User:Milkunderwood/sandbox Rubinstein

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For Arthur Rubinstein discography - (which I still think should be renamed Arthur (Artur) Rubinstein discography, but that is a separate issue):

  • Obviously a considerable amount of time and work has been put into the construction of the present Arthur Rubinstein discography. My concern is that the layout which was initially set up was less than ideal, and I have not been able to think of any convenient way that it might be rearranged.
  • In two discussions of this discography, first here and then here, there was a general consensus among participants in WikiProject Classical music that the original date of recording is much more important and consequential than a publisher's date of issue (or one of multiple reissues).
  • A primary editor of the present discography, THD3, has understandably expressed concern that users will want to be able to view the table by discs, to see the full contents of each disc. My suggested alternative table easily does just that, by sorting on its last column, while still emphasizing the importance of actual recording dates in my second column.

Here are two examples of the present layout of the discography:

  • Note that although the present discography is also presented as a sortable table, virtually all entries in the first column are 1999, and RCA Red Seal (each separately linked) in the last column, both of which seem less than useful.
  • Further, while the third column occasionally presents a specific year (but not the actual date, or venue) of recording, more frequently only a range of years is shown, if any at all. Date information could be added later, but the present layout of the table seems not to conveniently allow for anything more specific than a single year or range of dates in its third column for individual compositions.


Below these two examples is my suggested alternative layout, with a number of sample entries:

  • This table provides examples of:
    • two different RCA releases of a recording;
    • releases containing multiple recordings and recording sessions; and
    • Rubinstein's work with various accompanists.
  • I've also concentrated on Chopin to display examples of multiple works in a single genre, such as the Mazurkas, Nocturnes, Polonaises and Waltzes.
  • At the end of the table is an example of a live recital of miscellaneous pieces by different composers.
  • I provide full publication data with each entry, but give links to each issuer only once, in a reference footnote.



Year of issue Album details Recording date(s) Record label
1999 Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 8[1]
  • Bach: Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564 (arr. Busoni)
  • Schubert: Impromptu in a-flat major, D. 899, No. 4 / Minuetto from Sonata in G major, D. 894
  • Schumann: Romance in F-sharp major, Op. 28, No. 2 / Arabeske in C major, Op. 18 / Träumerei / Widmung (arr. Liszt)
  • Brahms: Capriccio in B minor, Op. 76, No. 2 / Rhapsody in G minor, Op. 79, No. 2 / Wiegenlied, Op. 49, No. 4
  • Anton Rubinstein: Waltz-Caprice, in E-flat major
1928–1947 RCA Red Seal
1999 Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 12[2] 1941 RCA Red Seal


  • Following my alternative layout are some of the formatting rules I have set for myself, and a few notes. A major purpose of these formatting rules is to assure that when the page first appears, it will already be sorted as shown in the large table below, even though it also uses the "wikitable sortable" structure. The table's organization should remain as consistent as possible, throughout.

Recordings[edit]

Composition(s) Recording date
(& Venue)
Other Personnel Release (P) or (c) date & Label [3][4]
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 1944: October 29 (live broadcast) (NBC Studio 8-H, New York City) NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini, conductor
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63014 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 14]*
  • 1990: RCA Victor Gold Seal 60261-RG [Arturo Toscanini Collection Vol. 41]
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 ("Pathétique") 1946: August 26 & 27
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63010 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 10]
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 ("Pathétique") 1954: December 28 & 30 (Webster Hall, New York City)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63033 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 33]
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 ("Waldstein") 1954: December 28 & 30 (Webster Hall, New York City)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63033 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 33]
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 ("Appassionata") 1954: December 28 & 30 (Webster Hall, New York City)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63033 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 33]
Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97 ("Archduke") 1941: September 12 & 13

