Horowitz Live and Unedited [includes Bonus DVD]
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Free Music Notes for Horowitz Live and Unedited [includes Bonus DVD]
Free Music Review: What's the Big Deal?
Hit: 5 Stars
The fuss that some fans of the late Vladimir Horowitz have been making about this newly issued "unedited" version of the celebrated May 9, 1965 recital (in which the pianist made his first public appearance in 12 years) is perplexing. In the accompanying booklet, Sony states only that the original LP release, which has been available on CD for more than 10 years, "included a number of unacknowledged edits to correct errors and imperfections."
By choosing not to be more specific, Sony has thus tacitly invited buyers to make phrase-by-phrase comparisons. More importantly, they are explicitly promising Horowitz fans that if they buy this three disc set they will get something important they didn't get the first time they bought it. But the only REALLY new things in this set are a bonus DVD containing outtakes from the film, "Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic" and re-mastered sound that is an improvement upon the original
Sony claims that the "edits [on the original release] have always been the subject of controversy." But the only important edit on the original release was made in the coda of the second movement of the Schumann Fantasy, in which about a minute before the end of the movement Horowitz lost control of the piece for a few seconds. This was no big deal. Most pianists fear this coda - its wide, fast leaps in contrary motion in both hands make it one of the most dangerous places in the repertory -- and often let their intimidation adversely affect their motor skills. Horowitz was no exception, but he recovered and finished the coda. The performance was issued with the coda corrected from the patch session at Carnegie a few days later.
Otherwise, it seems that one would need a microscope to discover any significant differences between the performances. Both edited and "unedited" releases contain the pianist's clunkers in the Bach-Busoni Toccata in C and the unfortunate sneeze from someone in the audience that came at one of the quietest moments in the dream-like, rapturous third movement of the Schumann.
Horowitz's Carnegie Hall Return Concert contains some of this pianist's best playing. But those who claim to hear revelations in the "Live and Unedited" version, missing from the edited one, are kidding themselves,
Free Music Review: Insert Here Any Superlative You Can Think Of
Hit: 5 Stars
For those of you who don't enjoy reading long drawn-out reviews: This is the best CD set I could possibly imagine buying before I bought it. After I bought it, I wept twice in the first listening of just the second disc. The Chopin recordings on this disc are simply legendary, definitive, and indescribably beautiful.Horowitz out-did even himself at this concert. Sure, wow, wrong notes, even in the first couple measures. Who cares. You had better not. I noticed two exposed wrong notes in my first listen of this disc. It is by far the best CD set I own.
Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major: Sure, wrong note. Grand. I'm not too large a fan of this piece, but, regardless, if you like Bach, you like Horowitz for this recording.
Fantasy in C Major: True to its title, this performance was indeed fantastic. Horowitz is acclaimed most for his different tones on the piano. Let me tell you, that is for a reason.
Scriaban: I, personally, do not like Scriaban. An acquired taste. If you do like him, however, you will by all means enjoy these two recordings of the Black Mass Sonata and the Poeme in F-sharp Major.
The Chopin: The Mazurka is the greatest mazurka recording I have ever heard, period. The Etude is technically flawless and musically flawless. The Ballade. One of my favorite pieces of all time. This is my favorite recording, simply. It is quite, quite unbelievable. I wept. Every theme Chopin includes, Horowitz includes with care. This piece is one that takes a long long long time to figure out. Musically, it is one of the hardest. Horowitz seems to finally understand it after having played it for almost forty years undoubtedly. I have heard roughly 10 or 12 recordings of this piece, and Horowitz's trumps all.
The encores: Debussy, Scriaban, Moszkowski are all wonderful in their own right, but Traumerei is practically Horowitz's child. People in the audience were weeping when they heard this piece. I went in with the intention of not weeping, and failed miserably. It is the singly most beautiful performance I have ever heard.
Buy this set. You will absolutely not regret it.
Free Music Review: As much a historical artifact as an album.
Hit: 5 Stars
This realization is a necessity for anyone who is, and isn't, familiar with this legendary concert.It can be argued that Vladimir Horowitz presented two of the most important recitals of the 20th century, 1986 in Moscow, and this one, his Carnegie Hall comeback concert. May 9, 1965.
