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{{Short description|Russian and American pianist (1903–1989)}}
'''Vladimir Horowitz''' (]: Владимир Самойлович Горовиц) (], ] (or ])–], ]) was a ] ]. His use of colors, technique and the excitement of his playing are by many thought to be unrivalled, and his performances of works as diverse as those of ] and ] were equally legendary. Detractors are quick to point out that his output is uniformly "Horowitzian" and sometimes mannered, and often too much so to be true to the composer's intentions. Even so, he has a huge and passionate following and is generally regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time.
{{Infobox person
| name = Vladimir Horowitz
| image = HorowitzBain.jpg
| caption = Horowitz, date unknown
| birth_name = Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz
| birth_date = {{birth date |1903|10|01}}
| birth_place = ], ]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1989|11|05|1903|10|01}}
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| citizenship = {{ubl|U.S. (naturalized in 1944)}}
| resting_place = ]
| spouse = {{marriage|]|1933|<!-- Omission per Template:Marriage instructions -->}}
| children = 1
| signature = Horowitz Signature.png
}}
{{family name hatnote|Samoylovich|Horowitz|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
<!-- Infobox is optional, per discussions at ] -->'''Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz'''{{refn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɒr|ə|v|ɪ|t|s}}; {{langx|ru|Владимир Самойлович Горовиц|Vladimir Samoylovich Gorovits}}; {{langx|yi|וולאַדימיר סאַמוילאָוויטש האָראָוויץ}}|group=n}} ({{OldStyleDate|October 1|1903|September 18}}{{spaced ndash}}November 5, 1989) was a Russian<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 7, 1989 |title=Obituries: Vladimir Horowitz |work=] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109193649/the-daily-telegraph/ |access-date=September 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908194512/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109193649/the-daily-telegraph/ |archive-date=September 8, 2022 |via=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Folkart |first=Burt A. |date=November 6, 1989 |title=World-Renowned Pianist Vladimir Horowitz Dies |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-06-mn-682-story.html |access-date=September 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908193907/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-06-mn-682-story.html |archive-date=September 8, 2022 |quote= Born in Kiev, Russia, on Oct. 1, 1904, Horowitz was the youngest of four children of Simeon and Sophie Horowitz |via=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 6, 1989 |title='Controlled thunder' is gone: Horowitz's death takes the last link |work=] |agency=] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109193375/the-peninsula-times-tribune/ |access-date=September 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908195805/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109193375/the-peninsula-times-tribune/ |archive-date=September 8, 2022 |via=]}}</ref> and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time,<ref name="Limelight2012">{{Cite web |last=Merson |first=Francis |date=2012-07-05 |title=The 10 Greatest Pianists of All Time – 2. Vladimir Horowitz (1903–1989) |url=http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/306444,the-10-greatest-pianists-of-all-time.aspx/9 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418145354/http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/306444,the-10-greatest-pianists-of-all-time.aspx/9 |archive-date=2014-04-18 |access-date=2014-09-05 |website=Limelight |publisher=Arts Illuminated Pty Ltd |page=9}}</ref><ref>Time. Michael Walsh, , July 21, 2008. Retrieved on June 3, 2009.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The 20 Greatest Pianists of all time|url=https://www.classical-music.com/features/artists/20-greatest-pianists-all-time/|access-date=2021-10-24|website=Classical Music|language=en|archive-date=2022-05-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511082413/https://www.classical-music.com/features/artists/20-greatest-pianists-all-time/|url-status=live}}</ref> he was known for his ] technique, ], and the public excitement engendered by his playing.<ref>Dubal, 1989</ref>


==Life and early career==
]
]
Horowitz was born on October 1, 1903, in ], then in the ] (now ]).<ref name="schonberg">Schonberg, 1992.</ref> According to ], Horowitz was born in ],<ref>Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Eight Edition, page 798 (Scribner Books, New York, 1982).</ref> a city near ] in the ]. However, his birth certificate states that Kiev was his birthplace.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 September – 3 October 2003 |script-title=ru:Полновластный король, вечный странник-артист... |url=http://www.interesniy.kiev.ua/znamenitye-kievlyane/lyudi-iskusstva/vladimir-gorovits/polnovlastniy-korol-vechniy-strannik-artist |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018001822/http://www.interesniy.kiev.ua/znamenitye-kievlyane/lyudi-iskusstva/vladimir-gorovits/polnovlastniy-korol-vechniy-strannik-artist/ |archive-date=October 18, 2011 |access-date=2011-12-30 |website=Interesting Kiev |publisher=Interesniy.kiev.ua |language=ru}} (Title translation: "Sovereign king, an eternal wanderer-artist...")</ref>


He was the youngest of four children of Samuil Horowitz and Sophia (''née'' Bodik), who were ]. His father was a well-to-do electrical engineer and a distributor of electric motors for German manufacturers. His grandfather Joachim was a merchant (and an arts-supporter), belonging to the First Merchant's Guild, which exempted him from having to reside in the ]. In order to make him appear too young for military service so as not to risk damaging his hands, Samuil took a year off his son's age by claiming that he was born in 1904. The 1904 date appeared in many reference works during Horowitz's lifetime.{{cn|date=October 2024}}
==Life and career==


His uncle Alexander was a pupil and close friend of ].<ref>Bowers, Faubion. ''Scriabin, a Biography'' p,. 82.</ref> When Horowitz was 10, it was arranged for him to play for Scriabin, who told his parents that he was extremely talented.<ref>Chotzinoff, Samuel (1964). ''A Little Nightmusic'', p. 36. Harper & Row.</ref>
It was long believed that Horowitz was born in ] in the ], but it now seems that he was born in in ]. Horowitz had ] lessons from an early age, initially from his mother, who was herself a professional pianist. In ] he entered the ] Conservatory, leaving in ], and playing the ] of ] at his graduation. His first solo recital followed in ].


Horowitz received piano instruction from an early age, initially from his mother, who was herself a pianist. In 1912 he entered the ], where he was taught by Vladimir Puchalsky, ], and ]. His first solo recital was in ] in 1920.{{cn|date=October 2024}}
His star rapidly rose &mdash; he soon began to tour ] (where he was often paid with bread, butter and liquor rather than money due to the country's economic hardships), and in ] made his first appearance outside his home country, in ]. He later played in ], ] and ], and it was in the ] that he eventually settled in ]. He became a United States citizen in ].


