Horowitz Live and Unedited [includes Bonus DVD]: MusicNear.com

Music CD 1

Toccatas, transcriptions (2) for piano in D minor & C major (BWV 564/565; BBGA 7/3), KiV B29: I. Preludio, quasi improvvisando, Tempo
Toccatas, transcriptions (2) for piano in D minor & C major (BWV 564/565; BBGA 7/3), KiV B29: II. Intermezzo; Adagio
Toccatas, transcriptions (2) for piano in D minor & C major (BWV 564/565; BBGA 7/3), KiV B29: III. Fuga. Moderamente scherzando, un p
Fantasie (Obolen auf Beethovens Monument) for piano in C major, Op. 17: I. Durchaus phantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen
Fantasie (Obolen auf Beethovens Monument) for piano in C major, Op. 17: II. MÃ¤Ã?ig. Durchaus energisch
Fantasie (Obolen auf Beethovens Monument) for piano in C major, Op. 17: III. Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten
Piano Sonata No. 9 ('Black Mass'), Op. 68
PoÃ¨me for piano in F sharp major, Op. 32/1

Music CD 2

Mazurka for piano No. 21 in C sharp minor, Op. 30/4, CT. 71
Etude for piano No. 8 in F major, Op. 10/8, CT. 21
Ballade for piano No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, CT. 2
Children's Corner, suite for piano (or orchestra), L. 113: 3. Serenade for the Doll
Etude for piano in C sharp minor, Op. 2/1
Ã?tudes de virtuositÃ© (15), for piano ('Per Aspera ad Astra'), Op. 72: No. 11 in A flat major
Kinderszenen No. 7 ('TrÃ¤umerei'), for piano, Op. 15/7
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 1. Von fremden LÃ¤ndern und Menschen
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 2. Kuriose Geschichte
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 3. Hasche-Mann
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 4. Bittendes Kind
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 5. GlÃ¼ckes genug
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 6. Wichtige Begebenheit
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 7. TrÃ¤umerei
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 8. Am Kamin
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 9. Ritter vom Steckenpferd
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 10. Fast zu ernst
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 11. FÃ¼rchtenmachen
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 12. Kind im Einschlummern
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) for piano, Op. 15: 13. Der Dichter spricht

Free Music Notes for Horowitz Live and Unedited [includes Bonus DVD]

Free Music Review: Welcome Back, Volodya
Hit: 5 Stars

Thus, the odds were against Horowitz when he stepped on stage to a tumultuous welcome. To deny the fact that his nerves got the better of him during the opening trial-by-fire Bach-Busoni Toccata is to deny reality. Mixed in with the grandeur of Horowitz's conception, and the dazzle of some passages, are numerous slips of finger. This recording serves to illustrate the fact that the merits of live and studio recordings are weighed in different scales. (There exists in RCA's vaults a 1950 studio recording from Horowitz which outdoes the 1965 version both musically and technically, but it has never been released.)

Schumann's Fantasy is given a rich, vibrant, and ardent performance, which recalls the composer's passionate love for Clara Wieck. The first movement features an array of tonal color which Horowitz could never achieve in the recording studio; in the March Horowitz brings to the fore Schumann's almost obsessive dotted rhythms. The most controversial edit of the original LP was during the coda of this march, a treacherous spot for any pianist. The unedited version proves that Horowitz's lapse was not the catastrophe some have claimed, but merely a few brief baubles. The final movement has some of the most moving playing, by turns reflective and exultant, Horowitz ever achieved.

In Scriabin's Sonata No. 9, and Poeme, Horowitz is in his element. Beyond the demonic/erotic temperament required for these works, Horowitz's Scriabin is also notable for its pianistic clarity, architectural solidity, and faithfulness to the score (one can almost take dictation from Horowitz's playing).

Horowitz recorded more Chopin than any other composer. By 1965, Horowitz was long regarded as one of the great Mazurka players, and the Mazurka here (C-sharp Minor) illustrates why. The pianist was able to balance the dance/poetic elements, preventing the Mazurka from sounding either straightjacketed or chaotic. The same can be said of the Etude in F, two minutes of musical ecstasy. Horowitz ended his 1965 program with the Ballade in G-minor, giving a performance which was by turns poetic, soaring, and epic.

The four encores from the 1965 concert demonstrate Horowitz's increased subtlety in the brooding Scriabin Etude, simplicity in the Debussy Serenade and Schumann's Träumerai, and the "old Horowitz" in the rippling Moszkowski Etude.

There is something about the release of this album in unedited form which reveals the recital to be a greater whole than the sum of its parts. Sony should consider further untouched releases from its live catalogue. Despite some overly close microphone placement, this recording captures the unique sound of Horowitz performing in Carnegie Hall (until its acoustics were spoiled in 1986, Horowitz's favorite American concert hall). The remastering has opened up the dynamics, and the piano sound is fuller than in previous issues.