Vladimir Horowitz

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Biography

Born: October 1, 1903   Died: November 5, 1989  
A pianist of legendary fame and stature, Vladimir Horowitz was born in Kiev, Ukraine. His mother, herself a professional pianist, provided his first instruction at the piano and was the first to recognize his extraordinary talents; he studied further at the Kiev Conservatory. His first public appearance was a recital in Kiev on May 30, 1920, and in 1922 he gave a series of 15 concerts in Kharkov for which he was paid in food and clothing. Read more Although Russia was still reeling from the revolution of 1917, Horowitz fashioned successful concert tours in major cities such as Moscow, Leningrad, and Kiev -- marking the beginning of a performing career of unflagging and spectacular success.

His first international appearance came with his 1926 trip to Berlin, soon after which followed concerts in Paris, London, and New York. Further appearances in the United States solidified his reputation as an exceptional virtuoso, and the country which was to become his adopted home embraced him warmly. He was invited to the White House to play for President Hoover in 1931, and in 1933 he married Wanda Toscanini -- the daughter of the famous conductor Arturo Toscanini, who would soon conduct Horowitz and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in performances of the Beethoven piano concertos. Horowitz permanently settled in the United States in 1940 and achieved citizenship in 1944.

Wanda Toscanini assumed a gentle stewardship of her new husband, who was in fragile physical and emotional health. Often seized with an irrational fear of failure, Horowitz found the life of touring threatening to his equilibrium. He withdrew from the concert stage for several periods during his life, and made only rare appearances after 1970. When Horowitz did schedule a concert, it often took the persuasive powers of his wife and friends to keep him from canceling at the last minute. His nagging, and often overpowering, insecurity led him to seek shock therapy in 1973, but though he seemed to achieve some benefit from treatment, he was never free of anxiety when playing in public. The one exception to this trend was when he appeared as accompanist to another artist, which he often did with baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and violinist Isaac Stern. Because of his long absences from the concert stage, Horowitz's popularity was largely sustained by his recordings.

Perhaps the most significant single event in Horowitz's long career was his long-overdue return to the Soviet Union (his first since his departure in the 1920s) for a series of concerts in 1986. The resulting tour became a major political event, coinciding as it did with an era of new understanding between the United States and the Soviet Union, and it resonated powerfully with Soviet audiences. Revitalized by the Soviet tour, Horwowitz signed a new contract with Sony; the contract included provisions for recording him at home on his favorite piano. He made his last such recording on November 1, 1989; on November 5 he died of a massive heart attack.

