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Over to Geneva Switzerland for a historic concert by Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, conducted by their Music Director of many years Ernest Ansermet and featuring the legendary Artur Rubinstein, piano in a concert recorded circa 1955 (no exact dates, sorry – mentioned in the program as April 1960, but no confirmation). It was rebroadcast as part of the ongoing RTS Espace 2 radio series Fauteuil d’Orchestre, which runs historic concerts every week (hint-hint: check them out).
Although best known as a recitalist and concerto soloist, Rubinstein was also considered an outstanding chamber musician, partnering with such luminaries as Henryk Szeryng, Jascha Heifetz, Pablo Casals, Gregor Piatigorsky and the Guarneri Quartet. Rubinstein recorded much of the core piano repertoire, particularly that of the Romantic composers. At the time of his death, The New York Times in describing him wrote, “Chopin was his specialty … it was [as] a Chopinist that he was considered by many without peer.”With the exception of the Études, he recorded most of the works of Chopin. In 1964, at the height of the Cold War, he gave a legendary concert in Moscow, with a pure Chopin program. He was one of the earliest champions of Spanish and South American composers, as well as French composers of the early 20th century (such as Debussy and Ravel). In addition, Rubinstein promoted the music of his compatriot Karol Szymanowski. Rubinstein, in conversation with Alexander Scriabin, named Brahms as his favorite composer, a response that enraged Scriabin.
This concert is pretty straightforward – beginning (on the top player) with the Overture to Egmont by Beethoven. Rubinstein joins the orchestra in a performance of the Brahms 1st Piano Concerto. And in the second half (on the bottom player), the concert concludes with deFalla’s Nights In The Gardens Of Spain.
Something that definitely works around Rush Hour.
Enjoy.
THX for this historical perf !
Espace 2 does not specify any date on the website but at the beginning of the concert, the announcer gives “le vingt-sept avril dix-neuf cent soixante,” which would make it April 27, 1960. Curiously, the OSR archive at http://www.osr.ch/page.asp?pageid=26 does not show such a concert or any concert on that date, though it does show Ansermet and Rubinstein collaborating on these two works in 1930 (Brahms) and 1926 (de Falla.) So something does not quite compute. I can only gape in astonishment at the Rubinstein playing the knuckle-busting Brahms and then following it with the de Falla as an encore!
What that date might be, just possibly, is the date of broadcast rather than the date of performance. I’ve noticed with most European outlets their concert offerings during the course of a week are a combination of live-on-site and delayed broadcast. Since I’m not familiar with what RTS keeps as far as archiving, this could possibly be from a collector, and the date could mean just about anything. I was always under the impression most European Broadcasters were meticulous about keeping broadcast records. From all the reports I’ve gotten from various sources, seems I was a bit wrong. I love history . . . .most of the time.
Thanks for the eagle eyes and ears on this one!
The OSR website does not list any of the many radio concerts that were performed by the orchestra, and that may explain why this concert is not listed (I too searched for it). There is a CD release of the Falla and that performance was given a 1960 date also. I’m under the impression that is the same performance here. I’m not convinced the Brahms is from the same concert.
I think you’re right on the Brahms and Falla not being from the same concert.