This CD contains one of the most sensational accounts of the Appassionata that I have yet heard. It beggars belief that Rubinstein was 88 when the recital was recorded. The amazing drama, the grandeur of conception and, yes, the immense power all go together to make this a truly memorable Beethoven interpretation. And the old man could still control his fingers well enough to take a number of risks. The presto coda of the finale, for instance, is quite ferocious and entirely up to speed.
In Schumann's Fantasiestucke, one of his perennial favourites, Rubinstein is able to bring a lifetime of experience to revealing a wealth of polyphonic detail in the score, and thus the left-hand parts contribute a great deal to the overall richness of the harmonic texture. ''In der Nacht'' is taken quite fast and the mood of nightmare disquiet is captured vividly. Rarely has the slower middle section been played with such poignancy. Technically awkward as it is, ''Traumeswirren'' emerges with amazing sprightliness.
After a generous-hearted performance of Debussy's La plus que lente and a vibrant account of the ''Prelude'' from Pour le piano, Rubinstein inevitably ends the recital with a Chopin group. The booklet makes an inaccurate claim that the CD presents the E minor and C sharp minor Etudes for the first time on disc—they in fact appeared on an old Melodiya LP taken from a recital that Rubinstein gave in Moscow in the late 1950s. However, both are superbly done here, as is the Nocturne, and the pianist manages too to keep back sufficient reserves of energy for the Polonaise.
I cannot recommend this release too highly. Unfortunately, the piano sound, remastered from a video sound-track, is of amateurish quality. On several occasions I had to remind myself that I wasn't facing the old problem of fluff on the stylus!'