Vladimir Horowitz Live at Carnegie Hall
Release Date: 09/30/2013
Label:
Sony
Catalog #: 548417
Spars Code: DDD
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
Modest Mussorgsky,
Johann Sebastian Bach,
Muzio Clementi,
...
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz,
Mstislav Rostropovich,
Isaac Stern,
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,
...
Conductor:
Arturo Toscanini,
Leonard Bernstein,
Lyndon Woodside,
Eugene Ormandy
Orchestra/Ensemble:
NBC Symphony Orchestra,
New York Philharmonic,
Oratorio Society of New York
Number of Discs: 42
Recorded in: Mixed
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Notes and Editorial Reviews
The Vladimir Horowitz Live at Carnegie Hall box set is the first ever collection of live performances of the legendary pianist’s recordings from Carnegie Hall between 1943 and 1978. The first part of the box set consists of entire recitals, with three previously unreleased performances taken from the Horowitz private collection and four previously unreleased complete recitals from the Sony archives, including Brahms’ Rhapsody in E-flat major, Op. 119, No. 4 and Debussy’s The Little Shepherd. The recitals cover almost his entire career at RCA and Columbia, featuring many legendary performances. Included are the historic concert of April 25, 1943 with Toscanini, the 1953 recital celebrating the 25th anniversary of his American recording debut
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and the “Concert of the Century” from 1976 celebrating the 85th anniversary of Carnegie Hall.
The second part of the box set tells the story of Horowitz’s “Private Collection” of Carnegie Hall recitals starting in 1945 when Horowitz engaged the Carnegie Hall Recording Company to record all his solo recitals at the venue. Finally, Live at Carnegie Hall includes a DVD featuring the first ever release of the famous TV concert “Horowitz on Television.” The concert has not been seen since its last airing on CBS in 1968.
The elegant box, a scale replica of Carnegie Hall, includes a 180-page hardcover book with new liner notes onVladimir Horowitz and his special relationship with Carnegie Hall, a history of the hall, concert brochures and an introduction to the previously unreleased recordings from Horowitz’s Private Collection.
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Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Piano no 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Conductor:
Arturo Toscanini
Orchestra/Ensemble:
NBC Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: Russia
Date of Recording: 04/25/1943
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 31 Minutes 36 Secs.
2.
Pictures at an Exhibition for Piano by Modest Mussorgsky
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1874; Russia
Date of Recording: 04/23/1951
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 29 Minutes 23 Secs.
3.
Toccata in C minor, BWV 911 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1717; Weimar, Germany
Date of Recording: 1/17/1949
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, NYC
5.
Arabeske for Piano in C major, Op. 18 by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1838; Germany
Date of Recording: 1/17/1949
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, NYC
7.
Toccata in C minor, BWV 911 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: circa 1717; Weimar, Germany
Date of Recording: 3/21/1949
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, NYC
Length: 10 Minutes 46 Secs.
32.
Vers la flamme, Op. 72 by Alexander Scriabin
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1914; Russia
Date of Recording: 2/21/1949
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, NYC
45.
Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1897; USA
Date of Recording: 2/21/1949
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, NYC
56.
Toccata for Piano in D minor, Op. 11 by Sergei Prokofiev
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1912; Russia
Date of Recording: 3/20/1950
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, NYC
61.
Blumenstück for Piano in D flat major, Op. 19 by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1839; Germany
Date of Recording: 11/16/1975
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 9 Minutes 36 Secs.
68.
Scherzo for Piano no 1 in B minor, B 65/Op. 20 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1831-1832; Poland
Date of Recording: 11/16/1975
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 8 Minutes 8 Secs.
69.
Children's Corner: no 3, Serenade for the Doll by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1906-1908; France
Date of Recording: 11/16/1975
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 3 Minutes 24 Secs.
70.
Kinderszenen, Op. 15: no 7, Träumerei by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1838; Germany
Date of Recording: 11/16/1975
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 2 Minutes 50 Secs.
91.
