Arthur Rubinstein
(January 28, 1887 – December 20, 1982)
(January 28, 1887 – December 20, 1982)
“On stage, I will take a chance. There has to be an element of daring in great music-making. These younger ones, they are too cautious. They take the music out of their pockets instead of their hearts.”
Born in Lodz, Poland, in 1887, Arthur Rubinstein became one of the great pianists of the twentieth century. At age three, Rubinstein began to study piano, and within five years he had given his first public performance. When Rubinstein was ten, his mother took him to audition for the famous violinist, Joseph Joachim. Impressed by the young boy’s performance of Mozart, Joachim agreed to be responsible for his general and musical education. Leaving her son to study in Berlin, Rubinstein’s mother returned to Lodz. He would never return to live with his family.
Despite his age and failing health, Rubinstein continued to perform throughout his seventies and eighties. Even after going blind, he travelled the world lecturing and teaching. At the age of eighty-three he finished his biography; MY MANY YEARS, and six years later left his wife for another woman. He died in Geneva, Switzerland in 1982, and his ashes were buried in an Israeli forest named after him. Among his many awards were the French Legion of Honour and the American Medal of Freedom. His lifelong commitment to music and his extensive body of work remain an inspiration to classical music lovers around the world.