Horowitz soon began to tour Russia and the ], where he was often paid with bread, butter and chocolate rather than money, due to the economic hardship caused by the ].<ref name="plaskin">Plaskin, 1983, pp. 52, 56, 338–37, 353.</ref> During the 1922–23 season, he performed 23 concerts of eleven different programs in ] alone.<ref name=plaskin/> Despite his early success as a pianist, he maintained that he wanted to be a composer and undertook a career as a pianist only to help his family, who had lost their possessions in the ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holland |first=Bernard |date=November 6, 1989 |title=Vladimir Horowitz, Titan of the Piano, Dies |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/06/obituaries/vladimir-horowitz-titan-of-the-piano-dies.html |access-date=2010-03-18 |archive-date=2019-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202231035/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/06/obituaries/vladimir-horowitz-titan-of-the-piano-dies.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Career in the US===


In December 1925, Horowitz emigrated to Germany, ostensibly to study with ] in Berlin but secretly intending not to return. He stuffed American dollars and British pound notes into his shoes to finance his initial concerts.<ref>Horowitz interview with Charles Kuralt, CBS News Sunday Morning</ref>
In ] he played for the first time with the ] ] in a performance of ] ] (the ''Emperor'' concerto). The two went on to appear together many times, both on stage and on record. In ], Horowitz married ], the conductor's daughter.


==Career in the West==
Despite receiving rapturous receptions at his recitals, Horowitz became increasingly unsure of his abilities as a pianist. Several times he withdrew from public performances, and it is said that on several occasions, the only thing that stopped him from cancelling recitals at the last moment was the persuasiveness of his wife. After ] he gave solo recitals only rarely.
On December 18, 1925, Horowitz made his first appearance outside his home country, in ].<ref>. Horowitz Berlin. {{Subscription required}}</ref> He later played in ], ], and ]. In 1926, the ] selected Horowitz to join the delegation of pianists that were to represent the country at the ] in ] in 1927, but he decided to remain in the West and did not participate.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moshevich |first=Sofia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6phqd3BvJwIC&q=%22Dmitri+Shostakovich,+Pianist%22&pg=PA49 |title=Dmitri Shostakovich, Pianist |publisher=] |year=2004 |isbn=0-7735-2581-5 |location=Montreal |page=49 |access-date=2015-11-08 |archive-date=2023-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318062350/https://books.google.com/books?id=6phqd3BvJwIC&q=%22Dmitri+Shostakovich,+Pianist%22&pg=PA49 |url-status=live }}</ref>


Horowitz gave his United States debut on January 12, 1928, in ]. He played ]'s ] under the direction of ], who was also making his U.S. debut. Horowitz later said that he and Beecham had divergent ideas about tempos and that Beecham was conducting the score "from memory and he didn't know" the piece.<ref>Videotaped interview, 1982, intermission feature from London recital</ref> Horowitz's rapport with his audience was phenomenal. ], writing for '']'', was critical about the tug of war between conductor and soloist, but credited Horowitz with both a beautiful singing tone in the second movement and a tremendous technique in the finale, calling his playing a "tornado unleashed from the steppes".<ref>Downes, Olin. ''The New York Times'', January 13, 1928.</ref> In this debut performance, Horowitz demonstrated a marked ability to excite his audience, an ability he maintained for his entire career. Downes wrote: "it has been years since a pianist created such a furor with an audience in this city." In his review of Horowitz's solo recital, Downes characterized the pianist's playing as showing "most if not all the traits of a great interpreter."<ref>Downes, Olin. ''The New York Times'', February 21, 1928.</ref> In 1933, he played for the first time with the conductor ] in a performance of ] ]. Horowitz and Toscanini went on to perform together many times, on stage and in recordings. Horowitz settled in the U.S. in 1939 and became an American citizen in 1944.<ref name="Encyclopedia.com"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318062345/https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-history-composers-and-performers-biographies/vladimir-horowitz#A |date=2023-03-18 }}, accessed ''15 January 2010''</ref> He made his television debut in a concert taped at Carnegie Hall on February 1, 1968, and broadcast nationwide by CBS on September 22 of that year.
Horowitz made many recordings, starting in ] upon his arrival in the United States and ending right before his death in ]. His early recordings were made for ], the most notable of which is his ] recording of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with ] and the ], the first known recording of that piece. In the ] and ], Horowitz recorded for ]. During this period, he made his first recording of the ] ]. After ], when Horowitz went into retirement, he made a number of acclaimed recordings at home, including discs of ] and ].


Despite rapturous receptions at recitals, Horowitz became increasingly unsure of his abilities as a pianist. On several occasions, the pianist had to be pushed onto the stage.<ref name=plaskin/> He suffered from depression and withdrew from public performances from 1936 to 1938, 1953 to 1965, 1969 to 1974, and 1983 to 1985.
In ], Horowitz began recording for ], and it is these recording which are his most famous. The most famous among them is his ] return concert at ] and his ] performance from his television special, Horowitz on TV, featuring Scriabin's ] and Horowitz's own ''Variations on a Theme from Bizet's Carmen'', the most famous of his piano transcriptions along with the ''Stars and Stripes Forever''. From ] until ], all of Horowitz's recordings were done live.


===The last years=== ===Recordings===
{{See also|Vladimir Horowitz discography}}
]
{{external media | float = right | width = 270px | audio1 = You may hear Vladimir Horowitz performing ] "Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major" with ] conducting the ] in 1940. }}


In 1926, Horowitz performed on several ]s at the ] studios in ], Germany. His first recordings were made in the United States for the ] in 1928. Horowitz's first European-produced recording, made in 1930 by ], RCA Victor's UK based affiliate, was of ]'s ] with ] and the ], the world premiere recording of that piece. Through 1936, Horowitz continued to make recordings in the UK for HMV of solo piano repertoire, including his 1932 account of ] ]. Beginning in 1940, Horowitz's recording activity was again concentrated for RCA Victor in the US. That year, he recorded ], and in 1941, the ], both with Toscanini and the ]. In 1959, RCA Victor issued a live 1943 performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto with Horowitz and Toscanini; generally considered superior to the 1941 studio recording, it was selected for induction into the ]. During Horowitz's second retirement, which began in 1953, he made a series of recordings for RCA Victor in his New York City townhouse, including ] of ] and ]. Horowitz's first stereo recording, issued by RCA Victor in 1959, was devoted to Beethoven piano sonatas.
]


In 1962, Horowitz embarked on a series of recordings for ]. The best known are his 1965 return concert at ] and a 1968 recording from his television special, ''Vladimir Horowitz: a Concert at Carnegie Hall'', televised by ]. Horowitz continued making studio recordings, including a 1969 recording of ] '']'', which was awarded the Prix Mondial du Disque.
After another brief retirement from ] until ] (he was playing in a drugged state and as a result, memory lapses and loss of physical control occurred during his tour of America and Japan), Horowitz returned to recording and occasional concertizing. In ], Horowitz made a return to the ] to give a series of concerts in ] and ]. In the new atmosphere of communication and understanding between the USSR and the USA, these concerts were seen as events of some political, as well as musical, significance. The Moscow concert was recorded and released, entitled ''Horowitz in Moscow''.


