The Worst Beatle

One of the most difficult solo piano works by a noteworthy composer, Rudepoêma was written for pianist Arthur Rubinstein. Rubinstein was a virtuoso who, like Richter, was interested more in breadth than in a particular specialty. He not only singlehandedly recorded a huge part of the romantic repertoire, he also knew much of it by heart, thanks to a photographic memory. Here he plays Chopin's Barcarole in a grand and very embellished fashion:



To Rubinstein, a man who was fully enjoying his genius, Villa-Lobos' Rudepoêma must have seemed to be a cumbersome gift: needlessly difficult, obscure, and with little reward.


Several decades after Rudepoêma was composed, Canadian virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin would prove to be the piece's rightful performer. Hamelin was a child prodigy who was exposed by his father to obscure and difficult composers such as Alkan, Sorabji, and Godowsky. He would eventually specialize in this sort of virtuosity and become an unrivaled authority on difficult and obscure solo piano works. His interpretations of more popular works can be disappointing. For instance, Hamelin falls flat performing Scriabin, but playing Leo Ornstein he is dazzling. Watch him perform Rudepoêma:

Part 1:



Part 2: