Rubinstein: Romance Op. 44 No. 1 Arranged by Leon Bosch

This lovely 'Romance' by Anton Rubinstein (1829-94) is one of salon pieces and transcriptions that I have compiled over the years. The continue to form a part of my repertoire for concerts and recordings -- I included this one on my disc The Russian Double relevance to me, underscoring milestones in my own persona journey, perhaps, or resonating with me emotionally.

Rubinstein was one of the most celebrated pianists of his time, as well as a conductor and a prolific composer; he also founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1862. As a composer, he published an album of piano miniatures, Six Soirees a Saint Petersbourg in 1859. Originally in E Flat, 'Romance' is the first of the six. It was transcribed and popularized by the famous Casals who recorded it in 1923, although it was a clip of Piatigorsky playing it that had me fall in love with it.

In fact, it is an arrangement by a third cellist, Friedrich Grutzmacher, with some occasional octave transpositions, that forms the basis of this version in E major for double bass and piano. All bowing and fingering suggestions are highly personal, expressing my view of the music and what I consider the most effective route to its message.