Anton Rubinstein’s Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 95, emerged in 1874 – ending a dry spell of roughly 20 years since his previous efforts in the genre. It came at a time when the future of the purely instrumental symphony was in doubt, reflecting the notion of Wagner and his disciples that Beethoven had exhausted the possibilities of symphonic development – and that the day of “synthetic” art (the “Gesamtkunstwerk”), with its blend of symphonic, vocal and theatrical elements, had arrived. Rubinstein did not agree, and composed his fourth symphony in an apparent effort to prove that Beethoven’s methods were still valid. This marks Delos’ second re-release of Russian Disk’s acclaimed series of Rubinstein’s orchestral music, as performed with authentic idiomatic flair by Igor Golovchin and his Russian State Symphony Orchestra.
Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No. 4 & Caprice Russe / Jarvi, Shelest, The Orchestra Now
Sorel Classics
Available as
CD
$17.99
$13.99
Jul 06, 2018
It is difficult to overstate the breadth of contribution of Anton Rubinstein to the development of the Russian culture in the 19th century. His multifaceted genius can be divided into three areas- Rubinstein the composer, the pianist, and the educator. In this first release in the series of recordings of his works for piano and orchestra, we focus on Rubinstein’s role as an educator. The album brings into light the effect Rubinstein had on the advancement of the Russian musical style in the 19th and 20th centuries. Hailed by The New York Times as a pianist of “a fiery sensibility and warm touch,” Anna Shelest is an international award-winning pianist who has thrilled the audiences she’s been in front of all over the world. Born in Ukraine, she began her studies at the age of six, and at the age of eleven she performed at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Her repertoire ranges from the Baroque to today’s contemporary composers. She has a particular affinity for Russian piano literature. Having received her Masters Degree at The Juilliard School, Anna Shelest currently resides in New York City with her husband and two sons. The Orchestra Now is group of vibrant young musicians from across the globe who are making orchestral music relevant to 21st century audiences. Hand-picked from the world’s leading conservatories, the members of TON are not only thrilling audiences with their critically acclaimed performances, but also enlightening curious minds by giving on stage demonstrations.
On Sale
Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No. 4 & Caprice Russe / Jarvi, Shelest, The Orchestra Now
$17.99
$13.99
CD
Sorel Classics
Jul 06, 2018
SCCD013
Rubinstein: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 5 / Jarvi, Shelest, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
Sorel Classics
Available as
CD
$17.99
$13.99
Apr 19, 2019
It is difficult to overstate the breadth of contribution of Anton Rubinstein to the development of the Russian culture in the 19th century. His multifaceted genius can be divided into three areas- Rubinstein the composer, the pianist, and the educator. In this second release in the series of recordings of his works for piano and orchestra, we focus on Rubinstein’s role as a composer. Hailed by The New York Times as a pianist of “a fiery sensibility and warm touch,” Anna Shelest is an international award-winning pianist who has thrilled audiences throughout the world. Champion of esoteric repertoire, Anna is collaborating with legendary conductor Neeme Jarvi on this project, which will eventually record the complete works for piano and orchestra by Anton Rubinstein. The first album in the set was released in 2018 to critical acclaim.
On Sale
Rubinstein: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 5 / Jarvi, Shelest, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
$17.99
$13.99
CD
Sorel Classics
Apr 19, 2019
SCCD014
Rubinstein: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 / Farkas, Nosrati, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
CPO
Available as
CD
$18.99
$13.99
Sep 03, 2021
During his lifetime Anton Rubinstein was regarded as the greatest pianist among composers and as the greatest composer among pianists. He himself assigned clear functions to his two fields of activity: he concertized to live, and he lived to compose. Such a plan of action finds its greatest fulfillment when the two spheres overlap: in Anton Rubinstein’s piano concertos, which were products of his compositional calling for his concert profession and works by the composer for the pianist. Thirteen years, stylistic nuances, and a decisive step on the career ladder came between his Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 4. The twenty-one-year-old’s early second concerto met with a very favorable response in its time because of its marvelously beautiful tonal effects. It was then above all his fourth concerto that from the very beginning was enthusiastically received by fans of symphonic orchestral music and friends of virtuoso solo performance. Here Schaghajegh Nosrati, who is regarded as an extremely versatile musician and owing to her outstanding reputation as a Bach interpreter very early was able to establish herself as a concert pianist, interprets these works for us.