In 1975, Horowitz returned to RCA and made live recordings for the company until 1983. He signed with ] in 1985, and made studio and live recordings until 1989, including his only recording of Mozart's ]. Four documentary films featuring Horowitz were made during this period, including the telecast of his April 20, 1986 Moscow recital. His final recording, for ] (formerly Columbia), was completed four days before his death and consisted of repertoire he had never previously recorded.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schonberg |first=Harold C. |date=April 22, 1990 |title=Recordings; Horowitz's Parting Gift: Charming Novelties |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/22/arts/recordings-horowitz-s-parting-gift-charming-novelties.html |access-date=2010-03-18 |archive-date=2011-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218093640/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/22/arts/recordings-horowitz-s-parting-gift-charming-novelties.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Vladimir Horowitz died in ] of a ]. He was buried in the Toscanini family tomb in ], ], ]. His body was rumored to have been buried along with a book Hanon's piano excercises, because according to Horowitz, "I never want to do anything without warming up; that includes dying." Horowitz was 86.


All of Horowitz's recordings have been issued on compact disc, some several times. In the years following Horowitz's death, CDs were issued containing previously unreleased performances. These included selections from Carnegie Hall recitals recorded privately for Horowitz from 1945 to 1951.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sony Masterworks to Release Unprecedented Series of Horowitz Recordings... |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-masterworks-to-release-unprecedented-series-of-horowitz-recordings-documenting-legendary-pianists-greatest-years-as-an-interpretive-artist-78539857.html |access-date=2010-03-18 |publisher=] |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172729/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-masterworks-to-release-unprecedented-series-of-horowitz-recordings-documenting-legendary-pianists-greatest-years-as-an-interpretive-artist-78539857.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Repertoire and technique==


===Students===
Horowitz is best known for his performances of the romantic repertoire, with his six recordings of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Franz Liszt's '']'' being particularly highly acclaimed. He is also famous for his transcriptions, the most extensive being the complete rewriting of the piano version of ]'s '']'' and the most exciting being the impossibly difficult transcription of Liszt's ''Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2''. Towards the end of the Friska section of this piece, Horowitz appears to have three hands as he combines all the themes of the piece resulting in a fantastic finale. He only recorded it once in 1953 for his 25th anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall and he said, "it is probably the hardest piece I have ever played." Other transcriptions of note are his ''Variations on a Theme from Bizet's Carmen'' and of course, Sousa's ''Stars and Stripes Forever''. Audiences would not let him leave the concert hall until he played his "scoring" of this piece. Later in life, he abstained from playing it altogether, as he said "the audience would forget the concert and only remember Stars and Stripes, you know." Other well-known recordings include works by Schumann, Scriabin, Chopin and Schubert. He did much to champion contemporary Russian music, giving the American premieres of ]'s ], ] and ] piano ]s. He also premiered ]'s Piano Sonata.
Horowitz taught seven students between 1937 and 1962: ] (1937),<ref name="Zentralbibliothek_Zurich">{{Cite web |title=Kaufmann, Nico (1916–1996) |url=https://www.zb.uzh.ch/spezialsammlungen/musikabteilung/nachlaesse/einzelne-nachlaesse/003594/index.html.de |access-date=24 July 2018 |website=Zentralbibliothek Zürich |language=de |archive-date=25 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725063720/https://www.zb.uzh.ch/spezialsammlungen/musikabteilung/nachlaesse/einzelne-nachlaesse/003594/index.html.de |url-status=live }}</ref> ] (1944–1948), ] (1953–1955), ] (1956–1958), ] (1957–1963), ] (1960–1962) and ] (1961–1962).<ref>Plaskin, Glenn (1983), p. 10 "interviews with all six of Horowitz's students: Gary Graffman, Byron Janis, Ivan Davis, Ronald Turini, Coleman Blumfield, and Alexander Fiorillo"</ref> Janis described his relationship to Horowitz during that period as a surrogate son, and he often traveled with Horowitz and his wife during concert tours. Davis was invited to become one of Horowitz's students after receiving a call from him the day after he won the Franz Liszt Competition.<ref name="pl">Plaskin, Glenn (1983), p. 305 "...he also won the Franz Liszt Competition and received a surprise phone call from Horowitz the day after the announcement. ...with 60 concerts planned for his first cross-country tour and a CBS record contract, Davis intrigued Horowitz."</ref> At the time, Davis had a contract with Columbia Records and a national tour planned.<ref name=pl/> According to biographer Glenn Plaskin, Horowitz claimed that he had only taught three students during that period, saying "Many young people say they have been pupils of Horowitz, but there were only three: Janis, Turini, who I brought to the stage, and Graffman. If someone else claims it, it's not true. I had some who played for me for four months. Once a week. I stopped work with them because they did not progress." Plaskin remarks: "The fact that Horowitz disavowed most of his students and blurred the facts regarding their periods of study says something about the erratic nature of his personality during that period."<ref name="pla">Plaskin, Glenn (1983), p. 300</ref> Horowitz returned to coaching in the 1980s, working with ], who already had an established career, and ].


== Personal life ==
He was sometimes accused of self indulgence in his performances, but his extravagances were always well received by his audiences. Indeed, there are "bravo!"s in all his recorded live performances. He is most famous for his ] technique; his scales in octaves move so rapidly his hands appear a blur. He had an unusual technique, playing with very straight fingers and low wrists. The little finger of his right hand was always curled tight until it needed to play a note, and as Harold Schonberg rightly put it, "it was like a strike of a cobra".
In 1933, in a civil ceremony, Horowitz married ], ]'s daughter. Although Horowitz was Jewish and Wanda was Catholic, this was not an issue, because neither of them was religiously observant. Because Wanda knew no Russian and Horowitz knew very little Italian, their primary language was French.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Walsh |first=Michael |date=2005-06-21 |title=Vladimir Horowitz: The Prodigal Returns |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1075118-7,00.html |access-date=2024-06-20 |magazine=Time |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X}}</ref>


Horowitz was close to his wife, who was one of the few people from whom Horowitz would accept a critique of his playing, and she stayed with Horowitz when he refused to leave the house during a period of depression.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZm7OW3ufbc | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/eZm7OW3ufbc| archive-date=2021-11-18 | url-status=live|title=Horowitz TV Interview 1977 |date=August 25, 2010 |website=YouTube |access-date=March 31, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They had one child, Sonia Toscanini Horowitz (1934–1975). She was critically injured in a motorbike accident in 1957 but survived. She died in 1975.<ref name="Assay">{{Cite web |last=Assay |first=Michelle |date=10 January 2020 |title=Vladimir Horowitz: Our Contemporary |url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/vladimir-horowitz-our-contemporary |access-date=10 February 2020 |website=Gramophone |publisher=Mark Allen Group |archive-date=30 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930212302/https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/vladimir-horowitz-our-contemporary |url-status=live }}</ref> It has not been determined whether her death in Geneva, from a drug overdose, was accidental or a suicide.<ref name="schonberg" />
==Awards and Recognitions==