Pictures at an Exhibition for Piano by Modest Mussorgsky
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1874; Russia
Date of Recording: 04/02/1948
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y.
Length: 26 Minutes 59 Secs.
92.
Sonata for Piano in B minor, S 178 by Franz Liszt
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1852-1853; Weimar, Germany
Date of Recording: 03/21/1949
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y.
Length: 27 Minutes 25 Secs.
97.
Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: 1708-1717; ?Weimar, Germany
Date of Recording: 05/09/1965
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 17 Minutes 35 Secs.
98.
Phantasie for Piano in C major, Op. 17 by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1836-1838; Germany
Date of Recording: 05/09/1965
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 30 Minutes 45 Secs.
102.
Etudes (12) for Piano, Op. 10: no 8 in F major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1829; Poland
Date of Recording: 05/09/1965
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 2 Minutes 38 Secs.
103.
Ballade for Piano no 1 in G minor, B 66/Op. 23 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1831-1835
Date of Recording: 05/09/1965
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 8 Minutes 51 Secs.
104.
Children's Corner: no 3, Serenade for the Doll by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1906-1908; France
Date of Recording: 05/09/1965
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 3 Minutes 24 Secs.
107.
Kinderszenen, Op. 15: no 7, Träumerei by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1838; Germany
Date of Recording: 05/09/1965
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 2 Minutes 55 Secs.
108.
Sonata for Piano no 11 in A major, K 331 (300i) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: 1781-1783; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 04/17/1966
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 17 Minutes 46 Secs.
111.
Nocturne for Piano in E minor, B 19/Op. 72 no 1 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1827; Poland
Date of Recording: 04/17/1966
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 4 Minutes 50 Secs.
112.
Sonata for Piano no 10, Op. 70 by Alexander Scriabin
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1913; Russia
Date of Recording: 04/17/1966
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 4 Minutes 50 Secs.
113.
Sonata for Keyboard no 38 in F major, H 16 no 23 by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: 1773; Eszterhazá, Hungary
Date of Recording: 11/27/1966
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 13 Minutes 59 Secs.
114.
Blumenstück for Piano in D flat major, Op. 19 by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1839; Germany
Date of Recording: 12/10/1966
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 7 Minutes 34 Secs.
115.
L'isle joyeuse by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1904; France
Date of Recording: 11/27/1966
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 6 Minutes 0 Secs.
117.
Leonore Overture no 3 in C major, Op. 72a by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Conductor:
Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New York Philharmonic
Period: Classical
Written: 1805-1806; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 05/18/1976
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
120.
Dichterliebe, Op. 48 by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano),
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1840; Germany
Date of Recording: 05/18/1976
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Language: German
121.
Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, BWV 1043 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:
Yehudi Menuhin (Violin),
Isaac Stern (Violin)
Conductor:
Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New York Philharmonic
Period: Baroque
Written: 1717-1723; Cöthen, Germany
Date of Recording: 05/18/1976
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
122.
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41: Pater noster by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Conductor:
Lyndon Woodside
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Oratorio Society of New York
Period: Romantic
Written: 1878; Russia
Date of Recording: 05/18/1976
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
123.
Messiah, HWV 56: Hallelujah! by George Frideric Handel
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Conductor:
Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Oratorio Society of New York,
New York Philharmonic
Period: Baroque
Written: 1742; London, England
Date of Recording: 05/18/1976
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
124.
Concerto for Piano no 3 in D minor, Op. 30 by Sergei Rachmaninov
Performer:
Vladimir Horowitz (Piano)
Conductor:
Eugene Ormandy
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New York Philharmonic
Period: Romantic
Written: 1909; Russia
Date of Recording: 01/08/1978
Venue: Live Carnegie Hall, New York City
Length: 43 Minutes 26 Secs.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 2 Customer Reviews )
Horowitz Live at Carnegie Hall (41 CDs, 1 DVD) October 30, 2013
By F. Hu (Alexandria, VA) See All My Reviews
"As a huge Horowitz fan, getting this was a no-brainer. It was worth it alone to get the video of Horowitz on Television, broadcast in September, 1968, which I watched. It was interesting to discover that the broadcast was taken from 2 recitals with the same repertoire and presented in a different order than that of either recital. The collection fills many gaps in my collection of Horowitz recordings and allows me to once again enjoy performances that were on LPs. The booklet of program notes and photos, and the packaging of the entire collection in a Carnegie Hall box enhance the experience."
