I have had not just the pleasure, but the honor, of seeing both Rubenstien and Haitink in person. Rubenstein at his last concert in L.A. in 1975, when he was already 88, but with wrists like a bull. What makes Haitink such a great conductor in concertos (as if he isn't great otherwise) is that he knows his orchestra is just another instrument. He has always let the soloist outshine him.
The opening of the mighty D-minor concerto embodies the great turmoil and anguish Brahms endured as his friend and champion Robert Schumann descended into madness, attempting suicide, while his affection for Clara continued to grow, remaining platonic. Artur Rubinstein, "The Aristocrat of the Piano," was one of Brahms' greatest exponents; his recording of the D-minor cto with Leinsdorf and the BSO, and of the B-flat cto with Krips and the RCA Victor SO remain classics to this day.
To me Rubinstein is the best Brahms piano interpreter and indisputably so in this piano concerto. Even this performance in very advanced age is a masterpiece of interpretation!
R's was a pupil H Barth -friend of Joachim who was a supervisor of R's musical education. Joachim of course was friend and mentor to Brahms himself! So that this interpretation by R has a fair chance of having some authenticity re performance. R was a truly great interpreter of Brahms music. B sure to hear R play the Brahms 2nd -he made three recordings first in 1929 is very interesting however 2nd recording made in 1958 with Krips is special frogmanpiano
When you compare Rubenstein's approach to others here on RUclips...Ashkenazy, Kissin, and others...he is the only one who plays with calm, smooth reverance...there is nothing over-dramatic in his style. He lets the music speak for itself.
@windstorm1000 you simply MUST read his two autobiographies ("my young years","my many years"),They make for a very fascinating read.I really don't have enough words to describe how amazing those books are, you have to read them yourself.I promise you that there isn't a boring moment in them :)
U B right !!-see my other comments about R and his background in relation to his performances of Brahms and of course Chopin etc etc. Elsewhere someone has mentioned that they thought R was an underrated pianist ! ?? How can anyone who knows anything about recorded piano music not know of R's reputation and the esteem in which he is held even after his death in December 1982. Val R...frogmanpiano
I wish today's composer would write this kind of music. For example, I just finished my Piano Concerto No 2 in D Minor and it's in this vein, a "Romantic" concerto with plenty of romantic-style themes and drama. Of course I'm no Brahms but I did try to make the concerto beautiful and exciting to listen to. Others will have to decide if I succeeded but more of today's composers should make a greater effort to give the average listener what they want to hear--music like this.
Did anyone notice how beautiful the concert hall is? I go there at least ten times a year :-) (it's in Amsterdam, right behind the Rijksmuseum and near the Van Gogh Museum)
@nousernamewhatsoever Thank you for this very good advice. Since I've read it I have looked for this book and I am reading it now. It is very interesting and so entertaining, very well written with so much sense of humour. He is very intelligent and gives interesting historical insights. Thanks.
I read in a Brahms biography that the Leipzig audiences in that era didn't think much of most composers except for Bach and Mendelssohn. They were a very hard audience to impress.
this version is quite good - what is considered the best version on youtube. I haven't found anything on youtube to match Katchen's recorded version of the 2nd
Could you send me a vid of some of it? or something of that nature. Maybe a pdf copy of it, or some of it? I would love to hear a piece by a new composer. I like your insight! And I love the key of D minor!
@KeyGordy How fascinating. I heard he was quite the lady's man as well. One of the greats. And his son, John, is fine Broadway/Hollywood actor, of course.
Today, popular music is the only thing you hear because it is so easy to play and enjoy, and classical music with real composers is a very very small minority now.
Yes, I agree that this is the right tempo. Let's not forget that Rubinstein worked with joseph Joachim (spelling?); Brahms closest friend and great violinist, who certainly new how Brahms wanted this concerto to be played!
If current classical composers are happy writing what they write, then I couldn't agree more. Far as the audiences that listen to their work goes, I'm not so sure.
looks like wingdings? lol ok but I'm glad you like. it's a great piece...brahms actually didn't know how he wanted to write this piece, I know one of the options was a symphony which it basically is ,just with piano
" embodies the great turmoil and anguish Brahms endured as his friend and champion Robert Schumann descended into madness, attempting suicide, while his affection for Clara continued to grow..." No. You can't draw a facile connection between the strife in a genius's life and his art. Mozart's last years were wretched, yet he wrote the Clarinet Quintet and Concerto, not to mention the Magic Flute. Similar things could be said of Schubert.
le "sturm und drang" au commencement me semblait un metaphor musicale de mon existence jusque cette pointe-la dans ma vie. nous n'avions jamais la stabilite ma famille, tous les six: pere, qui avait l'habitude de chercher les femme au chagrin de son epouse, ma mere qui a maintenu, a guere, un peu de paix par une foi inebranable dans notre Beni Seigneur.