Despite his marriage, there were persistent rumors of Horowitz's homosexuality.<ref name=plaskin/> ] said of Horowitz that "veryone knew and accepted him as a homosexual."<ref>Plaskin, 1983, p. 162.</ref> ] wrote that in his years with Horowitz, there was no evidence that the octogenarian was sexually active, but that "there was no doubt he was powerfully attracted to the male body and was most likely often sexually frustrated throughout his life."<ref>Dubal, 1991, p. 16. "During the years I knew him, there were no signs of any sex life and very little talk on the subject. I personally doubt that he was capable of loving a man emotionally, but there was no doubt he was powerfully attracted to the male body and was most likely often sexually frustrated throughout his life."</ref> Dubal felt that Horowitz sublimated a strong instinctual sexuality into a powerful erotic undercurrent communicated in his playing.<ref>Dubal, 1991, pp. 16–17.</ref> Horowitz, who denied being homosexual,<ref>Dubal, 1991, p. 251.</ref> once joked, "here are three kinds of pianists: Jewish pianists, homosexual pianists, and bad pianists."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Great White (Jewish, Gay) Way |date=15 October 2004 |url=http://www.forward.com/articles/4342/ |access-date=19 April 2009 |archive-date=12 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112043341/http://www.forward.com/articles/4342/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
''']''':
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz in Concert (], ], ], ], ], Chopin)'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz on Television (], ], ], Horowitz)'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz &mdash; The Studio Recordings, New York 1985'' (])


In an article in ''The New York Times'' in September 2013, Kenneth Leedom, an assistant of Horowitz for five years before 1955, said he had secretly been Horowitz's lover:
''']''':
<blockquote>
*] (conductor), Vladimir Horowitz & the ] for ''Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 '' (])
We had a wonderful life together... He was a difficult man, to say the least. He had an anger in him that was unbelievable. The number of meals I've had thrown on the floor or in my lap. He'd pick up the tablecloth and just pull it off the table, and all the food would go flying. He had tantrums, a lot. But then he was calm and sweet. Very sweet, very lovable. And he really adored me.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 September 2013 |title=58 Years and Counting. A Love Story. |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/nyregion/58-years-and-counting-a-love-story.html?_r=0 |access-date=20 February 2017 |archive-date=22 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222102343/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/nyregion/58-years-and-counting-a-love-story.html?_r=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*] (conductor), Vladimir Horowitz & the ] for '']: Con. No. 3 in D Minor for Piano (Horowitz Golden Jubilee)'' (])
</blockquote>
In the 1940s, Horowitz began seeing a psychiatrist in an attempt to ].<ref>Janis, Byron. ''Chopin and Beyond: My Extraordinary Life in Music and the Paranormal'', pp. 67–68. Wiley. {{ISBN|0-470-60444-1}}</ref><ref>Plaskin, Glenn (1983). ''Biography of Vladimir Horowitz'' Quill {{ISBN|0-688-02656-7}} p. 215 "In December 1940, Horowitz had begun psychoanalysis with an eminent psychiatrist, Dr. ], a strict Freudian who was attempting to exorcise the homosexual element from Horowitz."</ref> In the 1960s, and again in the 1970s, the pianist underwent ] for depression.<ref>Plaskin, Glenn (1983). ''Biography of Vladimir Horowitz'' Quill {{ISBN|0-688-02656-7}} pp. 338, 387, 389.</ref>


{{rquote|right|Not long before Horowitz died, he called ] and told him he was like family now and he didn't have to call him "Mr. Horowitz", he could call him "Maestro."|'']''<ref name="brown20130324">{{Cite news |last=Brown, Chip |date=2013-03-24 |title=The Operatic Reign of Peter Gelb |pages=MM26 |work=The New York Times Magazine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/magazine/the-epic-ups-and-downs-of-peter-gelb.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=March 21, 2013 |archive-date=2013-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130321164911/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/magazine/the-epic-ups-and-downs-of-peter-gelb.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
''']''':
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff (Etudes-Tableaux Piano Music; Sonatas)'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz Plays ]'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz Plays ]'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz Concerts 1975/76'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''The Horowitz Concerts 1977/78'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''The Horowitz Concerts 1978/79'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''The Horowitz Concerts 1979/80'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz in Moscow'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz &mdash; Discovered Treasures (], ], ], ], ])'' (])
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''The Last Recording' (])


In 1982, Horowitz began using prescribed antidepressant medications; there are reports that he was drinking as well.<ref name=schonberg/> His playing underwent a perceptible decline during this period,<ref name=schonberg/> with his 1983 performances in the United States and Japan marred by memory lapses and a loss of physical control. ], Japanese critic, likened Horowitz to a "cracked rare, gorgeous antique vase." He stopped playing in public for two years.<ref>Satoh Masaharu(佐藤正治, ]) 放射線22 「ひびのない骨董品」 "]" 6-13-2006</ref>
''']''':
*Vladimir Horowitz for ''Columbia Records Presents Vladimir Horowitz''
*] (producer) & Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz at Carnegie Hall &mdash; An Historic Return'' (])
*Thomas Frost, ] (producers) & Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz Plays ] (Etudes-Tableaux Piano Music; Sonatas)'' (])
*] (producer), ] (conductor), ], Vladimir Horowitz, ], ], ], ] & the ] for ''Concert of the Century'' (])
*Thomas Frost (producer) & Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz in Moscow'' (])
*Thomas Frost (producer) & Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz &mdash; The Studio Recordings, New York 1985'' (])


==Last years==
'''], ]'''
In 1985, Horowitz, no longer taking medication or drinking alcohol, returned to performing and recording. His first post-retirement appearance was not on stage, but in the documentary film '']''. In many of his later performances, although still capable of remarkable technical feats he substituted finesse and coloration for bravura.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} Many critics, including ] and Richard Dyer, felt that his post-1985 performances and recordings were the best of his later years.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}


In 1986, Horowitz announced that he would return to the Soviet Union for the first time since 1925 to give recitals in Moscow and ]. In the new atmosphere of communication and understanding between the USSR and the US, these concerts were seen as events of political, as well as musical, significance.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/21/arts/for-horowitz-in-moscow-bravos-and-tears.html |title=for Horowitz in Moscow, Bravos and Tears |last=Taubman |first=Philip |date=April 21, 1986 |website=The New York Times |access-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124105933/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/21/arts/for-horowitz-in-moscow-bravos-and-tears.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of the tickets for the Moscow concert were reserved for the Soviet elite and few sold to the general public. This resulted in a number of Moscow Conservatory students crashing the concert,<ref>] liner notes for ''Horowitz in Moscow'' CD</ref> which was audible to viewers of the internationally televised recital. The Moscow concert was released on a compact disc titled ''Horowitz in Moscow'', which reigned at the top of Billboard's Classical music charts for over a year. It was also released on VHS and, eventually, DVD. The concert was also widely seen on a Special Edition of '']'' with ] reporting from Moscow.
''']''':
{{Gallery
*] (engineer) & Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz at Carnegie Hall &mdash; An Historic Return'' (])
| title =
*] (engineer) & Vladimir Horowitz for ''Horowitz &mdash; The Studio Recordings, New York 1985'' (])
| height = 170
| width = 160
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|File:Vladimir Horowitz C37292-1.jpg
|Horowitz in 1986
|File:Vladimir Horowitz 1986.jpg
|Horowitz in 1986 at the ] in ]
|File:President Reagan and Nancy Reagan present Pianist Vladimir Horowitz with the Medal of Freedom in the Roosevelt room.jpg
|Horowitz, accompanied by his wife ], receives the ] from President ] and First Lady ] (presenting it to him)
}}
Following the Russian concerts, Horowitz toured several European cities, including Berlin, Amsterdam, and London. In June, Horowitz redeemed himself to the Japanese with a trio of well-received performances in Tokyo. Later that year he was awarded the ], the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States, by President ].


