Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff/Concerto for Piano in Dm; Sonata for Piano No2/Vladimir Horowitz, Pianist

Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Fritz Reiner (Conductor), RCA Victor Orchestra (Orchestra), RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Vladimir Horowitz (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Vladimir Horowitz
• Orchestra: RCA Victor Orchestra, RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Fritz Reiner
• Composer: Sergey Rachmaninov
• Audio CD (August 10, 1989)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003ER1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,155 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #61 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Forms & Genres > Sonatas
  • #74 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Polkas

Track Listings

1. Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36: I. Allegro Agitato

2. Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36: II. Non Allegro - Lento

3. Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36: III. Allegro Molto

4. Moments Musicaux (6) for piano, Op. 16: Moment Musicale Op 16 No.2 in E flat minor

5. Prelude for piano No.16 in G major, Op. 32/5

6. Polka W.R., for piano in A flat major, TN ii/18

7. Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30: No. 1, Allegro ma non tanto

8. Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30: No. 2, Intermezzo: Adagio - attaca subito

9. Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30: No. 3, Finale: Alla breve

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horowitz's Finest Rachmaninoff, April 11, 2000

By 

Hank Drake (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff/Concerto for Piano in Dm; Sonata for Piano No2/Vladimir Horowitz, Pianist (Audio CD)

Vladimir Horowitz made three "official" recordings of Rachmaninoff's formidable Third Concerto. There are wonderful things in the 1930 recording with Coates, but that performance was severely cut. The 1978 version with Ormandy is also marvelous in its own way, but this 1951 studio recording with Reiner is the probably Horowitz's high water mark in this piece. There are a few cuts here, but not as severe as the version with Coates or Rachmaninoff's 1939 recording with Ormandy. Reiner is a sympathetic collaborator and draws some virtuoso playing from the pickup orchestra. The recording balance favors the piano, but Horowitz dazzling virtuosity and clarity deserve to be highlighted. On the whole, this is my favorite Rachmaninoff Third on CD.

The solo pieces were recorded live later in Horowitz's career. Personally, I prefer the lithe, panther-like 1968 recording of the Rachmaninoff Sonata over this brooding version from 1980--but I wouldn't want to be without either recording. The G Major Prelude, recorded in 1977 is more lovingly played here than the more casual 1986 version recorded in Moscow. The E-Flat Minor Moment musical is electrifying in a way that could be only termed Horowitzian. Rachmaninoff's Polka was a favorite Horowitz encore, and his timing of the two "blues" chords in the coda brings a murmur of amusement from the audience. The sound here is a bit hard and airless, but a substantial improvement over the LP.

This album is a must for piano lovers.

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horowitz Electrifies Yet Again, July 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff/Concerto for Piano in Dm; Sonata for Piano No2/Vladimir Horowitz, Pianist (Audio CD)

The legendary Vladimir Horowitz, poet laureate of the piano and beloved cultural icon, here performs his favorite repetoire: Rachmaninoff. This CD has all the "essentials": the intense, difficult and transcendental 2nd Sontata (modeled closely after the 2nd Sonata of Chopin); the lyricism of the smaller pieces: the G major Prelude is made of glimmers and whispers, the Ebm Musical Moment is sad, whirling, complex, and elegiac, and the Polka de V.R. is witty, intelligent, playful, and completely musical. Then we come to the real blockbuster of this CD: the infamous 3rd Concerto in D minor, Op. 30. Horowitz recorded this many times from 1930 to 1978, but the 1951 recording here is the most revered. It has nearly homicidal voltage, an explosion of incredible pianism, beauty, romance, adventure, and nail-biting excitement. Even after many listens, something about this recording leaves you breathless and utterly thrilled. This CD is an excellant testament to Horowitz and Rachmaninoff, and is a must-buy for any lover of good piano music.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horowitz's property, March 23, 2005

By 

C. Pinheiro Jr. (São Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff/Concerto for Piano in Dm; Sonata for Piano No2/Vladimir Horowitz, Pianist (Audio CD)

I'm sorry to contradict the reviewer Oregonscientist, but the 1941 Rach 3 with Barbirolli - AND NOT Martha Argerich's - is the fastest on record. In fact, Horowitz here plays faster than Argerich in all the most virtuosic passages, and much faster in the climactic end. So, it's exactly the opposite of what the reviewer said: Argerich is the one who cannot equal Horowitz's speed and power (not to mention dynamic range, in which Horowitz puts the Argentine pianist to shame), and she knew it: my compatriot Nelson Freire, also a superpianist and one of Argerich's closest friends, once said in an interview that the two of them wouldn't miss a Horowitz concert if they happened to be around and could get a ticket, because they considered him the most extraordinary pianist of all time. And Rach 3 was really Horowitz's property.