Sonoro fracaso en su estreno.El tiempo, lo recrea como un clasico.Su nivel de expresion y armonia lo hace ahora imprescindible.Atemporal y fuera del mundo.
6:24 It's a bit funny how the conductor is so in awe.I know it's Rubinstein and all and I probably would've curtsied or something,but all this graveness cracked me up a bit I must say (no disrespect to Rubinstein!!).
j'ecoutais cette piece quand j'avais dix-neuf ans, seul, dans l'apt de ma mere au milieu du mi-ouest: une petite village dans l'etat de ok ou j'allumais des bougies apres avoir d'eteindre toute lumiere, et de fermer les volets. je n'ai pas choisi la piece intentionellement, il n'y avait pas beaucoup d'autres, sauf un registrement ou deux par mozart, des discs pop, pas plus de trois, c'est ca.
je ne l'ai pas choisi, parce que c'etaient les discs de ma mere qui les a probablement obtenu par hasard, a un garage sale peut-etre. nous n'avions pas beaucoup d'argent, moi, ma petite souer ( encore a l'ecole), et ma mere qui etait la seule personne d'avoir un job. je ne voulais pas travailler. je ne voulais pas faire rien . je ne voulais qu'ecouter cette belle musique..
je me rapelle quand il m'a demande si j'avais experimente avec le mj. have you ever smoked pot? i said no, because i hadn't. even though i was 19 i hadn't. he asked again and again and again. this music was playing. maybe he thought any teen listening to this music, alone in an apt, with candles everywhere...well..
lol you can see that Rubinstein is radically out of synch with the music as well, which makes no sense. :P So yes, the video is out of synch. I think Haitink is doing quite fine!
a part d'eux, les enfants: R. la cadette qui allait avant de matriculer le college. L. qui quittait bien apres, en devenant enceinte. moi, qui a de temps a temps dit qui je ne voulais pas vivre au-dela de 35 ans. j'ai 45 maintenant (j'ai donne une date de naissance fausse dans ce profil). et ma petite souer H. qui etait chez nous. '
Well unfortunately, what the average listener wants to hear is Justin Bieber or Psy (lol :P), so I think classical composers are doing just fine as they are. At the same time, this music is as exciting as anything, and no less in quality.
@manaresi It is sentences to see Brahms' fortune in the fortune-telling of China. I'm sorry ..no English it... ･･･ In the composition of English, it is not good.
les parents, divorce six ans en avant. je suis venu de finir mon premier semestre a l'universite pendant l'ete apres la matriculation du college. je n'avais pas d'amis, sauf un papillon qui avait du poid, et ses amis corrompu des memes affinites. etais-je triste? pas vraiment. ennui, je crois. je considerais les marines. un homme est venu chez nous. il m'a demande beaucoup de questions
I have had not just the pleasure, but the honor, of seeing both Rubenstien and Haitink in person. Rubenstein at his last concert in L.A. in 1975, when he was already 88, but with wrists like a bull. What makes Haitink such a great conductor in concertos (as if he isn't great otherwise) is that he knows his orchestra is just another instrument. He has always let the soloist outshine him.
The opening of the mighty D-minor concerto embodies the great turmoil and anguish Brahms endured as his friend and champion Robert Schumann descended into madness, attempting suicide, while his affection for Clara continued to grow, remaining platonic.
Artur Rubinstein, "The Aristocrat of the Piano," was one of Brahms' greatest exponents; his recording of the D-minor cto with Leinsdorf and the BSO, and of the B-flat cto with Krips and the RCA Victor SO remain classics to this day.
To me Rubinstein is the best Brahms piano interpreter and indisputably so in this piano concerto. Even this performance in very advanced age is a masterpiece of interpretation!
R's was a pupil H Barth -friend of Joachim who was a supervisor of R's musical education. Joachim of course was friend and mentor to Brahms himself! So that this interpretation by R has a fair chance of having some authenticity re performance. R was a truly great interpreter of Brahms music. B sure to hear R play the Brahms 2nd -he made three recordings first in 1929 is very interesting however 2nd recording made in 1958 with Krips is special frogmanpiano
great recording and program notes, thanks!
Awesome playing! TY StravinskijO for posting.
When you compare Rubenstein's approach to others here on RUclips...Ashkenazy, Kissin, and others...he is the only one who plays with calm, smooth reverance...there is nothing over-dramatic in his style. He lets the music speak for itself.
Enormous performance of great feeling! TY.
