Arthur Rubinstein's career was a gaudy parade of superlatives. After Vladimir Horowitz, he was the 20th century's most famous classical pianist as well as a world-renowned bon vivant on speaking terms with everyone from Henry James to Golda Meir. In old age he wrote two best-selling memoirs that recounted a Kennedyesque sex life. He played his last concert in 1976 at the age of 89--then left his wife for another woman.
RCA's 94-CD limited-edition The Rubinstein Collection (list price: $1,600) is perhaps the biggest box set ever devoted to a single artist. It contains 706 recordings made between 1928 and 1976,...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
