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of the Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 15, No. 2.

In mid-November he gave more


concerts in Pest, Trieste, and Prague. At the beginning of December he returned
to Vienna, gave a fourth concert, and then traveled to Salzburg, Munich, Augs-
burg, and Würzberg. On 18 December he gave a ¤fth concert in Vienna, per-
forming Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4 and some of his own solo piano
works.
With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, Rubinstein arrived in Baden-
Baden on 20 December to join his wife, Vera, and their son, Yakov (Yasha). From
there he wrote to Kaleriya Khristoforovna that his concert tour would continue
without a break until June. Despite the enormous strain of these concerts, he
now had no regrets about leaving the Conservatory and felt optimistic about
his future plans. “By comparison with what I would have lost in St. Petersburg
had I stayed there, this is still preferable.”9 He had decided that, provided he
could earn a little money, he would be able to live where and how he wanted,
“independent of noble favors and the instructions of various Comités.”10
Rubinstein had planned to leave Baden-Baden on 1 January 1868, but his de-
parture was delayed because on New Year’s Eve he had a fainting attack, fell un-
conscious onto the ®oor, and injured his knee. As a result he was forced to spend
several weeks convalescing in bed. The boredom was alleviated by news from
Edith Raden, to which he responded in a long letter dated 1/13 January 1868.
The most interesting part of the letter concerns the Conservatory:

I do not share your view about the Conservatory. This institution did not need per-
fecting in order for it to transform itself ¤nally into a national institution, since
through its very inception it was that already (you do not belong, I hope, to that
party which gives preference to national art). In order to become good—more than
that—better than many others (even famous institutions), this institution needed
money and individuality, which would have led it to its aim, to its ideal. But since it
grew up in a country where art is still not understood even in its elementary prereq-
uisites, and, moreover, where it is not encouraged, then all resolutions by a majority
of votes, all committees (since their character is not simply consultative) only hold
back and damage the cause. Independent of this, there is one more circumstance:
scarcely was the Conservatory founded and brought to life than nearby another
institution was founded with the same prerogatives and of the same size11—this
is in all respects a mistake and will not result in anything good. The second basic
mistake consists in the fact that this institution is private. In America, where every-
thing is set up and supported by private associations, establishing a government
institution would be an unnecessary matter, whereas in Russia, where the govern-
ment sets up everything, it would be odd to leave an artistic institution in private
hands.
When I organized the Conservatory with the help of the Russian Music Society
it was done—as I have explained many times and in detail to the grand duchess—
to show, as a counterbalance to the government which was and continues to be ex-
tremely indifferent to questions of art, the initiative and, having achieved the kind
of brilliant results that we have had in the past few years, to force it, the govern-
ment, in the end to take control of the Conservatory. Such has been my opinion
for many years, as proved by the report (it would be a pity were it lost) which I sub-

Europe and America Concert Tour 125

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