Music
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein (Russian: Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, tr. Anton Grigorevich Rubinshteyn; November 28 [O.S. November 16] 1829 – November 20 [O.S. November 8] 1894) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein who founded the Moscow Conservatory.
As a pianist, Rubinstein ranks among the great 19th-century keyboard virtuosos. He became most famous for his series of historical recitals—seven enormous, consecutive concerts covering the history of piano music. Rubinstein played this series throughout Russia and Eastern Europe and in the United States when he toured there.
Although best remembered as a pianist and educator (most notably in the latter as the composition teacher of Tchaikovsky), Rubinstein was also a prolific composer throughout much of his life. He wrote 20 operas, the best known of which is The Demon. He composed a large number of other works, including five piano concertos, six symphonies and a large number of solo piano works along with a substantial output of works for chamber ensemble.
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade op.35 – Leif Segerstam – Sinfónica de Galicia
Claudio Abbado
Beethoven – 5th Piano Concerto ‘Emperor’ (Zimerman, Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker)
Beethoven: Symphony No 4 in B flat major – BBC Proms 2012 (Daniel Barenboim)
La traviata: ‘Ogni suo aver tal femmina’ (‘She gave up all she had’) – Glyndebourne
Mendelssohn: 5. Sinfonie (»Reformations-Sinfonie«) ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Jérémie Rhorer
Tchaikovsky – Romeo & Juliet – Fantasy Overture
Mendelssohn – A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture, Op. 21 (Kurt Masur, Gewandhausorchestra)
Berlioz – Symphonie fantastique (Mariss Jansons conducts, Proms 2013)
Melisma
Melisma (Greek: μέλισμα, melisma, song, air, melody; from μέλος, melos, song, melody, plural: melismata) is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, in which each syllable of text is matched to a single note