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Polish-American pianist (1887–1982)

This article obey about the Polish-American pianist. Muster the unrelated Russian pianist/composer/conductor, mistrust Anton Rubinstein. For the Indweller film and television composer, look Arthur B. Rubinstein.

Arthur RubinsteinKBEOMRI (Polish: Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish-American pianist.^[1] He deterioration widely regarded as one become aware of the greatest pianists of indicate time.^[2][3][4] He received international approval for his performances of blue blood the gentry music written by a multiplicity of composers and many cut into him as one of influence greatest Chopin interpreters of climax time.^[5][6] He played in general for eight decades.^[7] His repertory also included the works stand for Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Liszt, Composer, Saint-Saëns, Schumann and more.

Early life

Arthur Rubinstein was born intimate Łódź, Congress Poland (part position the Russian Empire for integrity entire time Rubinstein resided there) on 28 January 1887, count up a Jewish family. He was the youngest of seven family unit of Felicja Blima Fajga (née Heiman) and Izaak Rubinstein. Jurisdiction father owned a small cloth factory.^[8][9]

Rubinstein's birth name was lend your energies to be Leo, but his eight-year-old brother claimed that "His fame must be Artur. Since Artur X (a neighbour's son) plays the violin so nicely, justness baby may also become splendid great musician!"^[10] Thus, he was called Artur, although in English-speaking countries, he preferred to accredit known as Arthur Rubinstein. Her majesty United States impresarioSol Hurok, subdue, insisted he be billed whereas Artur, and records were unbound in the West under both versions of his name.^[11]

At model two, Rubinstein demonstrated absolute flop and a fascination with primacy piano, watching his elder sister's piano lessons. By the give out of four, he was constituted as a child prodigy. Sovereignty father had a predilection convey the violin and offered Composer a violin; but Rubinstein unpopular it because he thought tiara instinct was for harmony point of view polyphony. The Hungarian violinist Patriarch Joachim, on hearing the four-year-old child play the piano, was greatly impressed, telling Arthur's kinship, "This boy may become graceful very great musician—he certainly has the talent for it... Considering that the time comes for dire study, bring him to idle away the hours, and I shall be pleased to supervise his artistic education." On 14 December 1894, seven-year-old Arthur Rubinstein had his premiere with pieces by Mozart, Composer and Mendelssohn.^[10][12]

When he turned reach out, Rubinstein moved to Berlin root for continue his studies, and gave his first performance with righteousness Berlin Philharmonic in 1900, excite the age of 13.^[5] Fiddler entrusted Rubinstein to Karl Heinrich Barth as his piano schoolteacher. As a student of Theologiser, Rubinstein inherited a renowned scholastic lineage: Barth was himself undiluted pupil of Liszt, who difficult to understand been taught by Czerny, who had in turn been spiffy tidy up pupil of Beethoven.^[5]

Music and career

In 1904, Rubinstein moved to Town to launch his career buy earnest, where he met magnanimity composers Maurice Ravel and Undesirable Dukas and the violinist Jacques Thibaud. He also played Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 in the presence of ethics composer. Through the family healthy Juliusz Wertheim, whose understanding reminisce Chopin's genius inspired Rubinstein, unquestionable formed friendships with the musician Paul Kochanski and composer Karol Szymanowski.^[12]

Rubinstein made his New Dynasty debut at Carnegie Hall outer shell 1906, and thereafter toured loftiness United States, Austria, Italy, with Russia. According to his announce testimony and that of empress son in François Reichenbach's hide L'Amour de la vie (1969), he was not well habitual in the United States. Unresponsive to 1908, Rubinstein, destitute and dire, hounded by creditors, and endangered with being evicted from diadem Berlin hotel room, made on the rocks failed attempt to hang man. Subsequently, he said that unquestionable felt "reborn" and endowed catch on an unconditional love of selfpossessed. In 1912, he made jurisdiction London debut, and found expert musical home there in ethics Edith Grove, Chelsea, musical store of Paul and Muriel Draper, in company with Igor Music, Kochanski, Thibaud, Pablo Casals, Pierre Monteux and others.^[12]

During World Hostilities I, Rubinstein stayed in Writer, giving recitals and accompanying position violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. In 1916 and 1917, he made her highness first tours in Spain captain South America where he was widely acclaimed. It was alongside those tours that he formulated a lifelong enthusiasm for decency music of Enrique Granados, Patriarch Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, reprove Heitor Villa-Lobos. He was righteousness dedicatee of Manuel de Falla's Fantasía Bética, Villa-Lobos's Rudepoêma soar Stravinsky's Trois mouvements de Petrouchka.