@windstorm1000 you simply MUST read his two autobiographies ("my young years","my many years"),They make for a very fascinating read.I really don't have enough words to describe how amazing those books are, you have to read them yourself.I promise you that there isn't a boring moment in them :)
U B right !!-see my other comments about R and his background in relation to his performances of Brahms and of course Chopin etc etc. Elsewhere someone has mentioned that they thought R was an underrated pianist ! ?? How can anyone who knows anything about recorded piano music not know of R's reputation and the esteem in which he is held even after his death in December 1982. Val R...frogmanpiano
I wish today's composer would write this kind of music. For example, I just finished my Piano Concerto No 2 in D Minor and it's in this vein, a "Romantic" concerto with plenty of romantic-style themes and drama. Of course I'm no Brahms but I did try to make the concerto beautiful and exciting to listen to. Others will have to decide if I succeeded but more of today's composers should make a greater effort to give the average listener what they want to hear--music like this.
One of the greatest pieces of music EVER!
Le meileur musicien avec charm et pianofortisimmo !
I dunno why, but just the small passage from 3:56-4:01 gives me goosebumps. everytime. so beautiful...
rubenstein held his upper body very still when he plays....let the fingers do the talking!! awesome...
Up to today Rubinstein still owns this piece
Awesome.Up there with the glorious Serkin version.
incredible beautiful music!
el puro power!
Оба фортепианных концерта Брамса мне очень нравятся!
Did anyone notice how beautiful the concert hall is? I go there at least ten times a year :-) (it's in Amsterdam, right behind the Rijksmuseum and near the Van Gogh Museum)
magnifico concierto, pero mas que un gran concierto, es una gran sinfonia para piano y orquesta, bravo por el maestro rubintein
Glorious! In the same league as Serkin/Szell! Bravo! TY.
I am 15 and have been playing for two years and I practice all the time as well. I feel the same way. But most people don't think like us my friend!
Unless something weird on my pc, it's.. CUT at the end. Thanks tho' always appreciate people's effort putting this stuff up.
@nousernamewhatsoever
Thank you for this very good advice. Since I've read it I have looked for this book and I am reading it now. It is very interesting and so entertaining, very well written with so much sense of humour. He is very intelligent and gives interesting historical insights. Thanks.
Dramatic opening win.
I read in a Brahms biography that the Leipzig audiences in that era didn't think much of most composers except for Bach and Mendelssohn. They were a very hard audience to impress.
nice shots!
Did anyone catch the Virginia Symphony's performance of this this past Saturday Night at Chrysler Hall?
The piano that starts at 3:40 is just.... I become speechless...
It is one of the most successful performances ever heard
Every piece written in D minor always move me. At 5:20 it's really heart tearing
this version is quite good - what is considered the best version on youtube.
I haven't found anything on youtube to match Katchen's recorded version of the 2nd
We're playing this in my orchestra right now!!
Could you send me a vid of some of it? or something of that nature. Maybe a pdf copy of it, or some of it? I would love to hear a piece by a new composer. I like your insight! And I love the key of D minor!
@KeyGordy How fascinating. I heard he was quite the lady's man as well. One of the greats. And his son, John, is fine Broadway/Hollywood actor, of course.
Quand Apollon nous procure l'extase dionysiaque ! Génial !
BEAUTIFUL PLACE.
Thanks so much..
is the VDO out of sync in the original files?
@mkl62
Actually yes, and I thought they did fairly well with the piece *is trying not to be biased with a friend in the orchestra*
Legendary
Today, popular music is the only thing you hear because it is so easy to play and enjoy, and classical music with real composers is a very very small minority now.
@KeyGordy what did he mean by saying that and in what context was it said?
Yes, I agree that this is the right tempo. Let's not forget that Rubinstein worked with joseph Joachim (spelling?); Brahms closest friend and great violinist, who certainly new how Brahms wanted this concerto to be played!
Can anyone tell me the chord progression from 6:23 - 6:50? I would die happy being able to play this.
I wonder if someone is going to make a tutorial for this Concerto.
Man,I like this music!!!!!!!!!!
If current classical composers are happy writing what they write, then I couldn't agree more. Far as the audiences that listen to their work goes, I'm not so sure.
I agree. The foldover that's flapping about is a HUGE distraction.
looks like wingdings? lol ok but I'm glad you like. it's a great piece...brahms actually didn't know how he wanted to write this piece, I know one of the options was a symphony which it basically is ,just with piano
@frogmanpiano thank you
GENIAL!
Listen to the first minute - the timpani player must have arms of steel xD
i really can't imagine how Brahms worked out such a wonderful piece at a young Age
Awesome
That is one serious intro. I always forget it's a piano concerto a while before the soloist plays a single note.
freire and the gewandhouser orchester's performance is the best. by far!
My question was wrong. How old was he as he recorded this?