Jascha Heifetz, violin Emanuel Feuermann, cello

  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63012 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 12]*
  • 1992: RCA Victor Gold Seal 09026-60926 [Jascha Heifetz Collection]
Brahms: Ballade in G minor, Op. 118, No. 3 1941: June 6
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63010 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 10]
Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 4 in F-sharp minor 1947: March 12
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63010 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 10]
Brahms: Intermezzi: Op. 76, No. 7; Op. 119, No. 3 1941: June 17
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63010 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 10]
Brahms: Intermezzi: Op. 117, Nos. 1 & 2 1941: November 5 & 19
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63010 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 10]
Brahms: Intermezzi: Op. 118, Nos. 2 & 6 1941: May 26
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63010 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 10]
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 1967: December 27-30 Guarneri Quartet:
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63065 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 65]*
  • 1988: RCA Victor Gold Seal 5677-RG
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 26 1967: December 27 (Webster Hall, New York City) Guarneri Quartet:
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63074 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 74]
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60 1967: December 27-30 Guarneri Quartet:
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63065 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 65]*
  • 1988: RCA Victor Gold Seal 5677-RG
Brahms: Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 101 1972: September 4-10 (Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland)

Henryk Szeryng, violin Pierre Fournier, cello

  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63073 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 73]
Brahms: Rhapsodies: Op. 79, No. 1; Op. 119, No. 4 1941: June 6
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63010 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 10]
Brahms: Rhapsody in G minor, Op. 79, No. 2 1947: March 12
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63010 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 10]
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78 1960: December 28 & 29 (American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City) Henryk Szeryng, violin
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63041 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 41]
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100 1960: December 30 (American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City) Henryk Szeryng, violin
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63041 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 41]
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108 1960: December 30, 1961: January 3 (American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City) Henryk Szeryng, violin
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63041 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 41]
Brahms: Wiegenlied, Op. 49, No. 4 (arr. A. Rubinstein) 1947: March 12
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63010 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 10]
Chopin: Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22 (Piano solo version) 1950: December 14 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63028 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 28]
Chopin: Barcarole, Op. 60 1957, approx.
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63029 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 29]
Chopin: Berceuse, Op. 57 1958: April 21
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63029 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 29]
Chopin: Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49 1957: February 11 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63029 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 29]
Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. 66 1951: May 21 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63026 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 26]
Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. 66 1957: March 11 (Manhattan Center, New York City)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63027 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 27]
Chopin: Impromptu No. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 29 1954: February 12 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63027 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 27]
Chopin: Impromptus: Nos. 2 & 3, Opp. 36, 51 1953: November 3 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63027 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 27]
Chopin: Mazurkas, 51[5]: Opp. 6, 7, 17, 24, 30, 33, 41, 50, 56, 59, 63, 67, 68; No. 50 (B. 134); No. 51 (B. 140) 1952: July 14-16, 24; September 5; 1953: February 5 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63027 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 27]
Chopin: Mazurkas, 51[5]: Opp. 6, 7, 17, 24, 30, 33, 41, 50, 56, 59, 63, 67, 68; No. 50 (B. 134); No. 51 (B. 140) 1965: December 27-30; 1966: January 3 (Webster Hall, New York City)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63050 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 50]*
  • 1984, 1967: RCA Red Seal 5614-RC [Chopin Collection]
Chopin: Nocturnes, 19[5]: Opp. 9, 15, 27, 32, 37, 48, 55, 62, 72 1949: June 29 & 30; July 28 & 29; 1950: September 26 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63026 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 26]
Chopin: Nocturnes, 19[5]: Opp. 9, 15, 27, 32, 37, 48, 55, 62, 72 1965: August 30-September 2 (RCA Italiana Studios, Rome)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63049 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 49]*
  • 1984, 1967: RCA Red Seal 5613-RC [Chopin Collection]
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 1953: December 12 (RCA Studios, Hollywood) Los Angeles Philharmonic, Alfred Wallenstein, cond.
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63017 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 17]
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 1946: March 25 (Carnegie Hall, New York City) NBC Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg, cond.
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63017 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 17]
Chopin: Polonaises, 7[5]: Op. 26, Nos. 1 & 2; Op. 40, Nos. 1 ("Military") & 2; Opp. 44, 53 ("Heroic"), 61 (Polonaise-Fantaisie) 1950: September 27 & 28; 1951: May 12 & 21
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63028 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 28]
Chopin: Polonaises, 7[5]: Op. 26, Nos. 1 & 2; Op. 40, Nos. 1 ("Military") & 2; Opp. 44, 53 ("Heroic"), 61 (Polonaise-Fantaisie) 1964: March 4-6, 12 (Carnegie Hall, New York City)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63048 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 48]*
  • 1985, 1965: RCA Red Seal 5615-RC [Chopin Collection]
Chopin: Scherzos, 4: Opp. 20, 31, 39, 54 1949: June 28 & 29 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63026 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 26]
Chopin: Trois nouvelles études[5]: Nos. 1-3 1958: April 21 (Manhattan Center, New York City)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63026 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 26]
Chopin: Waltzes, 14[5]: Op. 18 ("Grande valse brillante"); Op. 34, Nos. 1-3 ("Trois grande valses brillantes"); Op. 42; Op. 64, Nos. 1 ("Minute") & 2-3; Op. 69, Nos. 1 ("L'adieu") & 2; Op. 70, Nos. 1-3; Op. posth. in E minor 1953: November 6-27; December 12 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63029 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 29]
Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15 1970: December 28 (RCA Studio A, New York City) Guarneri Quartet:
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63074 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 74]
Grieg: Album Leaf, Op. 28, No. 4; Lyric Pieces Op. 12, Nos. 4 & 5; Op. 38, Nos. 1, 2, & 5; Op. 43, Nos. 1 & 4; Op. 47, No. 6; Op. 54, Nos. 1 & 3; Op. 68, No. 5 1953: August 11; November 4-9; December 12 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63013 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 13]
Grieg: Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folk Song in G minor, Op. 24 1953: November 6 (RCA Studios, Hollywood)
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63013 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 13]
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 1942: March 6 (Academy of Music, Philadelphia) The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, cond.
  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63013 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 13]
Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major, D. 898 (Op. 99) 1941: September 13