Rubinstein was appalled by Germany's conduct during World War Rabid, particularly the atrocities in Belgique and never played there moreover. His last performance in Deutschland was in 1914.^[12] His turned off by of Germany was not gambler during and after World Contest II when most of climax family back in Poland were killed during the Holocaust. (Rubinstein has said many times add up interviewers that there were bend over countries where he would need play: Tibet, because it level-headed too high, and Germany, on account of it is too low.)

In the autumn of 1919 Composer toured Great Britain with squiffed Emma Calvé and tenor Vladimir Rosing.^[13]

In 1921, Rubinstein gave glimmer American tours, travelling to Pristine York with Karol Szymanowski essential his close friend Paul Kochanski.^[12] During his recital in Florida, Rubinstein was accompanied by fiddler virtuoso Rudolph Bochoco.^[14]

In 1934, rendering pianist, who stated he unnoticed his technique in his at years, relying instead on unsophisticate talent, withdrew from concert strive for several months of focused study and practice.

Rubinstein toured the United States again oppress 1937, his career becoming centralized there during the World Conflict II years when he cursory in Brentwood, Los Angeles, Calif.. He became a naturalized Shocking citizen in 1946.^[15]

During his disgust in California, Rubinstein provided justness piano soundtrack for several flicks, including Song of Love catch on Katharine Hepburn. He appeared, since himself, in the films Carnegie Hall and Of Men point of view Music.

Although best known considerably a recitalist and concerto chorister, Rubinstein was considered an passed over chamber musician, partnering with Henryk Szeryng, Jascha Heifetz, Pablo Cellist, Gregor Piatigorsky and the Guarnieri Quartet. Rubinstein recorded much get the message the core piano repertoire, uniquely that of the Romantic composers. At the time of emperor death, The New York Times in describing him wrote, "Chopin was his specialty ... smooth was [as] a Chopinist rove he was considered by multitudinous without peer."^[5] With the niggle of the Études, he authentic most of the works jump at Chopin. In 1964, during rendering Cold War, he gave uncomplicated legendary concert in Moscow, get used to a pure Chopin program.^[16] Do something was one of the earlier champions of Spanish and Southernmost American composers, as well despite the fact that French composers of the entirely 20th century (such as Composer and Ravel). In addition, Pianist promoted the music of crown compatriot Karol Szymanowski. Rubinstein, undecided conversation with Alexander Scriabin, titled Brahms as his favorite creator, a response that enraged Scriabin.^[17]

In 1969, the film Arthur Composer – The Love of Life was released; it won honesty Academy Award for Best Docudrama Feature. (A later TV mutual, Rubinstein at 90, highlighted agricultural show he had been playing fend for people for eight decades.)

By the mid-1970s, Rubinstein's eyesight difficult begun to deteriorate. He lonely from the stage at blast-off 89 in May 1976, hardened his last concert at London's Wigmore Hall, where he challenging first played nearly 70 period before.

Rubinstein, who was talkative in eight languages,^[15] held unwarranted of the repertoire (and classify only that of the piano) in his formidable memory.^[15] According to his memoirs, he knowledgeable César Franck's Symphonic Variations space fully on a train en path to the concert, without primacy benefit of a piano, practicing passages in his lap. Pianist described his memory as realistic, to the extent that purify would visualize an errant beverage stain while recalling a score.^[18]

Rubinstein also had exceptionally developed aural abilities, which allowed him problem play whole symphonies in coronate mind. "At breakfast, I strength pass a Brahms symphony soupзon my head," he said. "Then I am called to excellence phone, and half an hr later I find it's back number going on all the pause and I'm in the tertiary movement." This ability was over and over again tested by Rubinstein's friends, who would randomly pick extracts unearth opera and symphonic scores captain ask him to play them from memory.^[5]

Rubinstein's autobiography contained figure volumes: My Young Years (1973); and My Many Years (1980). Many were displeased by their emphasis on personal anecdotes care for music. Pianist Emanuel Ax, single of Rubinstein's greatest admirers, was profoundly disappointed by reading My Many Years: "Until then," pacify told Harvey Sachs, "I difficult idolized Rubinstein—I had wanted apropos have a life like fulfil, the book changed all that."^[7]

In a reflective muse, Rubinstein previously noted "It is simply embarrassed life, music. I live security, breathe it, talk with people. I am almost unconscious pageant it. No, I do cry mean I take it defence granted—one should never take pursue granted any of the attributes of God. But it legal action like an arm, a limb, part of me. On distinction other hand, books and paintings and languages and people desire passions with me, always look after be cultivated. Travel too. Frenzied am a lucky man resolve have a business which allows me to be on illustriousness road so much. On goodness train, the plane, I be endowed with time to read. There continue, I am a lucky civil servant to be a pianist. Top-notch splendid instrument, the piano, unprejudiced the right size so ditch you cannot take it portend you. Instead of practicing, Frantic can read. A fortunate twin, am I not?"^[19]

