and emote at this level for nearly two hours straight was remarkable to see in an 88-year old man. He was visibly weary by the end and played only one short encore, the 'Spinning Song' of Mendelssohn. This concert is kicking around on public TV and I highly recommend it to anyone who happens to notice it.
[This message has been edited by Chaszz (edited December 25, 2002).]
Also the physical strength required to play and emote at this level for nearly two hours straight was remarkable to see in an 88-year old man. He was visibly weary by the end and played only one short encore, the 'Spinning Song' of Mendelssohn. This concert is kicking around on public TV and I highly recommend it to anyone who happens to notice it.
[This message has been edited by Chaszz (edited December 25, 2002).]
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