Arthur Rubinstein Plays Chopin and Rachmaninov (1950)

09/05/1950

Overview

In the intimate setting of his home, one of the most celebrated pianists of the 20th century performs an all-Chopin program, with the Mazurka in C Sharp Minor, Op. 30, No. 4; Scherzo in C Sharp Minor, Op. 39; Nocturne in F Sharp Major, Op. 15, No. 2; and Polonaise in A Flat Major ("Grand Polonaise"), Op. 53. Augmenting this 1950 film are two 1956 Producer's Showcase "Festival of Music" performances: a reprise of the A-Flat Polonaise and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. "Admirers of the legendary Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982) will covet this ... black-and-white salon recital done in Hollywood style, with unidentified guests - including the pianist's wife Eva - caught in medias res, with Rubinstein's playing the last fifteen bars of the Prelude in F# Minor, uncredited. Rubinstein then asks permission to play a mazurka, the piece most representative of Chopin's national character....