Vladimir Horowitz
A pianist of legendary fame and stature, Vladimir Horowitz was born in Kiev, Ukraine. His mother, herself a professional pianist, provided his first instruction at the piano and was the first to recognize his extraordinary talents; he studied further at the Kiev Conservatory. His first public appearance was a recital in Kiev on May 30, 1920, and in 1922 he gave a series of 15 concerts in Kharkov for which he was paid in food and clothing. Although Russia was still reeling from the revolution of 1917, Horowitz fashioned successful concert tours in major cities such as Moscow, Leningrad, and Kiev -- marking the beginning of a performing career of unflagging and spectacular success.
His first international appearance came with his 1926 trip to Berlin, soon after which followed concerts in Paris, London, and New York. Further appearances in the United States solidified his reputation as an exceptional virtuoso, and the country which was to become his adopted home embraced him warmly. He was invited to the White House to play for President Hoover in 1931, and in 1933 he married Wanda Toscanini -- the daughter of the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini, who would soon conduct Horowitz and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in performances of the Beethoven piano concertos. Horowitz permanently settled in the United States in 1940 and achieved citizenship in 1944.
Wanda Toscanini assumed a gentle stewardship of her new husband, who was in fragile physical and emotional health. Often seized with an irrational fear of failure, Horowitz found the life of touring threatening to his equilibrium. He withdrew from the concert stage for several periods during his life, and made only rare appearances after 1970. When Horowitz did schedule a concert, it often took the persuasive powers of his wife and friends to keep him from canceling at the last minute. His nagging, and often overpowering, insecurity led him to seek shock therapy in 1973, but though he seemed to achieve some benefit from treatment, he was never free of anxiety when playing in public. The one exception to this trend was when he appeared as accompanist to another artist, which he often did with baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and violinist Isaac Stern. Because of his long absences from the concert stage, Horowitz's popularity was largely sustained by his recordings.
Perhaps the most significant single event in Horowitz's long career was his long-overdue return to the Soviet Union (his first since his departure in the 1920s) for a series of concerts in 1986. The resulting tour became a major political event, coinciding as it did with an era of new understanding between the United States and the Soviet Union, and it resonated powerfully with Soviet audiences. Revitalized by the Soviet tour, Horwowitz signed a new contract with Sony; the contract included provisions for recording him at home on his favorite piano. He made his last such recording on November 1, 1989; on November 5 he died of a massive heart attack.
As a performer, Horowitz had huge resources of speed and power, and a clean articulation. His performances were brilliant, exciting, and often mystifying to those who found his technique enigmatic (he played, for instance, with unusually straight fingers, laying them nearly flat on the keys). Though his performances were frequently criticized for their willfulness and self-indulgent nature, there was an undeniable charisma to his playing that endeared him to most everyone who heard him.
© TiVo
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Horowitz In Moscow (DG Centenary Edition - 1986)
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1/01/1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vladimir Horowitz in Recital at Orchestra Hall, Chicago, April 15, 1979
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 11/12/2015
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Horowitz - Legendary Recordings
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 10/10/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Piano Works
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1/01/1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 14, 21 & 23 (Expanded Edition)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1/01/1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Horowitz: The Celebrated Scarlatti Recordings - Expanded Edition
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 1/01/1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Impromptus - Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8 & 28
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 26/09/2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 & Piano Sonata No. 2: Classic Library Series
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 23/11/1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vladimir Horowitz: The Complete Masterworks Recordings 1962-1973
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 5/10/1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vladimir Horowitz - The Romantic
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 11/10/2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Horowitz & Liszt: Perfect Match
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 7/10/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vladimir Horowitz: Piano Masterpieces
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 8/12/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Sonatas K. 281, K. 330 & K. 333; Rondo K. 485; Adagio K. 540
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 5/04/1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Steinway Legends: Vladimir Horowitz
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1/01/2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Horowitz plays Scriabin (Remastered)
Solo Piano - Released by Sony Classical on 13/04/2015
Gramophone Editor's Choice24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vladimir Horowitz Rehearsal at Carnegie Hall, April 7, 1965 (Remastered)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 23/08/2019
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Scriabin: Sonatas, Études, Poèmes, Feuillet d'album; Vers la flamme
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 26/09/2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Horowitz plays Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Vladimir Horowitz
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 22/08/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Moments of Vladimir Horowitz live at Carnegie Hall
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 27/09/2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 29/04/2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Concerto 5, Rachmaninov: Concerto 3 (1951/52)
Vladimir Horowitz, RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner
Keyboard Concertos - Released by Naxos on 1/08/2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo