Customer Reviews

Anton Rubinstein: Symphony No. 2

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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".

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.