The Archive - Arthur Rubinstein

The Archive - Arthur Rubinstein

He was nicknamed “King Arthur”, for Arthur Rubinstein was undoubtedly the king of the 20th century pianists. Best known as an interpreter of the romantic composers, especially Chopin, Rubinstein did not neglect any music genre. In this episode of ‘The Archive’ we see the most modern of the Romantics, through two excerpts of a concert recorded in 1967 in London’s Royal Festival Hall. Here is an opportunity for music lovers to discover (or rediscover) Rubinstein’s performances of works by Beethoven ('Fourth Piano Concerto') and Frederic Chopin ('Polonaise No. 6 “Heroic”'). The Hungarian conductor Antal Dorati conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Aged 80, Arthur Rubinstein gives ample proof of his phenomenal talent and youthfulness, his retirement still a decade away. As a bonus, this episode includes rare footage from a silent short movie, made as piano instruction film: Rubinstein’s hand movements, captured on film in slow motion.