David
Rubinstein
"A
formidable pianist"
-Chicago Sun Times
Bio & Press Kit
-Chicago Sun Times
Bio & Press Kit
Compelling pianistic achievement and unique artistic vision are the hallmarks of David Rubinstein's concerts. His performances encompass the standard piano repertoire and also include works which deserve greater prominence, such as the Prokofiev Fourth Sonata and the Busoni Elegies.
Born in New York City and a native of Los Angeles, David Rubinstein began playing the piano at age six. His acclaimed world premiere recording of Sibelius piano works, made at the age of 21, was released by Musical Heritage Society, and has currently been re-issued on the Musicus Recordings label. He studied piano with George Kochevitsky and later participated in master classes with Claudio Arrau and William Masselos. He has participated in recording sessions for all the major film studios, including several on-screen performances.
David Rubinstein has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe with appearances including Zipper Hall in Los Angeles, the National Gallery of Art, London's Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center, the Whittier College Bach Festival, the San Diego Convention Center, the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, and numerous international radio broadcasts. Orchestral appearances have included the Cal State L.A. Baroque Ensemble, Westlake Festival Orchestra, Hudson Symphony, Hilversum Radio Orchestra, and the South Bend Symphony. He has recorded a wide range of repertoire including Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Busoni, Chopin, Prokofiev, and Schumann, as well as his own works, and since 2007 he has been on the Musicians Roster of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. In a 2009 program entitled "Rubinstein plays Rubenstein" he performed on the "Rubenstein R371," the world's longest commercially available piano (12 feet), built by David Rubenstein at the Rubenstein factory in El Segundo, California. In his spare time he enjoys painting.
Recording Reviews
Busoni Elegies, Bach-Busoni Chaconne
"This is a very fine recording of Busoni's Seven Elegies and transcription of Bach's Chaconne, so fine that one appreciates the music anew and the player for his taste and intelligence. David Rubinstein is an outstanding pianist with a big sound, a muscular technique, and a powerful attack. Better than that, he has a keen mind that appreciates the austere but revolutionary genius of Busoni's music and above all the death defying intensity of the Chaconne transcription." - James Leonard in All Music Guide (June 2008)
"Rubinstein rises to the occasion, throws himself into the music and gives an excellent performance – with a subtle and judicious use of rubato – by turns virtuosic and extrovert, delicate, melancholic and regretful. A fine disk of, possibly, Busoni’s most approachable piano work in the modern style, in performances worthy of the music." -Bob Briggs in MusicWeb International (February 2008)
Beethoven Pastoral and Tempest Sonatas
"...this 2007 Musicus disc will likely prove enjoyable to listeners who take pleasure in smartly polished piano playing. Rubinstein has a well-tempered technique, a well-modulated tone, and a superb feeling for form and tempo." James Leonard in All Music Guide (June 2008)
Sibelius Piano Works
"With his variegated tone and rock-solid technique, Rubinstein makes these works sound remarkably well composed for the piano, something many Finnish pianists have failed to do. And with his probing interpretations, Rubinstein finds depths in these works that most other pianists of any nationality fail to notice. This is all the more remarkable in that Rubinstein's recordings of the piano sonata and the suite called Kyllikki were world premieres when they were originally released in 1971. Recorded in crisp, full sound in RCA's Studio A, this disc belongs on every suitably inclusive Sibelius shelf." -James Leonard in All Music Guide (June 2008)
David Rubinstein playing David Rubenstein's
12-foot grand piano (the "Rubenstein R371") Rubenstein's
factory in El Segundo, California
