Anton Rubinstein was not only an accomplished pianist and influential musical figure, having founded the Russian Musical Society and Saint Petersburg Conservatory, but also a highly prolific composer. Sadly, this Romance is one of his few compositions that continue to be performed with any frequency today. It originally appeared in a set of piano miniatures, Evenings in Saint Petersburg, but later served as a musical setting for Alexander Pushkin’s “Night.” Perhaps this poem was Rubinstein’s inspiration from the outset; the melody—languid, velvety, and chromatic, with moments of rapturous passion—so aptly conveys the sensuous, Romantic nature of Pushkin’s text that it may have been at least a subconscious influence.

Program Notes by Jack Slavin.
Slavin is a pianist, music educator, and arts professional based in New York City.