Historical Concerts

Russia’s finest pianists recreate Anton Rubinstein’s legendary recital series.

In the 1885/1886 concert season, Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein carried out a unique experiment on himself and his audience: he performed his own version of the history of music in seven chapters. Each of the solo programmes was structured as a marathon lasting several hours, challenging the stamina of the performer, the listening power of the audience, and the conventional concert format. Rubinstein preferred short intermissions to traditional intervals, but often dispensed entirely with breaks between the pieces, linking the parts of the programme into a single meta-composition by means of improvisational transitions. First performed in Berlin, and subsequently presented in Vienna, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Leipzig, Paris, and London, the so-called Historical Recitals remain to this day one of the most radical artistic gestures ever undertaken on the musical stage.

Programme 

Rubinstein’s cycle traced the evolution of keyboard music chronologically from the Baroque to the late Romantic period, inviting listeners to discern a single artistic thread through the changes of aesthetic trends and styles. Projects that aimed to educate the public regarding the development of art and to build bridges between past and present were not unusual in nineteenth-century European music. However, the Historical Recitals stood out as one-of-a-kind, both by the stylistic breadth of their repertoire and the unprecedented scale of the concept. We might go so far as to credit Rubinstein with the invention of modern musical curation.

A hundred and forty years later, GES-2 House of Culture and the Anton Rubinstein Heritage Centre attempt for the first time to reconstruct this legendary cycle. The seven programmes of the Historical Recitals will be performed in the GES-2’s Playhouse over seven evenings during the first weeks of October by a select group of outstanding Russian pianists: Vladimir Vishnevsky, Eva Gevorgyan, Olga Davnis, Pavel Dombrovsky, Sergei Kasprov, Jacob Katsnelson, Alexander Klyuchko, Miroslav Kultyshev, Valentin Malinin, Nikita Mndoyants, Ilya Papoyan, Kirill Rogovoy, Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev, Rem Urasin, Yury Favorin, and Anna Tsybulev. This group portrait of the Russian piano school in the twenty-first century will serve as a tribute to school’s founder, Anton Rubinstein.

The Anton Rubinstein Heritage Centre was founded in 2024 by Ksenia Svetakova and the Svet Charitable Foundation. The Centre’s mission is to preserve and promote the legacy of Anton Rubinstein as an outstanding pianist, composer, and reformer of musical life. The Centre also strives to develop the musical life of today by creating a space for reflection on music, its role, and its potential in the contemporary world. Key initiatives of the Centre include the Anton Rubinstein Academy for young singers and other educational programmes developed in collaboration with Teodor Currentzis and musicAeterna, as well as the Anton Rubinstein Festival at the Prove-Kalish Mansion in Moscow, and a laboratory for young composers at the MIRA Centre in the town of Suzdal (the laboratory has the working title, “Ocean. Songs Without Words”). Plans for the near future include the creation of a dedicated space in Moscow for the Anton Rubinstein Heritage Centre.

Programme

Concert I

Tickets will be available later

When: 3 Oct, 17:00–21:00

Performed by
Olga Davnis, Jacob Katsnelson 

Programme

William Byrd (1543/1544—1623)
The Carman’s Whistle, T. 444

John Bull (1562/63—1628)
The King’s Hunt, FVB 135

François Couperin (1668–1733)
La Ténébreuse (“The Dark Lady”)
Le Réveil-matin (“The Alarm Clock”)
La Favorite (“The Favourite”)
Le Bavolet flottant (“The Waving Scarf”)
La Bandoline (“Lacquered Hair”)

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764)
Le Rappel des oiseaux (“Bird Call”)
La Poule (“The Hen”)
Gavotte and six doubles

Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)
Sonata in G minor, K. 30 (Cat’s Fugue)
Sonata in A major, K. 209

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 847
Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 850
Prelude in E-flat minor, BWV 853
Prelude in E-flat major, BWV 856
Prelude in B minor, BWV 869
Chromatic Fantasy, BWV 903
Gavotte from Partita no. 1 in B-flat major, BWV 825
Sarabande and Gavotte from English Suite no. 3 in G minor, BWV 808

