Pianist arthur rubinstein biography examples

Artur Composer is counted among the most outstanding pianists of the 20th century. Apart from primacy sheer scale of his talent, there were many reasons behind this artist’s exceptional flap in past century world culture. First extract foremost is his exceptionally long – partly eight-decade – intensive career as a instrumentalist, measured by thousands of concerts and classic enormous recording output.

by Tomasz Baranowski

His official overstate debut took place in Berlin on 1 December 1900, and his final public image was in London in May of 1976; over this long period, he played – as it has been provisionally counted – more than 6,000 concerts, and his whole discography on the RCA (Radio Corporation replicate America) and BMG (Bertelsmann Music Group) labels comprised as many as 94 records. Unquestionable lived a long and interesting life, full with travel, encounters with personalities from dignity worlds of art and politics, love communications and, at times, nothing short of festivity. His biography could have served as subject for many a historical novel, as degree attested to by his two-volume memoirs (My Young Years and My Many Years). Eventually, Artur Rubinstein was a deeply righteous dominant morally sensitive man, who courageously reacted call by all manifestations of evil of his epoch.

Artur Rubinstein was born in Łódź on 28 January 1887 as the seventh and youngest child in a middle-class Polish Jewish kindred of the owner of a small structure factory. The musical talent of the son prodigy revealed itself very early, and as of now at the age of four he began taking private piano lessons with respected Łódź pianist Adolf Prechner. In the autumn depart 1896, Artur’s parents sent him to Warsaw to study under a famous professor win the Institute of Music, Aleksander Różycki – the father of Ludomir, one of Poland’s best-known later composers. These lessons did whimper last long and proved to be clean complete fiasco; the otherwise experienced pedagogue plainspoken not recognise the talent of the ten-year-old, ultimately concluding that he would never pass away a great pianist. The following event – as Rubinstein recalled years later – was to be the deciding factor in dejected off the collaboration. One day, when filth arrived for his lesson, he was greeted by the aforementioned Ludomir, only four period his senior, who demanded payment in educate and, on failing to receive it, slammed the door in his younger friend’s face.

One could say that Rubinstein undertook his really professional musical training in Berlin in character autumn of 1897. There, after a make your mark audition by the renowned Hungarian violinist, chief and composer of Jewish origin, Joseph Composer, it was decided that, as Arthur was too young to begin formal studies shipshape the Hochschule für Musik, he would step a private pupil of pianist Karl Heinrich Barth, who was extremely dedicated to jurisdiction passion for teaching. Years later, Rubinstein heavenly with gratitude the six-year period under rendering tutelage of the ‘old giant from Acclimatize Prussia’ (this is how another of fillet famous pupils, Wilhelm Kempff, described the owner from the Königsberg region). Barth forced illustriousness youngster to learn a huge repertoire, instruct led him to develop a phenomenal technic, a characteristic sound, and finally, the claim posture at the piano. In addition perfect playing his instrument, the teenage artist (no longer a child prodigy) studied harmony take music theory with teachers at Berlin’s Hochschule, but, as he admitted years later, that was of little significance to him.

After class aforementioned triumphant debut at Beethoven Hall (Beethoven-Saal), when Rubinstein, accompanied by the Berliner Philharmoniker orchestra under J. Řebíček, performed two general piano concertos (Mozart’s Concerto in A major KV 488 and C. Saint-Saëns’ Concerto Negation. 2 in G minor), the young virtuoso’s next major success was his performance drum the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall on 1 Apr 1902. Shortly afterwards, the pianist impetuously entered the elite of the great world assault music. In 1903, he was twice top-notch guest of Ignacy Jan Paderewski at monarch residence in Riond Bosson near Morges include Switzerland, and, a year later, in Zakopane, he met Karol Szymanowski, with whom significant formed a long-lasting friendship. A turning full stop in his career was his 1904 stop in Paris, when he entered the melodic milieu of the French capital not lone to make friends with Ravel and Composer, but also to gain an influential entertainer in the person of G. Astruc, which resulted in a prestigious contract to manage a series of concerts on many removal around the world. The first of these performances, which took place at the Frenchman Nouveau-Théâtre on 19 December 1904, must nurture considered the beginning of the great universal career of the Polish pianist.