Horowitz's final tour took place in Europe in the spring of 1987. A video recording of his penultimate public recital, ''Horowitz in Vienna'', was released in 1991. His final recital, at the ], Germany, took place on June 21, 1987. The concert was recorded, but not released until 2008.<ref>Leonard, James. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202230853/https://www.allmusic.com/album/horowitz-in-hamburg-the-last-concert-mw0001857907 |date=2019-12-02 }}, , ]. (n.d.). Retrieved 2021-03-06.</ref> He continued to record for the remainder of his life.
==External links==


] family tomb in Cimitero Monumentale, Milan, Italy. Photo taken on 2022-07-17.]]
* &mdash; Fan page with complete discography and concertography, and very detailed repertoire listing
==Death==
*
Horowitz died on November 5, 1989,<ref name="schonberg" /> in New York City, of a heart attack, aged 86.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-06-mn-682-story.html |title=World-Renowned Pianist Vladimir Horowitz Dies |last=Folkart |first=Burt A. |date=November 6, 1989 |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-date=September 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908193907/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-06-mn-682-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/11/06/pianist-vladimir-horowitz-dies/2b9cbbef-9787-4678-a1de-4e3ea3232f0f/ |title=Pianist Vladimir Horowitz Dies |last=Pearson |first=Richard |date=November 6, 1989 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803220942/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/11/06/pianist-vladimir-horowitz-dies/2b9cbbef-9787-4678-a1de-4e3ea3232f0f/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He was buried in the Toscanini family tomb in the ], ], Italy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-11-12-8901300425-story.html |title=Vladimir Horowitz Buried in Italy |date=November 12, 1989 |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318062346/https://www.chicagotribune.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* &mdash; Fan page with Horowitz soundbites and other articles of interest


==Repertoire, technique and performance style==
]
{{ external media | float = right | width = 260px | audio1 = You may hear Vladimir Horowitz performing ]'s "] " with ] conducting the ] in 1953 }}
]

]
Horowitz is best known for his performances of the Romantic piano repertoire. Many<ref>See, e.g., ] and Klaus Bennert, Grosse Pianisten in Unserer Zeit (1997)</ref> consider Horowitz's first recording of the Liszt Sonata in B minor in 1932 to be the definitive reading of that piece, even after over 90 years and more than 100 performances committed to disc by other pianists.<ref>"This colossal account of Liszt's great, arching tone-poem for piano... has never really been surpassed for technical authority." ''The Sunday Times'', 3 January 2010.</ref> Other pieces with which he was closely associated were Scriabin's ], Chopin's ], and many Rachmaninoff miniatures, including '']''. Horowitz was acclaimed for his recordings of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, and his performance before Rachmaninoff awed the composer, who proclaimed "he swallowed it whole. He had the courage, the intensity, the daring." Horowitz was also known for his performances of quieter, more intimate works, including Schumann's '']'', ] keyboard sonatas, keyboard sonatas by ] and several Mozart and Haydn sonatas. His recordings of Scarlatti and Clementi are particularly prized, and he is credited with having helped revive interest in the two composers, whose works had been seldom performed or recorded during the first half of the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vladimir Horowitz biography |url=http://biography.yourdictionary.com/vladimir-horowitz |access-date=2012-06-07 |publisher=biography.yourdictionary.com |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022631/http://biography.yourdictionary.com/vladimir-horowitz |url-status=live }}</ref>
]

]
During World War II, Horowitz championed contemporary Russian music, giving the American premieres of ] Piano Sonatas Nos. ], ] and ] (the so-called "War Sonatas") and ]'s Piano Sonatas Nos. ] and 3. Horowitz also premiered the ] and ] of ].
]

]
He was known for his versions of several of Liszt's '']''. The ''Second Rhapsody'' was recorded in 1953, during Horowitz's 25th anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall, and he said it was the most difficult of his arrangements.<ref name=schonberg/> Horowitz's transcriptions of note include his composition '']'' and '']'' by ]. The latter became a favorite with audiences, who would anticipate its performance as an encore. Transcriptions aside, Horowitz was not opposed to altering the text of compositions to improve what he considered "unpianistic" writing or structural clumsiness. In 1940, with the composer's consent, Horowitz created his own performance edition of Rachmaninoff's ] from the 1913 original and 1931 revised versions, which pianists including ] and ]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnes & Noble |title=Chopin, Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonatas |url=http://music.barnesandnoble.com/Chopin-Rachmaninoff-Piano-Sonatas/H-l-ne-Grimaud/e/028947753254 |access-date=8 November 2015 |website=Barnes & Noble |archive-date=8 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308191018/http://music.barnesandnoble.com/Chopin-Rachmaninoff-Piano-Sonatas/H-l-ne-Grimaud/e/028947753254 |url-status=dead }}</ref> have used. He substantially rewrote ]'s '']'' to make the work more effective on the grounds that Mussorgsky was not a pianist and did not understand the possibilities of the instrument. Horowitz also altered short passages in some works, such as substituting interlocking ] for chromatic scales in Chopin's ]. This was in marked contrast to many pianists of the post–19th-century era, who considered the composer's text sacrosanct. Living composers whose works Horowitz played (among them ], ], and ]) invariably praised Horowitz's performances of their work even when he took liberties with their scores.

Horowitz's interpretations were well received by concert audiences, but not by some critics. ] was consistently critical of Horowitz as a "master of distortion and exaggeration" in his reviews appearing in the '']''. Horowitz claimed to take Thomson's remarks as complimentary, saying that ] and ] were also "masters of distortion."<ref>Plaskin, Glenn (1983). ''Biography of Vladimir Horowitz''. UK: Macdonald. {{ISBN|0-356-09179-1}}</ref> In the 1980 edition of '']'', ] wrote that Horowitz "illustrates that an astounding instrumental gift carries no guarantee about musical understanding." '']'' music critic ] countered that reviewers such as Thomson and Steinberg were unfamiliar with 19th-century performance practices that informed Horowitz's musical approach. Many pianists (such as ] and ]) hold Horowitz in high regard,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dubal |first=David |title=Remembering Horowitz: 125 Pianists Recall a Legend |publisher=Schirmer Books |year=1993 |pages=350–51 |quote=Preface Acknowledgments Introduction '... Van Cliburn ...Yefim Bronfman... Horacio Gutierrez... and Shura Cherkassky'}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXPkSeY_zVg | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/tXPkSeY_zVg| archive-date=2021-11-18 | url-status=live|title=Argerich on Horowitz (with English Subtitles) |date=October 17, 2019 |website=YouTube |access-date=March 31, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and the pianist ] referred to Horowitz as the "Super-God of the piano".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blu-ray: HOROWITZ IN MOSKAU 1986 – Konzertfilm und Reportage über die Rückkehr des legendären Pianisten in die Sowjetunion für zwei Konzerte 61 Jahre nach seiner Emigration nach Berlin, sodann in die USA; major |url=https://onlinemerker.com/blu-ray-horowitz-in-moskau-1986-konzertfilm-und-reportage-ueber-die-rueckkehr-des-legendaeren-pianisten-in-die-sowjetunion-fuer-zwei-konzerte-61-jahre-nach-seiner-emigration-nach-berlin-so/ |access-date=2023-12-25 |website=Online Merker |language=de}}</ref>

