Fun facts to celebrate Artur Rubinstein’s birthday

28 January marks the birthday of Artur Rubinstein. This renowned Polish pianist was born in Łódź in 1887 and his international career began as early as 1904, when he was just 17 years old, following the signing of a contract with impresario Gabriel Astruc. Discover a few interesting facts from the pianist’s remarkable life!

1. In 1897, at the age of 10, Rubinstein began studying the piano at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. From then on, his career as a concert pianist gathered momentum.
2. Over the course of an 80-year artistic career, he gave over 6,000 public performances. He performed worldwide, appearing in Italy, Spain, Russia, Poland, England and South America. He also toured the United States several times.
3. He promoted the music of his time (with the exception of dodecaphony), including works by Scriabin, Ravel, Poulenc, Albéniz, and de Falla. He was also a strong advocate of Karol Szymanowski‘s music, and was also a close personal friend of the composer. In 1911 and 1913, he visited Tymoszówka, where they would play Stravinsky‘s Petrushka together.
4. He is considered one of the greatest performers of classical and Romantic music (solo, chamber and concerto repertoir), and an expert on the latest Iberian music and the works of the Impressionsts.
5. In 1938, following the anouncement of Mussolini’s antisemitic laws, he cancelled his concerts in Italy and returned the decoration awarded to him by the Italian authorities. As a protest against the crimes of Nazism, he refused to perform in Germany for the remainder of his pianistic career.
6. In 1939 he left for the United States with his family. He returned to Poland for the first time after the war in 1958, performing in Krakow and Warsaw. In 1960, he served as chairman of the 6^th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.
7. He supported the Polish cause during World War II, including performing at charity concerts for Polish refugees. He also delivered a passionate radio appeal for the United States to join the war, in which he emphasised the efforts of the Polish nation. During the founding conference of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945, when the pianist noticed that the Polish flag was missing among those of the participating countries, he stepped onto the stage and said: „I miss the Polish flag, for which you fought. I will play the Polish national anthem. Please rise!”.

These few facts are just a small part of the impressive biography of Arthur Rubinstein. We therefore encourage you to read the full entry in the PWM Encyclopedia. In the Ikonoteka, you will also find photographs of the pianist, including those with his wife Nel and from his stay in Tymoszówka. Be sure to check them out!