On Sale
Rubinstein: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 / Farkas, Nosrati, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
$18.99
$13.99
CD
CPO
Sep 03, 2021
555352-2
Rubinstein: Music for Piano Four Hands, Vol. 2 / Duo Pianistico di Firenze
Brilliant Classics
Available as
CD
$17.99
$13.99
Jan 03, 2020
Conductor, virtuoso pianist, founder of the St Petersburg Conservatory and composer of solo works, symphonies and operas, Anton Rubinstein (1829–1894) is a key figure in Russian musical culture and achieved international celebrity during his lifetime. In the midst of a busy world touring schedule, he also found time to be composition teacher to Tchaikovsky. Often only selected pieces from Rubinstein’s piano four-hands repertoire are performed, but in a rare feat, Duo Pianistico di Firenze take on the full 20 movements of the epic suite Bal Costumé. Excluding the opening and closing movements, the Suite is a musical depiction of the fashionable masked balls frequented by the elite. The elaborate costumes, the dancing and, in particular, the interaction between two characters, one male and the other female are represented in the music. Each movement references different historical periods from the 12th to the 18th century and although largely romantic in style, the movements nod to their corresponding era with baroque inflections. Toréador et Andalouse, with its distinctly Spanish feel, is the most famous movement and is often performed as a stand-alone piece. The movement is fast-paced and concise, complimented by a memorable melody-line sprinkled with chromaticisms. Although Bal Costumé can work as a collection of individual pieces, the effect is most profound when appreciated as a whole, transporting the listener to Rubinstein’s musical plane. The Introduction sets the scene in a bold symphonic mood, then moves through folk-songs, Arabian dances and a military parade before reaching the climatic final movement: Danses. This extravagant finale begins as a Great Waltz becoming a jubilant Polka and then a whirling Galop. Coupled with the recording of Rubinstein’s sonatas and Characteristic Pieces that launched this series (Rubinstein: Music for Piano 4 Hands Volume 1 BC95016), this new release is unique in its dedication to the composer and his repertoire. Admired by Mendelssohn, Schonberg, Rachmaninov and Chopin, friends with Liszt and Saint-Saëns and adored by fans around the globe, Rubinstein has had a monumental impact on Russian musical traditions and education. The breadth and depth of his music deserves to be heard today.
On Sale
Rubinstein: Music for Piano Four Hands, Vol. 2 / Duo Pianistico di Firenze
$17.99
$13.99
CD
Brilliant Classics
Jan 03, 2020
BRI95965
Rubinstein: Caprice Russe; Piano Concerto No 5; Der Thurm Zu Babel Overture / Mitchell, Zamparas
Centaur Records
Available as
CD
$18.99
Jan 29, 2013
RUBINSTEIN Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 94. Caprice russe, Op. 102. Der Thurm zu Babel, Op. 80: Overture • Grigorios Zamparas (pn); Jon Ceander Mitchell, cond; Bohuslav Martin? PO • CENTAUR 3204 (74:55)
The fifth and last of Anton Rubinstein’s piano concertos was composed in 1874. Dedicated to the French pianist and composer Charles-Valentin Alkan (misspelled “Arkan” in Centaur’s notes), it is by far the longest of Rubinstein’s works in this genre, comparable in duration if not stature to the concertos of Brahms. The first movement alone lasts over 22 minutes in this performance, with a total timing of 50 minutes. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that Rubinstein chose the same key for this work, E?-Major, as did Beethoven for his “Emperor” Concerto. That lengthy first movement is a grand, expansive, often rhapsodic statement, although as is usual with Rubinstein, there is too much repetition. The slow movement strikes me as rather perfunctory, but the brilliant, exuberant finale, at 17 minutes nearly as long as the first movement, offers considerable pleasure. The performance by Grigorios Zamparas is straightforward, crisp, fluent, and technically proficient. He does not quite match the brilliance, forcefulness, and spontaneity that pianists such as Joseph Banowetz and Marc-André Hamelin have brought to other Rubinstein concertos, although he does contribute some pretty impressive rapid passagework. Hamelin, however, has not recorded this concerto, and the Banowetz reading, on Marco Polo, is currently available only as an MP3 download. I have not heard it, but the Marco Polo catalog is gradually being transferred to Naxos, so Banowetz may eventually be available again on CD. On the other hand, the Centaur recording, although a bit dry and unreverberant, is better focused and balanced and more realistic than the Marco Polo series, and the piano sound is solid and well defined. Peaks have plenty of impact and are free from strain or harshness. No other recordings of this concerto are currently available.
