Conductor, virtuoso pianist, founder of the St Petersburg Conservatory and composer of solo works, symphonies and operas, Anton Rubinstein (1829–1894) is a key figure in Russian musical culture and achieved international celebrity during his lifetime. In the midst of a busy world touring schedule, he also found time to be composition teacher to Tchaikovsky. Often only selected pieces from Rubinstein’s piano four-hands repertoire are performed, but in a rare feat, Duo Pianistico di Firenze take on the full 20 movements of the epic suite Bal Costum?. Excluding the opening and closing movements, the Suite is a musical depiction of the fashionable masked balls frequented by the elite. The elaborate costumes, the dancing and, in particular, the interaction between two characters, one male and the other female are represented in the music. Each movement references different historical periods from the 12th to the 18th century and although largely romantic in style, the movements nod to their corresponding era with baroque inflections.