As a performer, Horowitz had huge resources of speed and power, and a clean articulation. His performances were brilliant, exciting, and often mystifying to those who found his technique enigmatic (he played, for instance, with unusually straight fingers, laying them nearly flat on the keys). Though his performances were frequently criticized for their willfulness and self-indulgent nature, there was an undeniable charisma to his playing that endeared him to most everyone who heard him. Read less
Browse 1-25 of 25 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    Ingolf Wunder 300
    Ingolf Wunder 300
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001793002 Release Date: 01/29/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Domenico Scarlatti,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Frédéric Chopin,  Raoul Koczalski  ... 
    Performer:  Ingolf Wunder
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  • 2.
    The Celebrated New York Concerts, Vol. 6
    The Celebrated New York Concerts, Vol. 6
    Label: Cembal D'amour   Catalog: 166 Release Date: 05/15/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Carl Czerny,  Felix Mendelssohn,  Johannes Brahms,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Mordecai Shehori
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  • 3.
    Fantasia / Yuja Wang
    Fantasia / Yuja Wang
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001660602 Release Date: 04/10/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Domenico Scarlatti,  Christoph W. Gluck,  Isaac Albeniz  ... 
    Performer:  Yuja Wang
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  • 4.
    The Art of Transcription II / Risto-Matti Marin
    The Art of Transcription II / Risto-Matti Marin
    Label: Alba   Catalog: 305 Release Date: 05/10/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Vladimir Horowitz,  Alexander Siloti,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Sebastian Fagerlund  ... 
    Performer:  Risto-Matti Marin
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  • 5.
    Liszt: Sonata In B Minor, Dante Sonata; Six Chants Polonais
    Liszt: Sonata In B Minor, Dante Sonata; Six Chants Polonais
    Label: Ivory Classics   Catalog: 79002 Release Date: 01/12/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Liszt,  Vladimir Horowitz
    Performer:  Kevin Fitzgerald
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  • 6.
    Vladimir Horowitz - Greatest Hits
    Vladimir Horowitz - Greatest Hits
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 742200 Release Date: 06/23/2009   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Robert Schumann,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Franz Liszt,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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  • 7.
    The Essential Vladimir Horowitz
    The Essential Vladimir Horowitz
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 741940 Release Date: 04/07/2009   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin,  Robert Schumann,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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  • 8.
    Original Jacket Collection - Vladimir Horowitz Plays Bach, Poulenc, Schumann, Et Al
    Original Jacket Collection - Vladimir Horowitz Plays Bach, Poulenc, Schumann, Et Al
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 731623 Release Date: 10/21/2008   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Johannes Brahms,  Frédéric Chopin,  Franz Liszt  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
    Conductor:  Arturo Toscanini,  Eugene Ormandy
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  NBC Symphony Orchestra,  New York Philharmonic
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  • 9.
    Revolutionary / Cameron Carpenter (Bonus Dvd)
    Revolutionary / Cameron Carpenter (Bonus Dvd)
    Label: Telarc   Catalog: 80711 Release Date: 09/23/2008   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Cameron Carpenter,  Vladimir Horowitz,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Frédéric Chopin  ... 
    Performer:  Cameron Carpenter
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  • 10.
    La Campanella - Favourite Piano Encores / Rapold
    La Campanella - Favourite Piano Encores / Rapold
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 715794 Release Date: 04/29/2008  
    Composer:  Franz Liszt,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Moritz Moszkowski,  Christoph W. Gluck  ... 
    Performer:  Patrick Rapold
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  • 11.
    Masters Of The Piano Roll - The Great Pianists Vol 7 / Vladimir Horowitz
    Masters Of The Piano Roll - The Great Pianists Vol 7 / Vladimir Horowitz
    Label: Dal Segno   Catalog: 23 Release Date: 04/29/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Franz Liszt,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Vladimir Horowitz  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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  • 12.
    Alexander Gavrylyuk Live In Recital
    Alexander Gavrylyuk Live In Recital
    Label: Video Artists International   Catalog: 4357 Release Date: 01/24/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Vladimir Horowitz,  Alexander Scriabin,  Frédéric Chopin,  Sergei Prokofiev  ... 
    Performer:  Alexander Gavrylyuk
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  • 13.
    Expanded Edition - Vladimir Horowitz - Favorite Encores
    Expanded Edition - Vladimir Horowitz - Favorite Encores
    Label: Sony Classical Masterworks   Catalog: 93075 Release Date: 02/24/2004   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin,  Claude Debussy,  Vladimir Horowitz,  Moritz Moszkowski  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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  • 14.
    Horowitz - Legendary Rca Recordings
    Horowitz - Legendary Rca Recordings
    Label: Rca Victor Red Seal   Catalog: 56052 Release Date: 11/04/2003   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Alexander Scriabin,  Robert Schumann,  Domenico Scarlatti,  Sergei Rachmaninov  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
    Conductor:  Fritz Reiner,  Arturo Toscanini
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra,  NBC Symphony Orchestra
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  • 15.
    In The Hands Of The Master / Vladimir Horowitz
    In The Hands Of The Master / Vladimir Horowitz
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 93039 Release Date: 09/30/2003   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Domenico Scarlatti,  Alexander Scriabin,  Frédéric Chopin,  Muzio Clementi  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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  • 16.
    Homage To Horowitz / Valery Kuleshov
    Homage To Horowitz / Valery Kuleshov
    Label: Bis   Catalog: 1188 Release Date: 10/30/2001   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Philip Sousa,  Camille Saint-Saëns,  Modest Mussorgsky,  Franz Liszt  ... 
    Performer:  Valery Kuleshov
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  • 17.
    Rca Red Seal Century - Soloists & Conductors
    Rca Red Seal Century - Soloists & Conductors
    Label: Rca Victor Red Seal   Catalog: 63861 Release Date: 10/23/2001   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Sir William Walton,  Franz Schubert,  Gaetano Donizetti,  Aaron Copland  ... 
    Performer:  Julian Bream,  Richard Stoltzman,  Richard Goode,  Hugh Porter  ... 
    Conductor:  Günter Wand,  Arturo Toscanini,  Michael Tilson Thomas,  Leopold Stokowski  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Cologne West German Radio Symphony Orchestra,  NBC Symphony Orchestra,  San Francisco Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 18.
    Piano Transcriptions / Arcadi Volodos
    Piano Transcriptions / Arcadi Volodos
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 62691 Release Date: 07/01/1997   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Sergei Prokofiev  ... 
    Performer:  Arcadi Volodos
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  • 19.
    A Night At The Opera / Matti Raekallio
    A Night At The Opera / Matti Raekallio
    Label: Ondine   Catalog: 834 Release Date: 05/30/1997   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Liszt,  Christoph W. Gluck,  Johannes Brahms,  Richard Wagner  ... 
    Performer:  Matti Raekallio
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  • 20.
    Horowitz Vol Iv - The Legendary 1968 Tv Concert
    Horowitz Vol Iv - The Legendary 1968 Tv Concert
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 53465 Release Date: 06/14/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Vladimir Horowitz,  Robert Schumann,  Alexander Scriabin,  Domenico Scarlatti  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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  • 21.
    Horowitz - The Complete Masterworks Recordings, 1962-1973
    Horowitz - The Complete Masterworks Recordings, 1962-1973
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 53456 Release Date: 10/05/1993   Number of Discs: 13
    Composer:  Domenico Scarlatti,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Nikolai Medtner,  Alexander Scriabin  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
    CD: $233.49
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  • 22.
    Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition, Etc / Horowitz
    Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition, Etc / Horowitz
    Label: Rca Victor Gold Seal   Catalog: 60526 Release Date: 03/10/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Modest Mussorgsky,  Alexander Scriabin,  Vladimir Horowitz,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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  • 23.
    A Portrait Of Vladimir Horowitz
    A Portrait Of Vladimir Horowitz
    Label: Cbs Masterworks   Catalog: 44797 Release Date: 10/25/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Vladimir Horowitz,  Robert Schumann,  Alexander Scriabin,  Moritz Moszkowski  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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  • 24.
    Favorite Encores / Vladimir Horowitz
    Favorite Encores / Vladimir Horowitz
    Label: Cbs Masterworks   Catalog: 42305 Release Date: 10/25/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin,  Alexander Scriabin,  Robert Schumann,  Franz Schubert  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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  • 25.
    Horowitz Encores
    Horowitz Encores
    Label: Rca Victor Gold Seal   Catalog: 7755 Release Date: 02/22/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Philip Sousa,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Franz Liszt,  Robert Schumann  ... 
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
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