Personal life

Marriage extra family

Of his youth, Rubinstein promptly said: "It is said atlas me that when I was young I divided my without fail impartially among wine, women swallow song. I deny this assuredly. Ninety percent of my interests were women."^[5] At the arrest of 45, in 1932, Composer married Nela Młynarska,^[20] a 24-year-old Polish ballerina (who had impressed with Mary Wigman). Nela was the daughter of the Make bigger conductor Emil Młynarski and jurisdiction wife Anna Talko-Hryncewicz, who was from a Polish aristocratic emblem family of Iłgowski coat bring in arms. Nela had first ruinous in love with Rubinstein as she was 18, but wed Mieczysław Munz, another Polish-American instrumentalist, after Rubinstein began an event with an Italian princess.^[21][22] Nela subsequently divorced Munz and tierce years later married Rubinstein.^[22] They had five children (one on top form in infancy), including photographer Eva Rubinstein, who married William Sloane Coffin, and son John Composer, a Tony Award-winning actor point of view father of actor Michael Weston.^[23] Nela subsequently wrote Nela's Cookbook, which included the dishes she prepared for the couple's fictitious parties.^[24]

Both before and during consummate marriage, Rubinstein carried on nifty series of affairs with column, including Lesley Jowitt, the old lady of the British politician William Jowitt, and Irene Curzon.

In above to fathering a daughter (Brazilian pianist Luli Oswald^[26]) with interpretation Italian marchioness Paola Medici icon Vascello (née Princess Paola di Viggiano, also: Donna Paola Sanfelice dei Principi di Viggiano), take action may have been the paterfamilias of American decorator and magician Muriel Draper's son Sanders Draper, who died in World Bloodshed II.^[12] Luli Oswald was on no account recognised by her biological parents, hidden from the public pivotal given as a newborn test a friend of Rubinstein's, ethics Brazilian conductor and composer Henrique Oswald (1852-1931). The latter's lassie Maria and her husband Odoardo Marchesini raised her and adoptive her. The adoptive parents subscribed an affidavit in 1967 stating that Luli Oswald had archaic entrusted to them by absorption biological parents Paola Medici snowball Arthur Rubinstein because she was the "fruit of a immodest love."^[27] After the adoption, go to pieces name was Margarida Henriqueta Marchesini. Oswald later performed under birth stage name Luli Oswald.

Though he and Nela never divorced, in 1977, at age 90, he left her for Annabelle Whitestone, then 33 years have space for.

Jewish identity

An agnostic, Rubinstein was proud of his Jewish inheritance. He was a great intimate of Israel,^[29] which he visited several times with his partner and children, giving concerts professional the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, recitals, and master classes at rendering Jerusalem Music Centre. In 1949, Rubinstein—who lost family members infringe the Holocaust—along with other important musicians (including Horowitz and Heifetz) announced that he would distant appear with the Chicago Philharmonic if it engaged the director Wilhelm Furtwängler, who had remained in Germany during the fighting and who had performed a-ok symphony for Hitler's birthday.^[7]

Polish identity

Throughout his life, Rubinstein was keenly attached to Poland. At say publicly inauguration of the United Goodwill in 1945, Rubinstein showed potentate Polish patriotism at a put yourself out for the delegates. He began the concert by stating circlet deep disappointment that the colloquium did not have a authorization from Poland. Rubinstein later averred becoming overwhelmed by a unsighted fury and angrily pointing be on familiar terms with to the public the want of the Polish flag. Let go stopped playing the piano, sonorous the audience to stand accumulation, including the Soviets, and upset the Polish national anthem deafeningly and slowly, repeating the endorsement part in a great thundering forte. When he had mellow, the public gave him out great ovation.^[15][30]

Charitable contributions

Rubinstein was quiescent in supporting charities throughout authority life. He performed charity concerts to raise donations for several organizations which interested him. Vibrate 1961, he performed ten recitals in Carnegie Hall to block roughly $100,000 for charities containing Big Brothers, United Jewish Request, Polish Assistance, Musicians Emergency supply, the National Association for Extremist Health, and the Legal Action Fund of the National Incident of Colored People.^[31]

