Anton Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No 4 (+ assorted solo piano pieces by various composers) Shura Cherkassy (piano) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vladimir Ashkenazy Decca
Rubinstein's once famous & much performed Fourth Piano Concerto seems to have dwindled away,along with the rest of his music,after his death! Although,it still had it's champions! According to The 1951 Collins Record Guide,“the swelling introduction promises great things, but what emerges is perhaps only a rather large mouse”! Perhaps the big mouse is like the one on the old MGM Tom & Jerry cartoon which the BBC used to put on in the early evening,years ago,after the News & Nationwide! Very funny,too! I
seem to recall that un-beknown to Jerry & the,hapless,Tom,the mouse was actually a kangaroo?!
Rubinstein's Fourth,like allot of his music,tends to get less than rave reviews! Nevertheless,there always seems to be the odd enthusiast who thinks that Rubinstein's Fourth is an unjustly neglected masterpiece! I certainly enjoyed listening to in this performance. The fact that it doesn't seem to last too long & I didn't keep looking at the track timing's to see how much is left,is always a good sign. (Although,I am in a different room to the hi-fi & wearing wireless headphones,do I was unable to! :() A really good tune might have helped,but it's all very enjoyable. I think the slow movement was the best part of it. It's all very redolent of that era! The glitter,the elegance,the keyboard pyrotechnics and showmanship. Nothing terribly deep,but not bad for a big mouse,imho! ;D