The Caprice russe, an appealing 20-minute fantasy for piano and orchestra on three folk or folk-like themes, was written in 1878. Zamparas once again offers a straightforward and proficient performance, perhaps lacking a degree of the flamboyance that Rubinstein’s music seems to demand. The only other recording of this piece in the catalog is that of Banowetz, also coupled with his performance of the Fifth Concerto and therefore available only as an MP3. Rubinstein’s “sacred opera” Der Thurm zu Babel (The Tower of Babel), one of several he wrote on biblical themes and to German librettos, dates from 1869. Its brief overture is deliberate and brooding but uneventful. No other recordings of the overture and none of the opera itself are available.
Under Jon Ceander Mitchell, the Bohuslav Martin? Philharmonic shows itself to be a capable and proficient ensemble, although lacking the tonal opulence of some more famous orchestras. The violins, at least as recorded here, can sometimes seem thin and steely, but the winds are reliable, more so than in the Slovak orchestra used in the Banowetz recordings of the first four concertos. (A different Slovak orchestra performs in the Fifth Concerto.)
In the absence of any current competition on CD, I can recommend these accomplished and well-recorded performances to anyone interested in Rubinstein’s music.
FANFARE: Daniel Morrison
Rubinstein: Caprice Russe; Piano Concerto No 5; Der Thurm Zu Babel Overture / Mitchell, Zamparas
$18.99
CD
Centaur Records
Jan 29, 2013
CRC3204
Rubinstein: Symphony No. 5
Naxos
Available as
CD
$19.99
$13.99
Jul 30, 2013
Anton Rubinstein was one of the towering figures of nineteenth-century music, a great piano virtuoso, conductor and influential teacher. The fifth of his six Symphonies is thoroughly Russian in it's melodies, and is often compared to his student Tchaikovsky's First Symphony. The overture to Rubinstein's first opera Dmitry Donsky is based on a similarly national Russian theme, while Faust, written in Leipzig in 1854, is the sole surviving movement of an abandoned Faust symphony. Rubinstein's Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 can be heard on Naxos 8.555590 and 8.555979.
On Sale
Rubinstein: Symphony No. 5
$19.99
$13.99
CD
Naxos
Jul 30, 2013
8557005
Rubinstein: Symphonies Vol 2 / Gunzenhauser, Slovak Po
Naxos
Available as
CD
$19.99
Oct 01, 2001
Rubinstein: Symphony No. 2, "Ocean"
Rubinstein: Symphonies Vol 2 / Gunzenhauser, Slovak Po
$19.99
CD
Naxos
Oct 01, 2001
8555392
Martucci: Complete Works for Cello & Piano
Tactus
Available as
CD
$18.99
$14.99
Apr 08, 2016
Giuseppe Martucci was admired and appreciated by his contemporaries Franz Liszt and Anton Rubinstein, and was an outstanding performer and teacher, as well as composer. This new release presents his Sonata in fa diesis minore op. 52, Due romanze per violoncello con accompagnamento di pianoforte op. 72, and Tre pezzi per violoncello e pianoforte op. 69. Performing these works is cellist Jacopo Francini and pianist Alessandro Deljavan.