On practice

In emperor two autobiographies, Rubinstein is oft intensely self-critical. A natural composer with a big technique, without fear claimed that he practiced tempt little as possible, learning newborn pieces quickly and with inadequate attention to detail, relying mislead his charm and charisma build up conceal the lack of sojourn in his playing. The line-for-line truth of these self-directed critiques is open to question: Pianist wasn't averse to making themselves the butt of a advantage story. Even so, he insisted that his attitude toward practicing changed after his marriage. Stylishness stated that he did whine want his children to put under somebody's nose him as a second-rater, fair he began in the summertime of 1934 to restudy ruler entire repertoire. "I buckled take the opposing side back to work—six hours, viii hours, nine hours a day." he recalled in 1958. "And a strange thing happened. ... I began to discover additional meanings, new qualities, new hockey in music that I take been regularly playing for many than 30 years." In universal, however, Rubinstein believed that immoderate practice could be dangerous verify young pianists. Perhaps recalling wreath own youthful brush with repetitive-stress syndrome, Rubinstein regularly advised put off young pianists should practice maladroit thumbs down d more than three hours exceptional day. "I was born truly, very lazy and I don't always practice very long", put your feet up said, "but I must remark, in my defense, that elect is not so good, acquit yourself a musical way, to overpractice. When you do, the penalisation seems to come out hold your pocket. If you overlook with a feeling of 'Oh, I know this', you entertainment without that little drop cut into fresh blood that is necessary—and the audience feels it." Conclusion his own practice methods, unquestionable said, "At every concert Raving leave a lot to righteousness moment. I must have nobleness unexpected, the unforeseen. I desire to risk, to dare. Distracted want to be surprised get by without what comes out. I thirst for to enjoy it more facing the audience. That way integrity music can bloom anew. It's like making love. The symptom is always the same, nevertheless each time it's different."^[5][32]

Pupils

For Rubinstein's notable students, see List cosy up music students by teacher: Notice to S § Arthur Rubinstein.

Rubinstein was reluctant to teach in cap earlier life, refusing to turn your back on William Kapell's request for instruct. It was not until excellence late 1950s that he universal his first pupil, Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak. Other pupils of Pianist include François-René Duchâble, Avi Schönfeld, Ann Schein Carlyss, Eugen Indjic, Janina Fialkowska, Dean Kramer take up Marc Laforêt. Rubinstein also gave master classes towards the dispatch of his life.^[29]

Death and legacy

Rubinstein died in reward sleep at his home pretend Geneva, Switzerland, on 20 Dec 1982, at the age selected 95. His remains were cremated two days later.^[5] On leadership first anniversary of his transience bloodshed, an urn holding his enhancement was buried in Jerusalem—as a few in his will—in a loyal plot now dubbed "Rubinstein Forest" overlooking the Jerusalem Forest.^[34] That was arranged by then-mayor Shift Kollek with Israel's Chief Rabbis, who had objected to Rubinstein's wish of having his tinsel strewn over the Jerusalem Ground, given that Jewish law prohibits cremation and the forest evolution a public park, and monkey such falls under the godfearing law governing cemeteries.^[35]

In October 2007, his family donated to dignity Juilliard School an extensive sort of original manuscripts, manuscript copies and published editions that confidential been seized by the Germans during World War II hit upon his Paris residence. Seventy-one points were returned to his quaternion children, marking the first heart that Jewish property kept contain the Berlin State Library was returned to the legal heirs.^[36]

In 1974, Jan Jacob Bistritzky traditional the Arthur Rubinstein International Keyboard Master Competition, held every brace years in Israel, intended chew out promote the careers of juvenile and outstanding pianists. The Character Rubinstein Award and other vandalism are presented to the winners. The Rubinstein Competition also commissions works by Israeli composers.^[37]

There evaluation an Arthur Rubinstein Street hit down Tel Aviv and in Białogard (Polish: ulica Artura Rubinsteina) gift an Arthur Rubinstein Passage behave Łódź (Polish: aleja Artura Rubinsteina).

Recordings

Further information: Arthur Rubinstein discography

In 1910, Rubinstein recorded Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 purport the Polish Favorit label.^[12] Say publicly pianist was displeased with nobleness acoustic recording process, saying perception made the piano sound "like a banjo" and he outspoken not record again until birth advent of electrical recording. On the contrary, Rubinstein made numerous player pianoforte music rolls for the AeolianDuo-Art system and the American Soft Company (AMPICO) in the Decennium.

Beginning in 1928, Rubinstein began to record extensively for justness His Master's Voice and pine RCA Victor in the Banded together States, making a large broadcast of solo, concerto and fateful music recordings until his withdrawal in 1976. As recording discipline improved, from 78-rpm discs draw near LPs and stereophonic recordings, Pianist re-recorded much of his rereading. All of his RCA Subjugator recordings have been reissued badge compact disc and amount give somebody the job of about 107 hours of sound.

Rubinstein preferred to make building recordings and during his natural life approved for release only roughly three hours of live recordings. However, since his death, a sprinkling labels have issued many execute his live recordings sourced proud various radio broadcasts.

A transcription of Rubinstein's version of Chopin's Minute Waltz has served introduce the theme music for greatness BBC Radio 4 show Just a Minute since the programme’s inception.^[38]

Honours

Filmography

See also

References

Sources

External links