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THE piano boxed set of 2013 October 8, 2013
By T. Drake (South Euclid, OH) See All My Reviews
"This 41 CD/1 DVD set presents a generous selection of Vladimir Horowitz's appearances at Carnegie Hall from 1943-1978. It includes all Carnegie concerts RCA and Columbia (both now owned by Sony) recorded from 1951-1978. It also contains three complete recitals that were recorded by the Carnegie Hall Recording Company at Horowitz's expense. The pianist donated about 13 of these recitals along with other material to Yale University and they are sometimes referred to as the "Yale concerts." Parts of these concerts have been issued piecemeal since the 1990s and are also compiled here. The 1953 and 1966-1968 recitals are presented unedited for the first time - indeed, everything except the 1976 and 1978 concerts are presented "as-is". In a few cases, the set contains back-to-back performances of Horowitz playing the same program. Of course, Horowitz never played works twice in the same way, so the duplication of repertoire will not faze aficionados. Horowitz's recording career can be divided into five distinct phases; this set covers phases 2-4. Space does not permit a detailed analysis of each performance, so I will give my impressions of each phase: 1943-1953: In this era, technical limitations simply did not exist. But, relaxation is a challenge: the Mozart K. 333 Sonata from 1951 is wound very tightly; there are places where some of the playing is positively brutal - which suits certain pieces such as the Prokofiev Seventh, Kabalevsky Second, and Barber Sonatas (all composers that he dropped after 1953). There are moments of charm, such as Haydn's E-flat sonata (presented twice), but they are relatively rare. The two recordings of Tchaikovsky's First Piano concerto make for fascinating comparison: the 1943 War Bonds performance with Toscanini is very straight; the 1953 performance with Szell is phrased more rhapsodically in the opening movement, while the pianist sounds as if he's been shot from a cannon for the finale's octave torrent. There are only two compositions entirely new to the Horowitz discography: Brahms Rhapsody in E-flat, Op. 119, No. 4, and Debussy's The Little Shepherd from the Children's Corner Suite, both from the 1953 25th Anniversary recital. A sense of unease pervades the opening measures of the Brahms, with several wrong notes - I can see why Horowitz declined to release it. As for the rest of the recital, it's more balanced than I remember. Perhaps it's because the concert is now presented unedited, but there's a greater sense of ebb and flow to the Schubert D. 960 Sonata, while Scriabin Ninth Sonata is satanic, and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 is as thrilling as ever. 1965-1968: This, for me, is Horowitz's true peak. The technique is largely intact, but the interpretations have a new sense of depth and repose, and there is a wider tonal palette - although that may be the result of superior recording technology. Further, the pianist has lost nothing in the way of charisma: it's clear he has the audience in the palms of his hands throughout each recital, even when a string snaps on his piano as happened at the November 24, 1968 recital. Due to the overwhelming demand for tickets, Horowitz repeated the same program several times from the 1960s onward. It's illustrative of Horowitz's spontaneity to compare the pianist's performances of identical works from different concerts. An extreme example is Chopin's Second Sonata: The November 1966 performance is taut and lean in the opening movements, with a haunting funeral march; while the December performance is stately and measured - more restrained (both wisely eschew the first movement repeat that's heard in the 1949 recital). There are several works which are new to Horowitz's stereo discography: Beethoven's Variations in C minor, Mendelsohn's Song without Words, Op. 67, No. 5, and Poulenc's Toccata - all in fine performances that should have been released decades ago. 1975-1978: Here a decline in Horowitz's playing is evident from the get-go. It's clear from the 1975 recitals that the pianist is trying to prove he can still pull off the technical stunts of his youth (and even middle age), which often he can no longer do. While his technique is secure in most of the standard repertoire, from Liszt's By the Source to Chopin's Scherzo in B minor, in certain works - such as Rachmaninoff's Etude Tableau in D and the finale from the Second Sonata - the pianist tries to cover up technical lapses with an overblown, bombastic style. In Schumann's Sonata in F minor (presented twice), Horowitz does not seem to have fully assimilated