Rubinstein: Symphony No 4 / Stankovsky, Slovak State Po
Naxos
Available as
CD
$19.99
Aug 01, 2002
Rubinstein: Symphony No. 4, 'Dramatic'
Rubinstein: Symphony No 4 / Stankovsky, Slovak State Po
$19.99
CD
Naxos
Aug 01, 2002
8555979
Rubinstein: Symphonies Vol 1 / Stankovsky, Slovak State Po
Naxos
Available as
CD
$19.99
Jun 01, 2001
Classical Music
Rubinstein: Symphonies Vol 1 / Stankovsky, Slovak State Po
$19.99
CD
Naxos
Jun 01, 2001
8555476
Rubinstein: Symphony No. 6; Don Quixote / Varga, Halasz
Naxos
Available as
CD
$19.99
$13.99
Dec 10, 2013
Few Russian musicians in the second half of the nineteenth century could match the eminence of Anton Rubinstein. As a piano virtuoso he was internationally admired, as a progressive educator he had profound influence, and as a composer he was both significant and successful. The Symphony No 6 in A minor, Op 111 was his last symphony, composed in 1866, and fully revealing those qualities of grace and energy, as well as clever scoring, that make his works so appealing. Don Quixote, described by Tchaikovsky as “very interesting, and perfect in places”, is an inventive and charming musical portrait of Cervantes’ fictional knight. This release completes the reissue of all six Symphonies previously available on Marco Polo.
On Sale
Rubinstein: Symphony No. 6; Don Quixote / Varga, Halasz
$19.99
$13.99
CD
Naxos
Dec 10, 2013
8555394
Statkowski: Piano Music
Divine Art
Available as
CD
$19.99
Sep 11, 2015
Roman Statkowski (1859-1925) studied with Anton Rubinstein and Rimsky-Korsakov, later becoming a teacher and inspiring many leading Polish musicians of the 20th c. As a composer his taste was late-Romantic; his large piano music output excels, sparkling in the best tradition of Chopin. Statkowski gave up composition in 1904, devoting the rest of his life to teaching. Pianist Barbara Karaśkiewicz has toured and played across Europe and South America with a broad repertoire, championing rarely-heard composers. This is her fourth album and second recording of several of these pieces.
Statkowski: Piano Music
$19.99
CD
Divine Art
Sep 11, 2015
DDA25129
Chopin: Preludes, Ballades & Scherzos
Naxos
Available as
CD
$19.99
Sep 26, 2025
The extreme delicacy and finesse of Chopin's pianistic style was unusual in an era when star pianists such as Liszt and Anton Rubinstein were developing more virtuosic and experimental effects. It led some performers of the day to adapt Chopin's works to suit the context of their time. Goran Filipec has traced the practices of these pianists to fashion a programme of Chopin's works performed in the spirit of the 'grand style'. A digital EP featuring four bonus tracks is also available to stream and download (9.70383).
When the 21 year old Rimsky-Korsakov’s Symphony No.1 in E minor was premièred in December 1865 it was hailed in some quarters as the first truly Russian symphony. The leader of ‘The Five’, Balakirev, favoured the use of eastern themes in the search for a personal symphonic path for national music and Rimsky seemed to signal an alternative to the German-influenced music of Anton Rubinstein. He completed Symphony No.3 in C major in 1874. Again it was cast in a thoroughly Russian manner, full of vivacious romanticism and revealing significant technical advances on the earlier work.