Horowitz's style frequently involved vast dynamic contrasts, with overwhelming double-fortissimos followed by sudden delicate pianissimos. He was able to produce an extraordinary volume of sound from the piano without producing a harsh tone. He elicited an exceptionally wide range of tonal color, and his taut, precise attack was noticeable even in his renditions of technically undemanding pieces such as the Chopin ]. He is known for his octave technique; he could play precise passages in octaves extraordinarily quickly. When asked by the pianist Tedd Joselson how he practiced octaves, Horowitz gave a demonstration and Joselson reported, "He practiced them exactly as we were all taught to do."<ref name=schonberg/> Music critic and biographer Harvey Sachs submitted that Horowitz may have been "the beneficiary—and perhaps also the victim—of an extraordinary central nervous system and an equally great sensitivity to tone color."<ref>Sachs, Harvey (1982). ''Virtuoso''. Thames and Hudson.</ref> ], in his book ''The Memoirs of an Amnesiac'', wrote that Horowitz's octaves were "brilliant, accurate and etched out like bullets." He asked Horowitz "whether he shipped them ahead or carried them with him on tour."

Horowitz's hand position was unusual in that the palm was often below the level of the key surface. He frequently played chords with straight fingers, and the little finger of his right hand was often curled up until it needed to play a note; to Harold C. Schonberg, "it was like a strike of a cobra."<ref name=schonberg/> For all the excitement of his playing, Horowitz rarely raised his hands higher than the piano's ]. ], one of Horowitz's students, said that Horowitz tried to teach him that technique but it didn't work for him.<ref name=Assay/> Horowitz's body was immobile, and his face seldom reflected anything other than intense concentration.

Horowitz preferred to perform on Sunday afternoons, as he felt audiences were better rested and more attentive than on weekday evenings.

==Awards and recognitions==
]]]
*]
** ] ''Horowitz in Concert: Haydn, ], ], ], Mozart, Chopin'' (Columbia 45572)
** ] ''Horowitz on Television: Chopin, Scriabin, ], Horowitz'' (Columbia 7106)
** ] ''Horowitz: The Studio Recordings, New York 1985'' (Deutsche Grammophon 419217)

*]
** ] ''Golden Jubilee Concert'', ''Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3'' (RCA CLR1 2633)
** ] ''Horowitz Plays Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23 ''(Deutsche Grammophon 423287)

*]
** ] ''Columbia Records Presents Vladimir Horowitz''
** ] ''The Sound of Horowitz''
** ] ''Vladimir Horowitz plays Beethoven, Debussy, Chopin''
** ] ''Horowitz at Carnegie Hall – An Historic Return''
** ] ''Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff (Etudes-Tableaux Piano Music; Sonatas)'' (Columbia M-30464)
** ] ''Horowitz Plays Chopin'' (Columbia M-30643)
** ] ''Horowitz Plays ]'' (Columbia M-31620)
** ] ''The Horowitz Concerts 1975/76'' (RCA ARL1-1766)
** ] ''The Horowitz Concerts 1977/78'' (RCA ARL1-2548)
** ] ''The Horowitz Concerts 1978/79'' (RCA ARL1-3433)
** ] ''The Horowitz Concerts 1979/80'' (RCA ARL1-3775)
** ] ''Horowitz in Moscow'' (Deutsche Grammophon 419499)
** ] ''The Last Recording'' (Sony SK 45818)
** ] ''Horowitz Discovered Treasures: Chopin, Liszt, Scarlatti, Scriabin, Clementi'' (Sony 48093)

*]:
** ] ''Columbia Records Presents Vladimir Horowitz''
** ] ''Horowitz at Carnegie Hall: An Historic Return''
** ] ''Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff (Etudes-Tableaux Piano Music; Sonatas)''
** ] ''Concert of the Century'' with ] (conductor), the ], ], Vladimir Horowitz, ], ], ], ]
** ] ''Horowitz: The Studio Recordings, New York 1985'' (Deutsche Grammophon 419217)
** ] ''Horowitz in Moscow'' (Deutsche Grammophon 419499)

*], 1990

*Prix Mondial du Disque
** 1970 '']''

===Miscellaneous ===
* 1972 – Honorary Member of the ] (London)<ref name=" The Horowitz Papers in the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library of Yale University ">{{Cite web |url=https://onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu/s/boundaries-of-romanticism/item/4600#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=0%2C-2384%2C1999%2C6153 |title=The Horowitz Papers in the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library of Yale University |hdl=10079/fa/music.mss.0055 |website=Yale University Library Online Exhibitions |access-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-date=October 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015043007/https://onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu/s/boundaries-of-romanticism/item/4600#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=0%2C-2384%2C1999%2C6153 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 1982 – ] Prize for Music
* 1985 – ] from the French Government
* 1985 – ]
* 1986 – United States ]
* 1988 – National ] League List of 10 Best Bow Tie Wearers of 1988<ref>Anthony Tommasini, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511203631/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/25/arts/horowitz-at-85-still-playing-free.html |date=2017-05-11 }}, ''The New York Times'', Sunday, September 25, 1988</ref>
* 2012 – '']'' Hall of Fame entrant<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vladimir Horowitz (pianist) |url=http://www.gramophone.co.uk/HallofFame/ArtistPage/horowitz |access-date=11 April 2012 |publisher=Gramophone |archive-date=12 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412063444/http://www.gramophone.co.uk/HallofFame/ArtistPage/Horowitz |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bernhard |first=Thomas |title=The Loser: A Novel |publisher=] |others=Dawson, Jack (trans.) |year=1991 |isbn=0-226-04388-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dubal |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/artofpianoitsper0000duba |title=The Art of the Piano |publisher=Amadeus Press |year=1989 |isbn=1-57467-088-3 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dubal |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/eveningswithhoro00duba |title=Evenings with Horowitz: A Personal Portrait |publisher=Carol Publishers |year=1991 |isbn=1-57467-086-7 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dubal |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/rememberinghorow0000unse |title=Remembering Horowitz: 125 Pianists Recall a Legend |publisher=Schirmer Books |year=1993 |isbn=0-02-870676-5 |url-access=registration}}
* Epstein, Helen. Music Talks (1988) McGraw-Hill (a long profile that appeared in the New York Times Magazine of Horowitz, 1978)
* Plaskin, Glenn (1983). UK: Macdonald. {{ISBN|0-356-09179-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Schonberg |first=Harold C. |url=https://archive.org/details/horowitzhislifem00scho/mode/2up |title=Horowitz: His Life and Music |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1992 |isbn=0-671-72568-8 |url-access=registration}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==

