 Anton Rubinstein connut Liszt, Chopin et Mendelssohn. Sa culture germanique se trouva en “contradiction” avec son aspiration à créer, au milieu du XIXe siècle, un style authentiquement russe. Il fut également un fantastique animateur de la vie culturelle de St Pétersbourg, créant notamment le Conservatoire où il eut comme élève Tchaikovski. Puis il se consacra à sa carrière de virtuose. En tant que compositeur, il ne laissa pas moins d’une quinzaine d’opéras, six symphonies, cinq concertos et près de deux cents partitions uniquement pour le piano ! Le duo de pianistes italiens présente la suite de pièces caractéristiques réunies sous le titre de Bal costumé. Vingt morceaux de genre publiés en 1880 qui empruntent leurs titres “fleuris” (Astrologue et bohémienne, Cosaque et Petite-Rusienne, Pacha et Almée, Sauvage et indienne…) à des univers et des pays divers. Un étonnant brassage de cultures et de lieux entre les 12e et 18e siècle, dans l’esprit d’un carnaval imaginaire et dans des imitations de styles allant de l’Espagne au Caucase. Vaste programme ! Le Duo Pianistico di Firenze joue sur un piano qui aurait mérité une préparation plus attentive. Cela étant, le résultat est assez distrayant, car il s’agit finalement de pièces de salon dont on a perdu le goût et même la connaissance depuis fort longtemps. À redécouvrir. (Jean Dandrésy) Conductor, virtuoso pianist, founder of the St Petersburg Conservatory and composer of solo works, symphonies and operas, Anton Rubinstein (1829–1894) is a key figure in Russian musical culture and achieved international celebrity during his lifetime. In the midst of a busy world touring schedule, he also found time to be composition teacher to Tchaikovsky. Often only selected pieces from Rubinstein’s piano four-hands repertoire are performed, but in a rare feat, Duo Pianistico di Firenze take on the full 20 movements of the epic suite Bal Costumé. Excluding the opening and closing movements, the Suite is a musical depiction of the fashionable masked balls frequented by the elite. The elaborate costumes, the dancing and, in particular, the interaction between two characters, one male and the other female are represented in the music. Each movement references different historical periods from the 12th to the 18th century and although largely romantic in style, the movements nod to their corresponding era with baroque inflections.Toréador et Andalouse, with its distinctly Spanish feel, is the most famous movement and is often performed as a stand-alone piece. The movement is fast-paced and concise, complimented by a memorable melody-line sprinkled with chromaticisms. Although Bal Costumé can work as a collection of individual pieces, the effect is most profound when appreciated as a whole, transporting the listener to Rubinstein’s musical plane. The Introduction sets the scene in a bold symphonic mood, then moves through folk-songs, Arabian dances and a military parade before reaching the climatic final movement: Danses. This extravagant finale begins as a Great Waltz becoming a jubilant Polka and then a whirling Galop. Coupled with the recording of Rubinstein’s sonatas and Characteristic Pieces that launched this series (Rubinstein: Music for Piano 4 Hands Volume 1 BC95016), this new release is unique in its dedication to the composer and his repertoire. Admired by Mendelssohn, Schonberg, Rachmaninov and Chopin, friends with Liszt and Saint-Saëns and adored by fans around the globe, Rubinstein has had a monumental impact on Russian musical traditions and education. The breadth and depth of his music deserves to be heard today.
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