Customer Reviews

Horowitz at Home

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Toward the end of his career, Vladimir Horowitz had distilled his art to the bare essentials. Gone were the leonine fortissimos and occasional hysteria of the 1940s, replaced with a new simplicity. This recording, taped in the living room of his New York townhouse in 1989, is an excellent example of Horowitz's late period. The Mozart selections recall the fabled clarity of his Scarlatti playing. Horowitz, 85 at the time of this recording, may not thunder as powerfully as he did during his youth, but he is as in command of his fingers than ever. Although Horowitz has been referred to as a Romantic pianist, his performance of Mozart's Adagio in B Minor is classical in its simplicity.

The Schubert/Liszt Standchen is be one of the greatest piano recordings ever made. Horowitz' control of dynamics and shading make it sound as if the piece was being played on three pianos at once. The two Soirees de Vienne are a virtuosic delight, and the perfect conclusion to a wonderful recording.

Highest recommendation.

This CD has been one of my favorite CD for over 10 years. Horowitz is at his best, and perhaps I can add, most charming. His Mozart is glorious and colorful. I cannot recall anyone who consistantly plays with such a singing tone. His playing has so much sparkle! Schubert and Schubert-Liszt selections are simply delicious. I never get tired of listening to this CD. Great CD!

The music of Mozart, which can at times seem too technical and precise, has never been played with such passion and beauty. Horowitz has once again shown us why he was the master of his instrument.

Enjoy and pay special attention to the Mozart Adagio in B minor; marvelous, but do not forget to enjoy the exquisite beauty of the Schubert and Liszt as well.
This Album will never get old, this is a must have for every classic music collection.

I have listened to many classical CDs -piano is my favourite -and this is my favourite CD. I have actually sat with my family and listened to Misuko Uchida's recording of one of the Mozart sonatas (I think the K540 adagio) against Volodya's and there is no comparison. If you only buy one classical piano CD buy this!

Horowitz at his relaxed finest. His lifetime achievement is clear in the mastery of his instrument and art in his music. Every note carries with it the absolute assuredness of the better part of a century of virtuosity. The Soirees de Vienne alone make this disk a must for piano collections. Too bad DG did their usual mediocre recording job...the piano is muffled and the engineer almost loses the soft passages altogether.

For many generations, Vladimir Horowitz has been the iconic keyboard virtuoso of the XXth century. His astounding live performances, as well as his abundant recordings, were replete with breathtaking pianistic wizardry and utterly arguable musical insight. The fabulous effect of his performances stemmed from a very personal way of approaching the great masterpieces in connection with an overwhelming need to convey the performer's truth regarding the work rather than composer's strict annotations. The masterpiece thus got a deeply felt - sometimes weird and extravagant - reading but never a mere ad literam interpretation. With Horowitz always there is a re-creation of the whole work, so that the same work can sound out differently at different moments. The objectivity seems not to have any value in his conception, but only things distilled by his own sensitivity. A cold, impersonal reading is a sterile one in his viewpoint, and is lacking the appeal to audiences. Romantic in attitude, other-worldly in technical skills, often disputable in conceptions,bu always looking for a pulpy sound, for magic colors, Horowitz secured for him a definitive place in the Parnassus of the greatest pianists ever and enthralled a huge mass of fans.

On this recording, Horowitz is caught in his late years (1986 - 1989) when his famous virtuosity got wiser and somehow sedate, as the inner peace seemed totally cover his visions and renditions. We are offered here an elegantly unquiet Mozart, witty (in the early Sonata in B flat major K 281), sparklingly thoughtful (in Adagio in B minor K 540), tormented and playful (Rondo in D major K 485). Schubert spreads grace and lighthearted feelings (both the Moment musical in F minor D 780, no.3 and the Lisztian transcription of the seductive Serenade), while the last number in program - Valse Caprice no.6 from "Soirees de Vienne" (Schubert/Liszt), a favorite encore of Horowitz's - rounds off magisterially an all-Viennese recital to be cherished by lots of his admirers.

For all these marvels, played with youthful verve I give 5 stars to this recording. It witnesses the serene wisdom and inexhaustible joy of playing of the late Vladimir Horowitz, a truly giant of the piano.

Are the acoustics here crappy? yes
Does Horowitz hit some wrong notes? yes
You cannot cast judgement on Horowitz playing based on this CD. He is THE pianist of the 20th century. Before some anonymous posters opine that he is incompetent they have to understand what the classical music community thinks. Not for nothing when Horowitz returned to Moscow all of the conservatories came to a halt and students physically fought to be able to listen to him. Keep in mind that Russia/Soviet Union in the 20 century was the epicenter of the piano community. Yes some of his recordings are better than others. He was more technically proficient in his earlier years. Horowitz is one of the only pianists who is not exclusively melody oriented but rather brings out the inner melodies in the other hand and voices. Horowitz is amazing.

One would think that after hundreds of years of keyboard playing the art of innovation would hit the wall of diminishing returns but Horowitz is an antidote to that. I am generally concerned though that Horowitz reached a height that might not be met by subsequent pianists.

Absolutely outstanding. The man was a genius!