Anton Rubinstein: Symphony No. 2

Anton Rubinstein (Composer), Stephen Gunzenhauser (Conductor), Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Stephen Gunzenhauser
• Composer: Anton Rubinstein
• Audio CD (October 16, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00005NUOQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,171 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars oceanographer's dream, November 20, 2004

By 

Mike Salkin (Forestville, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anton Rubinstein: Symphony No. 2 (Audio CD)

The strings play the winds. The brass plays the storms. The woodwinds play the squalls. The percussion plays the low and high pressure areas. Why this is the stuff for a climatologist! This lengthy tone poem masquerading as a symphony is nicely orchestrated by Rubinstein and well played by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra.

Yes, some would derogatively say "C'est Rubinstein", but his music here is pleasant and "an evocative picture of the sea".

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's not "La Mer", January 22, 2006

By 

David Arenson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anton Rubinstein: Symphony No. 2 (Audio CD)

But few things are. This is a pleasant, Mendelssonian work by a second-rank Romantic composer who had a gift for melody. One can see how 19th century audiences might have been taken with Rubinstein's evocation of the sea, which is most pronounced in the first and second movements. Some movements, though, seem decidedly un-oceanlike, though they still entertain.

This is not a taut, thrilling ride across the seven seas; it's more like a pleasant afternoon rowing around the marina. Rubinstein does not demand enormous concentration from his listeners. Still, it is enjoyable on its own terms and can be easily recommended to fans of Romantic curiosities.

As to the performance, there is nothing to compare it to, though it seems decent enough. The work is deserving of more interpretations, given its 70-odd minutes of possibilities.