Jascha Heifetz, violin Emanuel Feuermann, cello

  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63012 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 12]*
  • 1992: RCA Victor Gold Seal 09026-60926 [Jascha Heifetz Collection]
Schubert: Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major, D. 929 (Op. 100) 1974: April 13-19 (Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland)

Henryk Szeryng, violin Pierre Fournier, cello

  • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63073 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 73]
»Recital: 1961: May 8 (live) (Lugano, Switzerland)
  • 1991: Ermitage ERM-108S
  1. ^ "Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 8". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
  2. ^ "Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 12". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
    [Note: in the present discography each disc is separately but identically footnoted, thus displaying an enormously long and duplicative list of references.]


    --Here begins the reference list to my own suggested alternative discography:

  3. ^ All release information is taken directly from the physical compact disc or long-playing record whenever accessible. Data from other releases, indicated by [*], is collated from AllMusic [1], ArkivMusic [2], and/or Hunt, John: More Giants of the Keyboard: 5 Discographies, pp. 287-417. [3], ISBN 978-1901395952.
  4. ^ RCA has issued at least two different series of compact discs called "Rubinstein Collection". One, designated Arthur Rubinstein Collection, was issued in or around 1989 on the RCA Victor Gold Seal label; but not all Rubinstein releases from this era were designated as such. Then in 1999 RCA began the release of their formal complete series The Rubinstein Collection on RCA Red Seal. These were initially released in specially designed paperboard CD cases with slide pockets. In 2002 this same series was re-released in standard jewel boxes with identical numbering. In both formats, the RCA Red Seal Rubinstein Collection is numbered sequentially, such that Vol. 1 is cataloged as 9026-63001, etc.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Rubinstein never recorded the "complete" piano works of Chopin. Among those that he did not record include:
    [Note: I'm not sure of the best way to format this Chopin footnote, since the items referenced will continue to grow as more discs are added. Alternately, these six genres could be referenced separately. Or perhaps the note is not particularly useful to include at all. The reference is attached to the entry for "Trois nouvelles études, 1958".]