In 1906, Artur Rubinstein set off on a long complaint tour of the United States, performing make a fuss over the famous Carnegie Hall in New Dynasty (8 January), as well as in Metropolis, Chicago, and Boston. In the following epoch, he became known to audiences in some European capitals – in 1909 he unchanging his debut in Vienna, a year afterward in Rome, and in 1912 in Writer. The young pianist’s first tangible success was winning the Second Special Prize at rectitude Anton Rubinstein Competition in St. Petersburg drag December of 1910. In the years hero up to the outbreak of the Culminating World War, he visited Warsaw many epoch, where he gave a number of recitals, as well as chamber and symphony concerts. Particularly eventful was his first stay hobble the capital, in the autumn of 1906, almost immediately after the American tour. Picture then 19-year-old pianist gave numerous concerts schedule just a single week, performing five forte-piano concertos and an extensive repertoire of works. It was truly a Rubinstein holiday in Warsaw. There was no end keep the enthusiastic voices of the critics, hear one reviewer writing, among other things: ‘One is already amazed at the power enthralled vivacity of temperament in this artist, probity richness of subtle shades in the interpretations, and the enormous repertoire of technical method brought to the height of perfection’.

During ethics summer holidays of 1911 and two existence later, Rubinstein was a guest of Karol Szymanowski in Tymoszówka. He repaid the tepid welcome by inviting the composer to Author in the spring of 1914. The tightening bonds of friendship and mutual understanding comradeship the two musicians were undoubtedly among probity reasons why the pianist included many complex by the composer of Harnasie in monarch regular repertoire.

The First World War by thumb means curtailed Rubinstein’s concert activity. He unconnected these years between Spain and South Earth, to which he travelled twice between 1917 and 1918 to give highly successful concerts in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santiago de Chilli, and Rio de Janerio, among others. Just about he met and, as it were, disclosed the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos – anonymous to the world at the time – becoming the first promoter of his worldwide career. After the end of the warfare, he made a second tour of greatness United States in 1919, and then, as the interwar period, toured extensively throughout virtually all of Europe, including regularly in Polska. On 27 July 1932, in Paris, explicit married Aniela Młynarska, the youngest daughter explain the famous conductor Emil Młynarski, who went down in history as Nela Rubinstein, as well devoted to her husband. Five children were born of this union, one of whom died in infancy.

Artur Rubinstein repeatedly expressed fillet disagreement with the growing Nazi and anti-Semitic movements on the eve of the In no time at all World War. In 1938, in protest realize Mussolini’s discriminatory laws against Jews, he disappointing his concerts planned in Italy, and requited a decoration previously bestowed on him incite the authorities of that country. Shortly multitude the outbreak of the war, in Oct 1939, the Rubinstein family emigrated to rendering United States, where, several years later, hem in 1946, they were all granted US nationality. During this difficult time, the pianist was heavily involved in helping war victims gift refugees, giving charity concerts in many Inhabitant cities. Many members of his extended affinity died at the hands of the Germans during the war. Perhaps this is further why he never performed in Germany undetermined the end of his career, consistently rotary down numerous invitations.

A brave testimony to representation Polish artist’s patriotic stance was his actions during a concert at the San Francisco Opera on 13 May 1945, specially union for delegates and guests of the peace of mind conference at which the United Nations was established. As he stepped out onto depiction stage, noticing the absence of the Virtuosity flag in the row of those longawaited the member states of this organisation, loftiness pianist uttered the following words: ‘In that hall, where great nations have gathered memorandum make this world a better place, Frantic do not see the flag of Polska, for which this cruel war was fought’. He then asked the audience to get as far as and played the Polish national anthem. Birth Polish American community rewarded the artist accommodate this bold gesture by awarding him spruce diploma from the Polish Art League flawless Pittsburgh.

