Tchaikovsky whistled part of a tune, and he and others engaged in various snatches of
conversation. Rubinstein said, in Russian: ‘What a wonderful thing’. He was pressed to
play a few chords [on a piano] but replied ‘Nyet’ [no]. Anton Rubinstein did not survive
into the disc recording era.
Anton Rubinstein & Liszt
Anton Rubinstein was a close friend and musical colleague of Liszt but never was a pupil.
They represented somewhat different musical traditions, although Liszt greatly admired
Anton Rubinstein’s playing of Liszt’s own works.
An illustrated Lecture series was given by Anton Rubinstein at the St Petersburg
Conservatory during 1888-1889. In the second series, which was better documented than
the first, there were 32 lectures. Rubinstein played most works from memory but even
when he had the music before him he rarely followed it as he had a problem with his
eyesight. Lecture 31 was devoted to works by Thalberg and Liszt and Lecture 32
completely to works and transcriptions by Liszt. The Liszt Sonata commenced the
programme for Lecture 32.
‘Rubinstein saw these [lecture-recitals] as primarily a pedagogic exercise, despite the fact
that they were given to full houses in a semi-public fashion.
Rubinstein was a composer as well as a pianist. In 1854 he decided, as a mature twenty-
five year old pianist to go to Europe to establish himself as a composer. His first
important contact was with Liszt who gave him the nickname Van II because of his
physical resemblance to Beethoven. There was a difference of twenty years between the
two but between 1854 and 1858 they were in close contact and correspondence.
Rubinstein took part, with great enthusiasm and energy, in all the artistic events with
which Liszt was involved and performed with many members of the Liszt circle and
visitors to Weimar. He also appeared with Liszt in the in-house concerts that took place
every week. He even travelled with Liszt to various events in Europe. When in Weimar
Rubinstein lived at the Altenburg but even after he left Weimar he and Liszt maintained
an active correspondence and continued to meet for special occasions.
Rubinstein heard Liszt play often but Rubinstein’s tastes were more conservative and he
found some of the products of the Romantic school excessive. Rubinstein’s playing
employed a strong legato coupled with a sense of line, and a departure from the leggiero
style of playing of previous times to produce a tone of great depth and richness. In later
years Chaliapin’s singing was compared to Rubinstein’s piano playing. Both avoided
finicky dynamic shaping, opting for the big line. Rubinstein often drove phrases along to
their end with a crescendo rather than the then fashionable dying away at phrase ends,
especially if the pitch dropped. He avoided sentimentality and pathetic overtones, then
very much in vogue. His playing was also marked by sudden and dramatic dynamic
shifts. Rachmaninoff’s sharply etched style descended from Rubinstein.