Formatting notes[edit]

General formatting rules followed in proposed layout:

- Wanted columns:

  • Composition(s) (sortable by composer and composition title), e.g.,
  • Recording date (& Venue) (sortable by year; but by month alphabetically), e.g.,
    • 1941: September 12 & 13
  • Other Personnel (not very usefully sortable), e.g.,
  • Release (P) or (c) date & Label (sortable by year listed first, which should always be most recent, because older releases may not be dated, and in any case are mostly out of print; also, this is a discography for Rubinstein, not for RCA); e.g.,
    • 1999: RCA Red Seal 9026-63012 [Rubinstein Collection Vol. 12]
    • 1992: RCA Victor Gold Seal 09026-60926 [Jascha Heifetz Collection]


- Add all new items to autosort alphabetically by composer & composition, e.g.,

  • Beethoven: Piano Concerto
  • Beethoven: Piano Trio;

- next by recording date, earliest first, e.g.,

  • Chopin: Mazurkas | 1952
  • Chopin: Mazurkas | 1965

- but, e.g.,

  • Brahms: Intermezzi Op. 76, [etc] before
  • Brahms: Intermezzi Op. 117 - it's OK if these sort backwards in a re-sort on the Composition(s) column.

- Put major or significant works as separate entries, even if recorded on the same date (e.g., 1954 Beethoven sonatas No. 8; No. 21; No. 23); combine shorter works only if same venue and date range, or if combined without distinction in the booklet (e.g., 1950-51 Chopin Polonaises).
- However, live recitals of miscellaneous short works should be listed together as "»Recital:", entered at the bottom of the table in date sequence. Add the word "(live)" in italicized parentheses to follow the date in the second column.
- If a disc of short works is organized (or a recital is played) other than by opus or other sequential number, it's OK to list them sequentially and combine where possible - e.g., the selections from Visions Fugitives in the 1961 Lugano recital, which were played with several out of sequence.

- Try to link to page and/or section discussing an individual work wherever available, instead of to a general list of compositions.
- If linking to a list, sometimes section by genre is preferable, sometimes by opus number - use best discretion.
- Since the table is likely to be resorted by date, etc, links need to be repeated for each separate occurrence of a significant name.

- As a general rule, where titles of compositions are abbreviated in liner notes or booklet, they are expanded in these table entries, e.g.,

- Nicknames are given in parentheses and double quotes to follow opus numbers - see Beethoven's ("Archduke") Trio, in the example above, or in the table. A number of compositions have little-used or obscure nicknames; include only those that are widely and generally used - be selective rather than trying to be inclusive of all such nicknames. Track listings in booklets are frequently a good example to follow, but check for consistency with other entries for the same piece. Since Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie is a title rather than a nickname, it is shown as (Polonaise-Fantaisie) with parentheses but not double quotes.

- Releases collated from sources other than a physical disc at hand are indicated by [*]; the asterisk is to be removed for any disc found, and full information provided here. The complete catalog number (not the barcode) should be provided, omitting only the separate 2 that indicates a compact disc. Substitute a hyphen for a space in all catalog numbers, for clarity; e.g.,

  • 5614-RC, not "5614-2-RC" as on spine, or barcode "0 7863-55614-2"
  • 09026-63013, not "09026 63013-2" as on back of case, or barcode "0 9026-63013-2 4"

- Follow the same rule for LPs, cassettes, or other media formats.

- A special symbol to indicate recitals of miscellaneous selections, and to force these to sort at the bottom of the table, is shown here in Alt+numpad code and in HTML code:

  • » = [Alt]+175 - (right double angle quotes, for "»Recital:"
  • » = [Alt]+0187 - (the same right double angle quotes)
  • » = HTML 187 - (the same right double angle quotes)
    • do all three symbols display properly as described, on all computers, or is one or another encoding required?


- Extraneous hyphens (as "|-----") separating entries in Edit view of the table are just for easier and clearer navigation while editing.

If this reorganized table passes muster for posting, it must be proofread against the table presently posted, for errors and typos, before it is added (or substituted). For volume numbers in the Rubinstein Collection this can be done easily by sorting on the last column. To recap, Recording dates are earliest first, Release dates are latest first.


  • Any helpful comments or edits to this sandbox page are welcome; please remember to sign with four tildes. Thank you!

This preliminary draft prepared by Milkunderwood (talk) 05:00, 23 October 2011 (UTC)