To think that Rubinstein's first Brahms D minor Concerto was recorded within days of Toscanini's last concert! Yet the stereo sound here is remarkable, with Reiner's lissom accompaniment abundantly clear in all departments, its winds and brass precision-pointed, its strings typically refined (violin desks are separated, by the way), and the whole blended on to an unexpectedly warm-toned aural canvas. Rubinstein himself offers a gallant, beautifully composed rendition of the solo part, classical in its control and refusal to overstate the case, yet generous in its response to the lyrical drift of Brahms's piano writing (try the second subject in either of the outer movements). The solo items, recorded some 16 years later, are almost Gallic in their coolness: RCA would have been better advised to include similar repertoire that Rubinstein recorded nearer the time of the Concerto. Yet even here the playing has much poise: it is a truly superior brand of pianism, and has transferred well to CD.'