{{sister project links|collapsible=true}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308145154/http://drs.library.yale.edu:8083/saxon/SaxonServlet?style=http%3A%2F%2Fdrs.library.yale.edu%3A8083%2Fsaxon%2FEAD%2Fyul.ead2002.xhtml.xsl&source=http%3A%2F%2Fdrs.library.yale.edu%3A8083%2Ffedora%2Fget%2Fmusic%3Amss.0055%2FEAD |date=2012-03-08 }} at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library, Yale University
*
*
*
* {{discogs artist|Vladimir Horowitz}}
* {{IMDb name|0395332}}
*

{{Vladimir Horowitz}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Vladimir Horowitz
| list =
{{Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{Gramophone Hall of Fame}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 1980s|state=autocollapse}}
}}
{{Arturo Toscanini}}

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{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horowitz, Vladimir}}
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Latest revision as of 10:19, 6 January 2025

Russian and American pianist (1903–1989)
Vladimir Horowitz
Horowitz, date unknown
BornVladimir Samoylovich Horowitz
(1903-10-01)October 1, 1903
Kiev, Russian Empire
DiedNovember 5, 1989(1989-11-05) (aged 86)
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeCimitero Monumentale di Milano
Citizenship
  • U.S. (naturalized in 1944)
Spouse Wanda Toscanini ​(m. 1933)
Children1
Signature
In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Samoylovich and the family name is Horowitz.

Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (October 1 [O.S. September 18] 1903 – November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing.

Life and early career

Birth certificate of Vladimir Horowitz

Horowitz was born on October 1, 1903, in Kiev, then in the Russian Empire (now Ukraine). According to Nicolas Slonimsky, Horowitz was born in Berdichev, a city near Zhitomir in the Volhynian Governorate. However, his birth certificate states that Kiev was his birthplace.

He was the youngest of four children of Samuil Horowitz and Sophia (née Bodik), who were assimilated Jews. His father was a well-to-do electrical engineer and a distributor of electric motors for German manufacturers. His grandfather Joachim was a merchant (and an arts-supporter), belonging to the First Merchant's Guild, which exempted him from having to reside in the Pale of Settlement. In order to make him appear too young for military service so as not to risk damaging his hands, Samuil took a year off his son's age by claiming that he was born in 1904. The 1904 date appeared in many reference works during Horowitz's lifetime.

His uncle Alexander was a pupil and close friend of Alexander Scriabin. When Horowitz was 10, it was arranged for him to play for Scriabin, who told his parents that he was extremely talented.

Horowitz received piano instruction from an early age, initially from his mother, who was herself a pianist. In 1912 he entered the Kiev Conservatory, where he was taught by Vladimir Puchalsky, Sergei Tarnowsky, and Felix Blumenfeld. His first solo recital was in Kharkov in 1920.

Horowitz soon began to tour Russia and the Soviet Union, where he was often paid with bread, butter and chocolate rather than money, due to the economic hardship caused by the Russian Civil War. During the 1922–23 season, he performed 23 concerts of eleven different programs in Petrograd alone. Despite his early success as a pianist, he maintained that he wanted to be a composer and undertook a career as a pianist only to help his family, who had lost their possessions in the Russian Revolution.

In December 1925, Horowitz emigrated to Germany, ostensibly to study with Artur Schnabel in Berlin but secretly intending not to return. He stuffed American dollars and British pound notes into his shoes to finance his initial concerts.

Career in the West

On December 18, 1925, Horowitz made his first appearance outside his home country, in Berlin. He later played in Paris, London, and New York City. In 1926, the Soviet Union selected Horowitz to join the delegation of pianists that were to represent the country at the I International Chopin Piano Competition in Poland in 1927, but he decided to remain in the West and did not participate.

Horowitz gave his United States debut on January 12, 1928, in Carnegie Hall. He played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 under the direction of Sir Thomas Beecham, who was also making his U.S. debut. Horowitz later said that he and Beecham had divergent ideas about tempos and that Beecham was conducting the score "from memory and he didn't know" the piece. Horowitz's rapport with his audience was phenomenal. Olin Downes, writing for The New York Times, was critical about the tug of war between conductor and soloist, but credited Horowitz with both a beautiful singing tone in the second movement and a tremendous technique in the finale, calling his playing a "tornado unleashed from the steppes". In this debut performance, Horowitz demonstrated a marked ability to excite his audience, an ability he maintained for his entire career. Downes wrote: "it has been years since a pianist created such a furor with an audience in this city." In his review of Horowitz's solo recital, Downes characterized the pianist's playing as showing "most if not all the traits of a great interpreter." In 1933, he played for the first time with the conductor Arturo Toscanini in a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5. Horowitz and Toscanini went on to perform together many times, on stage and in recordings. Horowitz settled in the U.S. in 1939 and became an American citizen in 1944. He made his television debut in a concert taped at Carnegie Hall on February 1, 1968, and broadcast nationwide by CBS on September 22 of that year.

Despite rapturous receptions at recitals, Horowitz became increasingly unsure of his abilities as a pianist. On several occasions, the pianist had to be pushed onto the stage. He suffered from depression and withdrew from public performances from 1936 to 1938, 1953 to 1965, 1969 to 1974, and 1983 to 1985.

Recordings

See also: Vladimir Horowitz discography
Horowitz in 1931
External audio
audio icon You may hear Vladimir Horowitz performing Johannes Brahms "Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major" with Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra in 1940. Link.

In 1926, Horowitz performed on several piano rolls at the Welte-Mignon studios in Freiburg, Germany. His first recordings were made in the United States for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1928. Horowitz's first European-produced recording, made in 1930 by The Gramophone Company/HMV, RCA Victor's UK based affiliate, was of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Albert Coates and the London Symphony Orchestra, the world premiere recording of that piece. Through 1936, Horowitz continued to make recordings in the UK for HMV of solo piano repertoire, including his 1932 account of Liszt's Sonata in B minor. Beginning in 1940, Horowitz's recording activity was again concentrated for RCA Victor in the US. That year, he recorded Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2, and in 1941, the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, both with Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. In 1959, RCA Victor issued a live 1943 performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto with Horowitz and Toscanini; generally considered superior to the 1941 studio recording, it was selected for induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame. During Horowitz's second retirement, which began in 1953, he made a series of recordings for RCA Victor in his New York City townhouse, including LPs of Scriabin and Clementi. Horowitz's first stereo recording, issued by RCA Victor in 1959, was devoted to Beethoven piano sonatas.

