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This release completes Han Chen’s survey of Anton Rubinstein’s four piano sonatas. A foundational figure of the Russian School of piano playing, Rubinstein's legacy as a composer and virtuoso pianist is often overlooked, despite once being described as the greatest since Liszt. Rubinstein always regretted that his status as an elite pianist eclipsed his reputation as a composer, with many considering his output too traditional for modernists and not pure enough for conservatives. His allegiance to the great Romantic tradition, however, inspired generations of later composers.
Anton RUBINSTEIN (1829–1894)
Piano Sonatas Nos. 3 and 4
Han Chen, PianoAnton Rubinstein stood at the heart of Russian musical life for nearly half a century and had a profound influence on generations of Russian musicians, including Tchaikovsky. His piano sonatas reveal a composer intent on uniting intellect and passion within a symphonic conception of the keyboard. With its heroic, noble themes, the Third Piano Sonata was Rubinstein’s own favourite of the set. The final Piano Sonata No. 4 represents the composer at the height of his creative command, pouring a lifetime of emotions into a single piece and distilling the paradoxical tensions between intellect and impulse, Germanic structure and Russian ardour. Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2, played by Han Chen, can be heard on 8.573989.
IV. Allegro vivace
GRAMMY Award-nominated pianist Han Chen is a fearless performer with seemingly limitless imagination and energy, playing scores old and new with rare rigour and insight. Gold medallist of the 2013 China International Piano Competition and a prizewinner at the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition, Han Chen is also a Steinway Artist. He has appeared as a soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra and Xiamen Philharmonic.
– American Record Guide
– ClassicsToday.com
– American Record Guide
– Piano News