and internalized the work, and seems to be fighting it rather than playing it - fortunately RCA recorded it again in California several months later as the version issued on LP in 1976 is superb in every respect. That same year, Horowitz made a rare appearance as a chamber performer at the celebration of Carnegie Hall's 85th anniversary. The rendition of the slow movement of Rachmaninoff's Cello Sonata with Rostropovich is about the most beautiful, loving thing you'll ever hear. What a pity they were never persuaded to record the whole piece. The opening movement of the Tchaikovsky trio has moments of greatness as well as lapses of ensemble - along with some unsteady intonation from Isaac Stern. Horowitz brings far more imagination to the piano part of Schumann's Dichterliebe than one normally hears, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was reportedly displeased with the results. While the recitals are presented unedited, the edit the baritone requested in Ich grolle nicht has been retained. Even more substantially edited is the Golden Jubilee performance of Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto from 1978. This was Horowitz's first time playing with an orchestra since 1953, and while there are many beautiful and heartfelt moments, the performance has some rough spots. There are more technical lapses here - even with editing - than later performances with Zubin Mehta (which was televised on NBC) and in Ann Arbor with Ormandy - a stunning performance where Horowitz nearly equals his younger self. For many, the real prize here will be the 1968 mini-recital which was televised by CBS. (Can anyone imagine a major network broadcasting a classical piano recital today? It was a demonstration not only of Horowitz's celebrity, but the larger role Classical music played in America's cultural life at the time). Copies of this recital of variable quality have been circulating privately and on the Internet for decades, and small portions have been shown on various documentaries. This is the first time the entire recital has been remastered from something close to the original videotape. I believe the producers have done all they can with the 45 year old standard definition video tape. The image quality is a bit blurred, and there are occasional signs of wear, but overall it's very watchable. The stereo sound, which has been newly synced from Columbia's master tapes, is superb - a vast improvement over what TV audiences would have heard in 1968 (the original mono soundtrack is included as well). For those only familiar with Lang Lang and a host of other performers who agonize throughout their performances, Horowitz's concentration, economy of motion, and straightforward platform manner will come as a shock. This most aurally flamboyant of performers was a portrait of rectitude visually. Astute listeners will notice several minor differences in Horowitz's performance from the companion LP, Horowitz on Television. The pianist played through his entire recital program twice, along with a few selected retakes after the second concert. The network chose which takes to use primarily on the basis of visual quality, while the takes for the album were chosen for musical reasons. Whatever the differences in detail, the performance is consistently some of the tightest, most disciplined playing I've ever heard from Horowitz - how fortunate a visual document of the recital is now available. Most of the recordings here have been newly remastered. The sound restoration in the 1960s recitals is especially impressive; the listener gets a real sense of hall ambience (along with the occasional subway running underneath the hall). The mono items sound mostly good, although there is one issue with about 30 seconds of heavy surface noise during Liszt's Rákóczy March which stems from the original 78rpm disc. The book includes complete recording information, an essay by producer Jon Samuels about the work that went into remastering the set (reading about the way RCA and Columbia handled Horowitz's recorded legacy will curl your hair), an appreciation by Jed Distler, and a history of Carnegie Hall by Richard Evidon. This last was not particularly interesting to me, as it's obvious Horowitz played so often at Carnegie mostly because it was convenient for him - and judging by the many pirate recordings available, Horowitz tended to be at his best in small college towns like New Haven and Ann Arbor. I hope Sony will issue the remaining Yale recitals before the source material deteriorates further. A release of selected unissued studio material, which has been circulating privately, would also be in order."
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