Rubinstein Kamennïy-ostrow, Vol 1

Mid-19th-century easy listening, agreeably done, for Tsar Nicholas I's sister-in-law Kamenniy-ostrov ('Rocky Island') was the palace of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, sister-in-law of Tsar Nicholas I and patroness of the brilliant young Anton Rubinstein. He was barely 20 when she met him, charming, brimming with talent and a natural courtier. Installed in her palace, he was happy to entertain her at musical soirees while enjoying the freedom to embark on larger creative ent

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein

Label: Marco Polo

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 64

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: 8 223846

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Kammenïy-ostrov, Movement: Moderato Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Joseph Banowetz, Piano
Kammenïy-ostrov, Movement: Moderato assai Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Joseph Banowetz, Piano
Kammenïy-ostrov, Movement: Allegro scherzoso Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Joseph Banowetz, Piano
Kammenïy-ostrov, Movement: Allegro non troppo Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Joseph Banowetz, Piano
Kammenïy-ostrov, Movement: Moderato con moto Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Joseph Banowetz, Piano
Kammenïy-ostrov, Movement: Allegro moderato Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Joseph Banowetz, Piano
Kammenïy-ostrov, Movement: Con moto Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Joseph Banowetz, Piano
Kammenïy-ostrov, Movement: Allegro Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Joseph Banowetz, Piano
Kammenïy-ostrov, Movement: Romance Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Anton (Grigor'yevich) Rubinstein, Composer
Joseph Banowetz, Piano
In 1853-54 he produced this set of musical portraits, character sketches of members of her court. Even if we could identify the pieces with Crown Prince This or Grand Duke That, it would scarcely add to appreciation of them. They are, as one would expect, salon pieces, written to amuse and doubtless gently flatter, cast in what would be idioms familiar to the court from Rubinstein's playing. Perhaps we can now enjoy them more as involuntary portraits of some of the composers looking over the young lion's shoulder - Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin, John Field all seem to nod approvingly, and there are pats on the back from some of the virtuosos who influenced his technique, men such as Moscheles and Kalkbrenner (I did not notice the hand of Liszt).
The music needs rather gentler handling than it gets from Joseph Banowetz, or from the rather heavy and clangy recording, but it is all perfectly agreeable, a mid-19th-century version of what would now be called 'easy listening'.'

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