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Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No. 4 – Scharwenka: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 38)

10/27/2023, 6 Tracks, 59:38

Featuring

  • Michael Stern
  • Marc-André Hamelin
  • BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
  • Xaver Scharwenka
  • Anton Rubinstein

Did you know?

1/7

Notable Performances

Gustav Mahler made his only recorded appearance as a soloist in a piano concerto by playing the first movement of Scharwenka's B flat minor Concerto in Vienna on October 20, 1877.

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

Anton Rubinstein, a Russian pianist, teacher, conductor, and prolific composer, was so similar in appearance to a young Beethoven that it was rumored he was Beethoven's illegitimate son, and Liszt referred to him as 'Van II'.

Source: Booklet

Cultural Impact

Both Xaver Scharwenka and Anton Rubinstein wrote a short piano piece early in their careers that brought them worldwide fame, both assigned the same opus number: Scharwenka's Polish Dance, Op 3 No 1, and Rubinstein's Melody in F, Op 3 No 1.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

Scharwenka's Piano Concerto No 1 in B flat minor originated from a two-part Fantasy for piano that a publisher initially refused, leading Scharwenka to revise it and add an orchestra.

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

Both Xaver Scharwenka and Anton Rubinstein founded successful piano conservatories: Rubinstein established the Imperial Conservatory in St Petersburg in 1862, and Scharwenka founded his own conservatory in Berlin in 1881, which became one of the largest musical institutions globally by 1893.

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

Despite their success as virtuoso pianists, very little of Scharwenka's and Rubinstein's vast musical outputs remained in the repertoire beyond the first half of the twentieth century, with their names mostly remembered for their early 'hits'.

Source: Booklet

Critical Reception

The first edition of Grove's Dictionary (1889) described Anton Rubinstein as 'an eminent composer and one of the greatest pianists the world has ever seen' but cautioned that his compositions, despite their technical skill, lacked the self-criticism and self-restraint needed for true greatness.

Source: Booklet

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