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
Fugue from Suite no. 4 in E minor, HWV 429
Theme and Variations from Suite no. 5 in E major, HWV 429 (The Harmonious Blacksmith)
Sarabande and Passacaglia from Suite no. 7 in G minor, HWV 432
Gigue from Suite no. 1 in A major, HWV 426
Aria with Variations from Suite no. 3 in D minor, HWV 428

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788)
Rondo from Sonata in B minor, H. 245
La Xénophone et la Sybille (“Xénophone and Sybille”), H. 123
Les langueurs tendres (“Tender Yearnings”), H. 110
La complaisante (“An Amiable Woman”), H. 109

Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Fantasia in C minor, K. 475
Gigue in G major, K. 574
Rondo in A minor, K. 511
Rondo alla Turca from Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331/300i

Concert II

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When: 4 Oct, 18:00–22:00

Performed by
Nikita Mndoyants, Valentin Malinin, Yury Favorin

Programme

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Sonata no. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, no. 2
Sonata no. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
Sonata no. 28 in A major, Op. 101
Sonata no. 21 in C major, Op. 53

Sonata no. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 (Appassionata)
Sonata no. 30 in E major, Op. 109
Sonata no. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, no. 2 (Moonlight)
Sonata no. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

Concert III

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When: 10 Oct, 18:00–22:00

Performed by
Anna Tsybulev, Nikita Mndoyants, Pavel Dombrovsky

Programme

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Fantasy in C major, D. 760 (Wanderer Fantasy)
Six moments musicaux, D. 780
Minuet in B minor from Sonata in G major, D. 894
Impromptus in C minor and E-flat major, D. 899

Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826)
Sonata no. 2 in A-flat major, Op. 39
Momento capriccioso, Op. 12
Aufforderung zum Tanz (“Invitation to the Dance”), Op. 65
Polonaise brillante, Op. 72

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Variations sérieuses, Op. 54
Capriccio in E minor, Op. 16, No. 2
Songs Without Words:
E major, Op. 19b, no. 1
A minor, Op. 19b, no. 2
F-sharp minor, Op. 30, no. 6 (Venetian Gondolier Song)
A major, Op. 62, no. 6 (Spring Song)
E-flat major, Op. 38, no. 1
B minor, Op. 67, no. 5
E major, Op. 67, no. 6
A-flat major, Op. 53, no. 1
E-flat major, Op. 53, no. 2
F major, Op. 53, no. 4
A minor, Op. 53, no. 5 (Folk Song)
Scherzo a capriccio, WoO 3, MWV U 113

Concert IV

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When: 11 Oct, 18:00–22:00

Performed by
Vladimir Vishnevsky, Jacob Katsnelson, Alexander Klyuchko, Kirill Rogovoy

Programme

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Fantasy in C major, Op. 17
Kreisleriana, Op. 16
Études symphoniques, Op. 13
Sonata no. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 11
Des Abends (“In the Evening”), In der Nacht (“At Night”), Traumes Wirren (“Dream’s Confusion”), Warum (“Why?”) from the cycle Fantasiestücke (“Fantasy Pieces”), Op. 12
Vogel als Prophet (“The Prophet Bird”) from the cycle Waldszenen (“Forest Scenes”), Op. 82
Romance in D minor, Op. 32, no. 3
Carnival, Op. 9

Concert V 

Tickets will be available later

When: 17 Oct, 18:00–22:00

Performed by
Sergei Kasprov, Ilya Papoyan

Programme

Muzio Clementi (1752–1832)
Sonata in B flat major

John Field (1782–1837)
Nocturnes: E-flat major, H. 24; A major, H. 36; B-flat major, H. 37

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837)
Rondo brillant in C minor, Op. 109

Ignaz Moscheles (1794–1870)
Études: Versöhnung (“Reconciliation”), Juno and Kindermärchen (“Children’s Fairy Tale”), Op. 95

Adolf von Henselt (1814–1889)
Love Poem, Op. 3
Lullaby, Op. 13, no. 1
Two Nocturnes, Op. 6: La Fontaine (“The Fountain”), Schmerz im Glück (“Pain in Happiness”)
Étude Op. 2, no. 6, Si oiseau j’étais (“If I Were a Bird”)