What makes this release so important is the fact that this is the first time that this performance is presented fully restored and unedited. That is what makes this album as much a historical artical as album since there have been numerous accounts written about this concert.
It is shocking to hear this concert as it becomes quite apparent that Horowitz' performance of the Bach-Busoni Toccata in C and the Schumann Fantasy were both heavily edited. In the original release of the cocnert, the opening runs in the Toccata are much slower and more crisp. In addition, at the end of the 2nd movement of the Schumann, Horowitz makes some glaring mistakes and almost loses all control.
Almost all accounts of this concert talk about the atmospere and mood surrounding this performance. Electricity was in the air, as well as volumes of nervous energy. No one knew what was going to happen in this concert as it was well known that Horowitz was extremely nervous. The general feeling documented was that Horowitz survived the first half of the program (Bach-Busoni and Schumann) and in doing so, was born again.
A discerning lister will be able to sense this mood and can tell how nervous Horowitz is in his playing (especially during the first movement of the Bach-Busoni). In my opinion, you can hear his confidence grow as the concert progresses, which makes the finale, the Chopin Ballade in G Minor, all the more exciting!
There is no real way to place a rating on this album in terms of stars. It just could be the most important classical release in the past 20 years.
Free Music Review: Just the Facts...
Hit: 5 Stars
This is not a review per se. My review is elsewhere on this page. But I wanted to follow-up and correct a few errors, which have been circulated in regard to this recording.First, the corrections used on the original version of Horowitz at Carnegie Hall were not made at a "patch session at Carnegie a few days" after the concert. Columbia's engineers had already recorded Horowitz's rehearsals and used that material for the editing.
Second, the editing in the album was neither as extensive as some have suggested, nor as insignificant as the anonymous reviewer from Baltimore states.
Here is a (mostly) complete list of the patches on the original album, which have been removed from this new edition:
Bach-Busoni: Preludio: Measures 2-12 and parts of the coda (Horowitz, by the way, does not play the ossias at bars 8, 10, and 12); Intermezzo: Small patches at bars 7 and 11; Fugue: Several edits between bars 97 and 110, and again in the coda.
Schumann Fantasy: 1st Movement: patches at 7:32 and 10:21; 2nd Movement: small patches at 2:44 and 4:32, and a series of patches in the coda 6:58-7:39; 3rd Movement: No edits.
Scriabin: Sonata No 9: No Edits. Poem in F-sharp: Patch from 2:16-2:26
Chopin: Mazurka: Small edit at 2:02; Etude: Patched sections from 1:27-1:33 and 2:15-2:20; Ballade: Small edits at 2:04 and 4:52, at least four patches in the coda.
None of the encores were edited.
Patched or not, the 1965 return concert contains some stunning piano playing. Can anyone imagine the pressure Horowitz was under on that day? To prove you have not just retained your original greatness, but have deepened and become even greater cannot have been easy. The new, unedited version of the concert is not a revelation, but serves as a reminder of Horowitz's all too human frailty.
Free Music Review: What are you waiting for?
Hit: 5 Stars
For quite some time now, this historic album/concert has been selling for about 25% of list price through Amazon's used sellers. At that price, it becomes an absolute necessity - a steal - a MUST hear for anyone who enjoys the piano as a musician or listener.
Forget the quibbles about Horowitz "derailing" in the opening Busoni-Bach. It makes the musicianship that comes later even more impressive, inspiring, and moving. Not to mention human.
I am one of those rare pianists who found Horowitz' playing inhuman - in the sense that it is technically brilliant, yet steely; lacking warmth and at times way too idiosyncratic. Listening to the second disc in this set is to hear playing by a titan of the keyboard - this is the sound of the "legendary" Horowitz.
Rubinstein famously said that while Horowitz was the better pianist, he (Rubinstein) was the better musician. Yet on disc two Horowitz gives Rubinstein a run for his money. I would argue that Horowitz, whose playing descended to levels of self-awareness and self-parody in the 70s, did not regain the lightness and humanity on display here until some of his final recordins for DG. (Note: The epochal disc Horowitz In Moscow Horowitz in Moscow seems to be selling for around $2 used on amazon today. If you love the piano you need this disc in your library.)
You, and your music library, deserve this live Carnegie Hall set. I doubt that we'll hear playing like this ever again.