" embodies the great turmoil and anguish Brahms endured as his friend and champion Robert Schumann descended into madness, attempting suicide, while his affection for Clara continued to grow..." No. You can't draw a facile connection between the strife in a genius's life and his art. Mozart's last years were wretched, yet he wrote the Clarinet Quintet and Concerto, not to mention the Magic Flute. Similar things could be said of Schubert.
Impresionante, Brahms...
le "sturm und drang" au commencement me semblait un metaphor musicale de mon existence jusque cette pointe-la dans ma vie. nous n'avions jamais la stabilite ma famille, tous les six: pere, qui avait l'habitude de chercher les femme au chagrin de son epouse, ma mere qui a maintenu, a guere, un peu de paix par une foi inebranable dans notre Beni Seigneur.
legendary.
fantastic music world,, infinite space sounds in the earth
Sonoro fracaso en su estreno.El tiempo, lo recrea como un clasico.Su nivel de expresion y armonia lo hace ahora imprescindible.Atemporal y fuera del mundo.
how old is rubinstein?
grandissimo
@tophatandtails Clearly you've never heard Claudio Arrau performing this work .
Haitink is so young!!
6:24 It's a bit funny how the conductor is so in awe.I know it's Rubinstein and all and I probably would've curtsied or something,but all this graveness cracked me up a bit I must say (no disrespect to Rubinstein!!).
@OrangeSodaKing
The first one is subversif only! And beautiful!!!!
from a music festival?
j'ecoutais cette piece quand j'avais dix-neuf ans, seul, dans l'apt de ma mere au milieu du mi-ouest: une petite village dans l'etat de ok ou j'allumais des bougies apres avoir d'eteindre toute lumiere, et de fermer les volets. je n'ai pas choisi la piece intentionellement, il n'y avait pas beaucoup d'autres, sauf un registrement ou deux par mozart, des discs pop, pas plus de trois, c'est ca.
sehr scheonnnnnnnnnnnn.
die Stimme ist ansolut !
je ne l'ai pas choisi, parce que c'etaient les discs de ma mere qui les a probablement obtenu par hasard, a un garage sale peut-etre. nous n'avions pas beaucoup d'argent, moi, ma petite souer ( encore a l'ecole), et ma mere qui etait la seule personne d'avoir un job. je ne voulais pas travailler. je ne voulais pas faire rien . je ne voulais qu'ecouter cette belle musique..
There's no doubt it's the right tempo!
Gustavo Dudamel?!!?
le vreiment musique !
Oh, no it's ok for the classical concerto. Chopin's 1st has a very long orchestral prelude.
Terrific! Might I recommend this 1967 recording by then-26 year old Bruno Leonard Gelber:
view_play_list?p=6E9BE85804C530A1
je me rapelle quand il m'a demande si j'avais experimente avec le mj. have you ever smoked pot? i said no, because i hadn't. even though i was 19 i hadn't. he asked again and again and again. this music was playing. maybe he thought any teen listening to this music, alone in an apt, with candles everywhere...well..
@abubakr19 Yah, F major for me....
pretty place
here is pianism at its best
It's kind of sad that people don't realise that you're making a joke from the description.
lol you can see that Rubinstein is radically out of synch with the music as well, which makes no sense. :P So yes, the video is out of synch. I think Haitink is doing quite fine!
It's makes me think of some old cartoons
Yup. And don't forget the Chopin.
what?
a part d'eux, les enfants: R. la cadette qui allait avant de matriculer le college. L. qui quittait bien apres, en devenant enceinte. moi, qui a de temps a temps dit qui je ne voulais pas vivre au-dela de 35 ans. j'ai 45 maintenant (j'ai donne une date de naissance fausse dans ce profil). et ma petite souer H. qui etait chez nous.
'
I honestly think that Rubinstein is the Beethoven or Chopin or for me. The style of this is too "pensive".
Well unfortunately, what the average listener wants to hear is Justin Bieber or Psy (lol :P), so I think classical composers are doing just fine as they are.
At the same time, this music is as exciting as anything, and no less in quality.
ccc Haitink reyiz ccc
@jlaurson It was indeed a joke.
haha the conductor is shaking so much the rest of his hair might come out....
hehe.....
Haha, yes. It's a kind of "sturm und drang" work.
@manaresi It is sentences to see Brahms' fortune in the fortune-telling of China. I'm sorry ..no English it... ･･･ In the composition of English, it is not good.
I don't understand why people like this conductor actually bother do to their hair before a performance...it completely escapes me!
aww... terrible audio, good music =((((
les parents, divorce six ans en avant. je suis venu de finir mon premier semestre a l'universite pendant l'ete apres la matriculation du college. je n'avais pas d'amis, sauf un papillon qui avait du poid, et ses amis corrompu des memes affinites. etais-je triste? pas vraiment. ennui, je crois. je considerais les marines. un homme est venu chez nous. il m'a demande beaucoup de questions