On Sale
Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3
$19.99
$13.99
CD
Naxos
Apr 08, 2016
8573581
Farasha
Berlin Classics
Available as
CD
$19.99
Nov 21, 2025
Farasha is the debut release of the award-winning (e.g. Anton Rubinstein International Competition) soloist and chamber musician Sindy Mohamed on Berlin Classics. The violist recalls her Egyptian, French and German roots and reflects this in a diverse selection of pieces for the viola. The album contains Sonatas for Viola and Piano by Breville and Hinemith, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's Spring Song and a transcribed version of Saint-Saens' Sonata for bassoon and piano op. 168. In addition Sindy Mohamed presents a newly comissioned work by Khaled Al Kammar "Faten Amal Harby" for oud, viola, req and piano.
Winter Evening: Russian Art Songs / Briggs, Toren-Immerman, Quiring
Centaur Records
Available as
CD
$17.99
Nov 18, 2022
Maria Briggs is joined on this album by pianist Drew Quiring, and violin/violist Limor Toren-immerman, where together they present a selection of songs by composers including Anton Rubinstein, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Mikhail Glinka, and more. Dr. Briggs-Okunev is a Russian-born, Australian soprano. She earned her Bachelor degree in piano performance from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Dr. Briggs then attained Masters in vocal performance, Newcastle Conservatorium and DMA from Sydney University and Royal Northern College of Music, UK. Her research is focused on training and development of young opera singers. Her published thesis on tertiary opera training is available online.
Winter Evening: Russian Art Songs / Briggs, Toren-Immerman, Quiring
$17.99
CD
Centaur Records
Nov 18, 2022
CRC3981
The History of the Russian Piano Trio, Vol. 1 / Brahms Trio
Naxos
Available as
CD
$19.99
$13.99
Nov 13, 2020
The piano trio holds an important place in the history of Russian chamber music and to follow the development of the genre is to accompany the fascinating history of Russian music in the 19th century. Its beginnings can be found with Alexander Alyabiev, a student of John Field, whose unfinished but elegant and vivacious Piano Trio in E flat major is paired with the yearning Romanticism of the Piano Trio in A minor. Mikhail Glinka’s Trio pathétique bears the inscription ‘I have only known love through the sorrow it causes!’, while Anton Rubinstein’s elaborately acrobatic piano writing in his Piano Trio in G minor reminds us of his own virtuosity, and reveals his magnificent skills as a melodist.
On Sale
The History of the Russian Piano Trio, Vol. 1 / Brahms Trio
$19.99
$13.99
CD
Naxos
Nov 13, 2020
8574112
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4
Naxos
Available as
CD
$19.99
$9.99
Nov 08, 2019
Internationally established musicians Hanna Shybayeva (piano), Utrecht String Quartet and Luis Cabrera (double bass) present on this album the rarely performed and even more rarely recorded chamber music transcriptions of Beethoven's piano concertos Nos. 3 and 4 by Vinzenz Lachner. Hanna Shybayeva started her international career at the age of eleven as a "child prodigy." She recorded for several labels, bringing out repertoire by Ravel, Prokofiev, Chopin, Takemitsu, Shostakovich, and the complete Etudes-Tableaux of Rachmaninov. Since 2008 she has been a member of the New European Ensemble, one of the most innovative, vibrant, and versatile ensembles for New Music. Since 2013 she has been a professor at the International Anton Rubinstein Music Academy in Dusseldorf and at Conservatorio Giacomo Puccini La Spezia.
On Sale
On Sale
On Sale
On Sale
On Sale
On Sale![Rubinstein: Kamennïy-ostrov [24 Musical Portraits] Vol 2](//arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/404189.jpg?v=1778343654&width=800)
On Sale
On Sale
On Sale
On Sale
![Rubinstein: Kamennïy-ostrov [24 Musical Portraits] Vol 2](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/404189.jpg?v=1778343654&width=1200)
![Rubinstein: Kamennïy-ostrov [24 Musical Portraits] Vol 2](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/404189.jpg?v=1778343654&width=800)
