Many of the twentieth century's foremost pianists have been reared according to the Russian tradition. Horowitz, Rachmaninoff, Gilels, and Ashkenazy among others were all trained at top schools in their native Russia. The foundation of the Russian piano tradition was laid in the 1860s by brothers Anton and Nikolai Rubenstein. The Rubinsteins' philosophy and techniques have been handed down from generation to generation for 125 years. Today, émigré teachers have brought the Russian tradition to many nations, where it has been altered and enriched by diverse musical tastes and cultures.
Sibling Conservatories
In 1859, Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894) founded the Russian Music Society, which played a paramount role in the development of musical culture in Russia. The Russian Music Society, guided by Rubinstein, organized numerous concerts that featured renowned musicians; it also helped open the first Russian conservatories, in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The Russian school of music and its traditions originated in these two major musical institutions, the Imperial, or St. Petersburg Conservatory (now Leningrad Conservatory), founded in 1862, and the Moscow Conservatory, founded in 1866.
Anton Rubinstein founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory and was director from 1862 to 1891. He was unquestionably one of the school's most influential teachers.
Anton Rubinstein was internationally recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the nineteenth century. He was most noted for his volcanic power and a sensuous tone that combined monumental strength with sensitive lightness. He strove to imitate the timbre of his favorite singer's voice, creating a wonderful cantabile effect; but at the same time there was something cataclysmic about his playing. As Harold C. Schonberg observes in The Great Pianists, "The audience went home limp, knowing it had run into a force of nature."
The Moscow Conservatory was founded by Nikolai Rubinstein (1841-81), who served as director and teacher from the school's inception in 1866 until his death. Since that time the Moscow Conservatory has developed into a major world center of musical instruction and education. I will focus on the Moscow Conservatory, its founder, and some of its famous professors and students, who are representatives of the traditions of the Russian school of pianism.
Nikolai Rubinstein, pianist and conductor, is a Russian legend. In establishing the Moscow Conservatory, he sacrificed his immense talent as a performing pianist. He could well have occupied a leading place in the pianistic world alongside Franz List and his own famous brother, Anton. In fact, Anton and some mutual friends professed that Nikolai was the better pianist of the two. But, unlike Anton, who spent a great deal of time touring, Nikolai gave very few public performances. He had a passionate love for the conservatory he had created and to which he devoted all his talent, energy, and strength. The conservatory was like family to him, and the students were his beloved children. His concern for them extended literally to the smallest details. In winter he would go to the cloakroom and inspect the students' galoshes, and if he found a worn or damaged pair he would stuff some money into them, or sometimes buy a new
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