Anton Rubinstein: Solo Piano Music Collection – Classical Piano Sheet Music for Performances, Practice & Study | Perfect for Pianists, Students & Music Lovers

Anton Rubinstein is a minor master who has managed to keep a toehold in the repertoire (certainly not only for his once-famous Melodie in F - included on this disc). His works often relies on simple, appealing melodies, often rather memorable, and while ones first reaction is often that the music is on the brink of banality, it somehow always manages to stay on the right side. There are few masterworks in his oeuvre (the powerful opera "The Demon" being an exception), but much that is very worthwhile, this double disc set from Leslie Howard and Hyperion bringing some examples of that (and some examples of the not-so-worthwhile) - even if there are few hidden gems here, the music is consistently well-crafted and interesting enough to hold your attention. Indeed, even more important than this set is the companion set with the sonatas, so if you do not know them I urge you to go there first.The centerpieces are of course the two large-scale works. The huge Fantaisie in e minor is the most original work on the disc formally if not thematically, and probably the most memorable. It's metamorphosis-like structure is surely imaginative and well-handled by the composer, and never does it really outstay its welcome. The Theme and Variations is another ambitious work of no mean technical challenges, but it seems somewhat too ambitious for its material, and the impact it is apparently supposed to build up is lacking. Still, it is a piece that deserves to be heard.The smaller works are for the most part pleasant, charming and enjoyable, with the Morceaux op 30 and the barcarolles being perhaps the best of them. These are conservatively romantic and immediately appealing pieces, far from profound, but charming in a somewhat salon-like Chopin-reminiscent manner (but without the depth and invention of Chopin's music).Howard, known for his survey of Liszt's complete piano music, is surely up to the technical hurdles presented to him in the Fantasia and the Theme and Variations, but his approach is for all that maybe a little grey and lacking a little in nuanced shadings. The shorter pieces seem a little cold and lacklustre as well. Still, this is a worthwhile release, which you may consider acquiring after the sonatas (and if you are unfamiliar with Rubinstein's music, after the opera "The Demon" and the fourth piano concerto and second symphony as well).