Horowitz Plays Scarlatti [Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

Domenico Scarlatti (Composer), Vladimir Horowitz (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Vladimir Horowitz
• Composer: Domenico Scarlatti
• Audio CD (September 30, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000CF32K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,121 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Horowitz, November 5, 2006

By 

B. Ballard "benballard" (Somerville, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Horowitz Plays Scarlatti (Audio CD)

This CD was previously released as Sony Classical's Horowitz The Complete Masterworks Recordings - Volume II The Celebrated Scarlatti Recordings. It was superb then, and this new album cover is nicer.

If you are a fan of Horowitz, then this is essential. Many of Horowitz's other albums open with a few Scarlatti sonatas, which was how I found that I loved Scarlatti. In particular, I would recommend "Discovered Treasures", which consists of previously unreleased Horowitz recordings which were left off his previous Columbia albums, including six Scarlatti sonatas.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So, that's what it was about the great fuss over Horowitz., November 7, 2007

By 

Abel "AMY" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horowitz Plays Scarlatti (Audio CD)

A landmark album. The leaflet accompanying the CD is also a landmark piece of article.
I agree that if Horowitz did not play anything else worthwhile, he would still unmistakably be remembered for his Domenico Scarlatti.
There are younger pianists nowadays playing Scarlatti, even the ENTIRE set of Scarlatti sonatas.
The value of this album lies not on quantity - it is by no means the complete set, but each single piece is played to such incomparable and exemplary level that you really need go no further for marvellous Scarlatti.
Some modern pianists play very decent Scarlatti - Ivo Pogorelich, for instance. Horowitz however should be accredited for being the pioneer of this composer's keyboard works, and this pioneer had by the same token set the standard for such pieces.
Who else could that person be but Horowitz?

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome performance - should have left off the extra tracks, December 8, 2007

By 

Andy G. "Andy G." (Fort Collins, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Horowitz Plays Scarlatti (Audio CD)

I bought this CD after watching Olga Kern perform several Scarlatti sonatas at a phenominal 3-standing-ovation concert. She hasn't recorded those sonatas yet, so this was the closest recording I could find.

The performance and the recording are both exceptional. I sampled just about every other performance of Scarlatti I could find on-line before picking this CD and was not disappointed. It is an older recording, so it's not quite as clean and hiss-free as a newer DDD, but it's still very, very good and Horowitz is so good you'll be mesmerized by the fast and flawless expression of some wonderful music.

This music is fast - very fast, and there's lots going on with different themes moving up and down and in and out. It's hard to believe this can be played with less than 3 hands. With Horowitz playing, you hear it all, and just go WOW.

There's a couple of extra tracks at the end of the CD which should have been left off - there's someone in the audience coughing, and it's distracting enough that I just skip these when listening.