One of the greatest Russian pianists of the nineteenth century, Anton Rubinstein was also a phenomenally prolific composer capable of dashing off whole volumes of music in a breathtakingly short period of time. Unfortunately, Rubinstein's works were not popular in his own day, owing to his inability to assimilate the quirks of Russian nationalism into his own musical style. Oddly enough, Rubinstein's greatest contributions to musical life in Russia had nothing to do with performing or composing: he was a co-founder of the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music, and served two terms as its director.