Sigismund Thalberg (1812–1871)
Étude in A minor, Op. 45
Grande fantaisie et variations sur deux motifs de l’opéra Don Juan de Mozart (“Grand Fantasy and Variations on Two Themes from Mozart’s Opera Don Giovanni”), Op. 14

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Concert Étude in D flat major, S. 144, no. 3 (Un sospiro, “A Sigh”)
Waltz-Caprice, S. 214
Consolations in E major and D flat major, S. 172
Au bord d’une source (“Beside a Spring”), from the cycle, Années de pèlerinage, Suisse (“Years of Pilgrimage, Switzerland”), S. 160/4
Hungarian Rhapsody no. 6, S. 244/6
Hungarian Rhapsody no. 12, S. 244/12

Gioachino Rossini (1792—1868)—Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
La gita in gondola (“A Gondola Ride”), La regata veneziana (“Venetian Regatta”), La serenata (“Serenade”), La danza (“Dance”) from the cycle, Soirées musicaux, S. 424

Franz Schubert (1797—1828)—Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Barcarolle, Ständchen (“Serenade”), Erlkönig (“The Forest King”), S. 558
Waltz in A major from the cycle, Soirées de Vienne (Viennese Evenings), S. 427

Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791—1864)—Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Réminiscences de “Robert le Diable”, S. 413

Concert VI

Tickets will be available later

When: 18 Oct, 17:00–22:00

Performed by
Arseniy Tarasevich-Nikolaev, Rem Urasin

Programme

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)

Scherzo no. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 20
Preludes in E minor, A major, A flat major, B flat minor, D flat major, D minor, Op. 28
Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49
Lullaby, Op. 57
Barcarolle, Op. 60

Ballades:
No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
No. 2 in F major, Op. 38
No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47
No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52

Waltzes:
A-flat major, Op. 34 no. 1
A minor, Op. 34 no. 2
A-flat major, Op. 42

Impromptus:
F-sharp major, Op. 36
G-flat major, Op. 51

Polonaises:
F-sharp minor, Op. 44
C minor, Op. 40 no. 2
A-flat major, Op. 53

Mazurkas:
B minor, Op. 30 no. 2
F-sharp minor, Op. 59 no. 3
C major, Op. 24 no. 2
B-flat minor, Op. 24 no. 4

Nocturnes:
D-flat major, Op. 27 no. 2
G major, Op. 37 no. 2
C minor, Op. 48 no. 1

Sonata no. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35
I. Grave — Doppio movimento
II. Scherzo
III. Marche funèbre: lento
IV. Finale: presto

Concert VII

Tickets will be available later

All photos: Anna Zavozyaeva

When: 19 Oct, 18:00–22:00

Performed by
Eva Gevorgyan, Miroslav Kultyshev

Programme

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908)
Étude, Op. 11 no. 4
Novelletta, Op. 11 no. 2
Waltz, Op. 15 no. 1

Anatoly Lyadov (1855–1914)
Étude in A-flat major, Op. 5
Intermezzo, Op. 8

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Song Without Words, Op. 40 no. 6
Waltz-Scherzo, Op. 7
Romance in F minor, Op. 5
Russian Scherzo, Op. 1 no. 1

Anton Rubinstein (1829–1894)
Sonata no. 3 in F major, Op. 41
Theme and Variations from Sonata no. 2 in C minor, Op. 20
Scherzo from Sonata no. 4 in A minor, Op. 100

Nikolai Rubinstein (1835–1881)
A Sheet from an Album, Op. 17
Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 16

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Études:
E major, Op. 10 no. 3
C-sharp minor, Op. 10 no. 4
E-flat minor, Op. 10 no. 6
F minor, Op. 10 no. 9
A-flat major, Op. 10 no. 10
E-flat major, Op. 10 no. 11
C minor, Op. 10 no. 12
A-flat major, Op. 25 no. 1
B minor, Op. 25 no. 10
A minor, Op. 25 no. 11
C minor, Op. 25 no. 12

Mily Balakirev (1837–1910)
Scherzo no. 1 in C minor, BM 15
Mazurka
Islamey: Oriental Fantasy, Op. 18

César Cui (1835–1918)
Scherzo in B-flat major
Polonaise in C major