Anton Rubinstein - Piano Music (Sergio Gallo)

Information

Composer: Anton Rubinstein

• 3 Morceaux, Op. 16
• 3 Caprices, Op. 21
• 2 Morceaux, Op. 28
• 6 Morceaux, Op. 51

Sergio Gallo, piano

Date: 2022

Label: Naxos

https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.574300

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Review

Anton Rubinstein was judged one of the greatest pianists of his age. And he was no slouch as a composer, either. He had well over 100 published compositions, including operas, symphonies, and piano concertos. But his style was cosmopolitan. And Russian nationalist composers were the taste-makers (in Russia). 

The historical narrative made the Mighty Five have heroes moving Russian music forward. And Rubinstein became a pianist who wrote derivative and therefore justly forgotten music.

But Rubinstein’s actual compositions tell another story. As a pianist, he had phenomenal technique. And because he traveled widely as a soloist and a conductor he was exposed to a wide variety of music and cultures. His music reflects those influences and is more in line with Western European music.

But at the same time, it’s also highly individualistic. Rubinstein knew how to construct and manipulate melodies. He used harmonies to create the frameworks for his ideas. And especially with his piano music, he used his talent to write music that very few others could.

This release presents two collections from his vast catalog of keyboard music. The Three Caprices, Op. 21 was completed in 1855. Rubinstein was in the midst of a four-year concert tour, one that would be a complete triumph.

The caprices aren’t the most difficult pieces ever written. But they require talent to pull them off. Rubinstein wanted his students to think about what they were playing. To go beyond the notes. 

Pianist Sergio Gallo does just that. His phrasing masterfully shapes the music to reveal the depths of the compositions. He makes connections between motives, highlighting the cohesiveness of Rubinstein’s compositions.

The Six Pieces, Op. 51 were published two years later. These are more advanced works. While the style is different, the thickness of the textures reminds me of Franz Liszt. 

But these aren’t showpieces. Gallo keeps the focus on what’s important — the melody. Some of the passages are pretty impressive. But in the end, it’s the melodies that kept me engaged with these pieces.

-- WTJU

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Anton Rubinstein (November 28 [O.S.November 16] 1829 – November 20 [O.S. November 8] 1894) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein who founded the Moscow Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ranks amongst the great 19th-century keyboard virtuosos. He was also a prolific composer throughout much of his life. Rubinstein wrote 20 operas and a large number of other works, including five piano concertos and six symphonies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Rubinstein

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Brazillian-born pianist Sergio Gallo is the winner of concerto competitions of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and of the University Symphony in Santa Barbara. A Steinway Artist,he specialises in the repertoire of the Romantic period. He has also championed the work of composers from Brazil, the nation of his birth. Gallo has recorded several acclaimed albums for the Eroica, Naxos, Grand Piano and Quartz labels. He has performed with orchestras worldwide, and his work has been regularly played on international classical music radio outlets. Gallo resides in the US and teaches at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

https://www.naxos.com/Bio/Person/Sergio_Gallo/239123

https://www.drsergiogallo.com/

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