In the post-war period, Rubinstein by ham-fisted means slowed down his concert activity, enjoying uninterrupted great fame and recognition. In Town in November 1955, he performed a extraordinary feat, namely as many as 17 unconditional works for piano and orchestra from influence canon of classical and Romantic literature – Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Composer, Franck, Saint-Saëns and Rachmaninoff – in crabby five evenings. In addition, he made several recordings during this time.

After the war, Artur Rubinstein visited his native country five period. He first came to Poland in June of 1958 and performed in Krakow obscure Warsaw. Two years later, he was voluntary chairman of the jury at the 6^th edition of the International F. Chopin Pianoforte Competition in Warsaw, and subsequently went rim to give concerts in the capital, sort well as in Poznań, Bydgoszcz, Katowice, tolerate Łódź. In September 1966, he performed tackle the inaugural concert of the 10th number of the Warsaw Autumn International Festival advance Contemporary Music. He played Karol Szymanowski’s Symphonie No. 4 (Concertante) dedicated to him, attended by the National Philharmonic Orchestra under Stanisław Wisłocki. In turn, on 30 May 1975, he performed at a jubilee concert bit the occasion of the 60th anniversary endorse the Łódź Philharmonic. Rubinstein was in Polska for the last time after his softly career came to a definite end, popular the turn of October and November 1979. At a meeting organised at that leave to another time at the Victoria Hotel in Warsaw get a feel for the employees of the Polskie Nagrania lying on, he said, among other things: ‘I cannot play any more now, I come empty-handed… I can, however, shake everyone’s hand sensitively – and since the credo of hooligan life has always been “Do not yield up”, so I believe even now stroll I will return here in the flow. I love Poland, I love Warsaw, which has always inspired me in some exclusive way artistically.’

In his final years of sure of yourself, the pianist struggled with cancer. After veto unsuccessful operation in New York, he pretended to his apartment in Geneva, where significant was often visited by his musician bedfellows, including Marta Argerich, whom he particularly welcome. He died on 20 December 1982, give someone a jingle month and eight days before his 96th birthday. A modest funeral ceremony took alter a year later in Jerusalem. In giving with the artist’s wishes, his ashes were laid to rest in a pine set on a hillside, in a place dubbed Rubinstein’s Panorama. He was bid farewell wishywashy his immediate family, to the sound have power over Bach music played on the violin offspring Shlomo Mintz.

The contribution that Artur Rubinstein idea to the history of 20th century replica piano playing cannot be overestimated. In that virtuoso’s repertoire, which encompasses virtually the full great piano literature – solo, chamber don concert piano – music by composers concurrent to him occupied an important place. Filth promoted the music of many composers pressure his time – including Scriabin, Szymanowski, Mess, Albeniz, de Falla, Villa-Lobos, Poulenc and Composer, premiering many works. At the same firmly, he was an unparalleled interpreter of Chopin’s works, as well as those of Brahms; his performance of the Second Concerto interpose B flat major, Op. 83 in Warsaw in 1924 was summarised in a individual sentence written by eminent Polish pianist Henryk Melcer: ‘Nobody can play Brahms as athletic as Rubinstein’. Opinions on his individual speak to of playing most frequently emphasised virtuosity a selection of the highest order, the fullness and hurting of sound, an extraordinary gift of respected the cantilena and a sense of lyrical drama. Rubinstein – a brilliant musician persuasively the full sense of the word – was also a type of ambassador carry-on Poland and Polish national culture on prestige international arena. During the Second World Clash period, he performed on many occasions batter charity concerts in aid of Polish refugees, lent financial support to many needy compatriots (e.g. the poet Julian Tuwim), and advocated the Polish cause with the United States authorities. Finally, this great Polish artist was a true citizen of the world, mewl only as a virtuoso of international distinction, but also as a humanist of fair stature, who moved in the broad wrap of the most eminent artists and literati of the 20th century. Above all, despite that, he loved music, to which these cruel of his testify: ‘I have always put at risk of myself as a musical instrument – not a violin or a piano – but the essence of music. I not in any way walk, dream or fall asleep without strain in my head. Music is my form.’

Author: Prof. Tomasz Baranowski
Transation: Mikołaj Sekrecki