Anton Rubinstein

Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein (?????? ???????????? ???????????) (November 28, 1829 – November 20, 1894) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist, he was regarded as a rival to Franz Liszt and has been described by historians as one of the greatest virtuosos in history.

Composition

Rubinstein was a prolific composer, writing no less than twenty operas (notably Demon, written after one of Lermontov's Romantic poems), five piano concertos, six symphonies and a large number of solo piano works along with a substantial output of works for chamber ensemble, two concertos for cello and one for violin, free-standing orchestral works and tone poems (including one entitled Don Quixote).

Related Topics:
Opera - Demon - Lermontov - Piano concerto - Symphonies - Cello - Violin - Tone poem

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Rubinstein was quite a widely performed composer in his lifetime, but following his death, his works were largely ignored. Some have suggested that this was due to the anti-semitism prevalent at that time in Germany, the musical hub of Europe. However, Rubinstein did not practice any religion at all (except for pantheism late in his life), and so anti-semitism could not apply (at least in any type of "religious" sense). It has also been suggested that he suffered because he did not belong to any particular music "camp": his music demonstrates none of the nationalism of The Five, and in fact he spoke out against Russian nationalism, leading to arguments with Mily Balakirev. He was also not much influenced by Richard Wagner, whose work was held in very high regard at the end of the 19th century. His music is more often compared to Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann, who were both seen as somewhat old-fashioned at the time of Rubinstein's death.

Related Topics:
Anti-semitism - The Five - Mily Balakirev - Richard Wagner - 19th century - Frederic Chopin - Robert Schumann

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Towards the end of the 20th century, his work has been performed a little more often, and has often met with positive criticism. Rubinstein's pieces remain somewhat obscure for the time being, however. Amongst his slightly better known works as the opera The Demon, his Piano Concerto No. 4, and his Symphony No. 2, known as The Ocean.

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