Someone else likes Rubinstein! And there I was thinking I was making a fool of myself sticking up for his music (see earlier post!) :( ;D (And maybe I am?!! :( :o)
I like his Fifth,too. In fact,I think it's actually more enjoyable and interesting than the rather more well known Ocean Symphony. This one actually sounds a bit Russian! Not that I actually mind when Rubinstein doesn't! (Not terribly often,really!)And unlike Tchaikovsky,he says what he has to say without bombarding my ear'oles with huge noisy climaxes every five minutes. Not that I don't like Tchaikovsky. I love his music.In fact there really is no comparison in terms of inspiration;but then I like Parry,Stanford,Elgar and Vaughan Williams and I'm not worried about Parry and Stanford being under the influence of German composers. I just take them on their own terms.
Having said that;I do miss the emotional content,the feeling,the passion that I get from the best of Parry and Stanford. Rubinstein seems more of a technician. Certainly any passion or feeling that is expressed in his music is far more subdued.
I definitely agree with you about Rubinstein's Fifth sounding much more "Russian" than his other symphonies, and that is precisely why it is (by some distance) my favorite symphony of his. His other symphonies might as well have been written by a German composer in the mid-1800s. Now, I must stop degrading unsung mid-romantic composers ;D
Oh, I'm not done.....I'd
much rather be bombarded by Tchaikovsky's huge, noisy climaxes than lulled to sleep by Rubinstein's pleasant mediocracy. OK, now I'm done ;D