In 1962, Horowitz embarked on a series of recordings for Columbia Records. The best known are his 1965 return concert at Carnegie Hall and a 1968 recording from his television special, Vladimir Horowitz: a Concert at Carnegie Hall, televised by CBS. Horowitz continued making studio recordings, including a 1969 recording of Schumann's Kreisleriana, which was awarded the Prix Mondial du Disque.

In 1975, Horowitz returned to RCA and made live recordings for the company until 1983. He signed with Deutsche Grammophon in 1985, and made studio and live recordings until 1989, including his only recording of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23. Four documentary films featuring Horowitz were made during this period, including the telecast of his April 20, 1986 Moscow recital. His final recording, for Sony Classical (formerly Columbia), was completed four days before his death and consisted of repertoire he had never previously recorded.

All of Horowitz's recordings have been issued on compact disc, some several times. In the years following Horowitz's death, CDs were issued containing previously unreleased performances. These included selections from Carnegie Hall recitals recorded privately for Horowitz from 1945 to 1951.

Students

Horowitz taught seven students between 1937 and 1962: Nico Kaufmann (1937), Byron Janis (1944–1948), Gary Graffman (1953–1955), Coleman Blumfield (1956–1958), Ronald Turini (1957–1963), Alexander Fiorillo (1960–1962) and Ivan Davis (1961–1962). Janis described his relationship to Horowitz during that period as a surrogate son, and he often traveled with Horowitz and his wife during concert tours. Davis was invited to become one of Horowitz's students after receiving a call from him the day after he won the Franz Liszt Competition. At the time, Davis had a contract with Columbia Records and a national tour planned. According to biographer Glenn Plaskin, Horowitz claimed that he had only taught three students during that period, saying "Many young people say they have been pupils of Horowitz, but there were only three: Janis, Turini, who I brought to the stage, and Graffman. If someone else claims it, it's not true. I had some who played for me for four months. Once a week. I stopped work with them because they did not progress." Plaskin remarks: "The fact that Horowitz disavowed most of his students and blurred the facts regarding their periods of study says something about the erratic nature of his personality during that period." Horowitz returned to coaching in the 1980s, working with Murray Perahia, who already had an established career, and Eduardus Halim.

Personal life

In 1933, in a civil ceremony, Horowitz married Wanda Toscanini, Arturo Toscanini's daughter. Although Horowitz was Jewish and Wanda was Catholic, this was not an issue, because neither of them was religiously observant. Because Wanda knew no Russian and Horowitz knew very little Italian, their primary language was French.

Horowitz was close to his wife, who was one of the few people from whom Horowitz would accept a critique of his playing, and she stayed with Horowitz when he refused to leave the house during a period of depression. They had one child, Sonia Toscanini Horowitz (1934–1975). She was critically injured in a motorbike accident in 1957 but survived. She died in 1975. It has not been determined whether her death in Geneva, from a drug overdose, was accidental or a suicide.

Despite his marriage, there were persistent rumors of Horowitz's homosexuality. Arthur Rubinstein said of Horowitz that "veryone knew and accepted him as a homosexual." David Dubal wrote that in his years with Horowitz, there was no evidence that the octogenarian was sexually active, but that "there was no doubt he was powerfully attracted to the male body and was most likely often sexually frustrated throughout his life." Dubal felt that Horowitz sublimated a strong instinctual sexuality into a powerful erotic undercurrent communicated in his playing. Horowitz, who denied being homosexual, once joked, "here are three kinds of pianists: Jewish pianists, homosexual pianists, and bad pianists."

In an article in The New York Times in September 2013, Kenneth Leedom, an assistant of Horowitz for five years before 1955, said he had secretly been Horowitz's lover:

We had a wonderful life together... He was a difficult man, to say the least. He had an anger in him that was unbelievable. The number of meals I've had thrown on the floor or in my lap. He'd pick up the tablecloth and just pull it off the table, and all the food would go flying. He had tantrums, a lot. But then he was calm and sweet. Very sweet, very lovable. And he really adored me.

In the 1940s, Horowitz began seeing a psychiatrist in an attempt to alter his sexual orientation. In the 1960s, and again in the 1970s, the pianist underwent electroshock treatment for depression.

Not long before Horowitz died, he called Gelb and told him he was like family now and he didn't have to call him "Mr. Horowitz", he could call him "Maestro."

— The New York Times

In 1982, Horowitz began using prescribed antidepressant medications; there are reports that he was drinking as well. His playing underwent a perceptible decline during this period, with his 1983 performances in the United States and Japan marred by memory lapses and a loss of physical control. Hidekazu Yoshida, Japanese critic, likened Horowitz to a "cracked rare, gorgeous antique vase." He stopped playing in public for two years.

Last years

In 1985, Horowitz, no longer taking medication or drinking alcohol, returned to performing and recording. His first post-retirement appearance was not on stage, but in the documentary film Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic. In many of his later performances, although still capable of remarkable technical feats he substituted finesse and coloration for bravura. Many critics, including Harold C. Schonberg and Richard Dyer, felt that his post-1985 performances and recordings were the best of his later years.

In 1986, Horowitz announced that he would return to the Soviet Union for the first time since 1925 to give recitals in Moscow and Leningrad. In the new atmosphere of communication and understanding between the USSR and the US, these concerts were seen as events of political, as well as musical, significance. Most of the tickets for the Moscow concert were reserved for the Soviet elite and few sold to the general public. This resulted in a number of Moscow Conservatory students crashing the concert, which was audible to viewers of the internationally televised recital. The Moscow concert was released on a compact disc titled Horowitz in Moscow, which reigned at the top of Billboard's Classical music charts for over a year. It was also released on VHS and, eventually, DVD. The concert was also widely seen on a Special Edition of CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt reporting from Moscow.

Following the Russian concerts, Horowitz toured several European cities, including Berlin, Amsterdam, and London. In June, Horowitz redeemed himself to the Japanese with a trio of well-received performances in Tokyo. Later that year he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States, by President Ronald Reagan.

Horowitz's final tour took place in Europe in the spring of 1987. A video recording of his penultimate public recital, Horowitz in Vienna, was released in 1991. His final recital, at the Musikhalle Hamburg, Germany, took place on June 21, 1987. The concert was recorded, but not released until 2008. He continued to record for the remainder of his life.

Vladimir Horowitz is buried in the Toscanini family tomb in Cimitero Monumentale, Milan, Italy. Photo taken on 2022-07-17.

Death

Horowitz died on November 5, 1989, in New York City, of a heart attack, aged 86. He was buried in the Toscanini family tomb in the Cimitero Monumentale, Milan, Italy.

Repertoire, technique and performance style

External audio
audio icon You may hear Vladimir Horowitz performing Pyotr Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No.1 " with George Szell conducting the New York Philharmonic in 1953 Link

Horowitz is best known for his performances of the Romantic piano repertoire. Many consider Horowitz's first recording of the Liszt Sonata in B minor in 1932 to be the definitive reading of that piece, even after over 90 years and more than 100 performances committed to disc by other pianists. Other pieces with which he was closely associated were Scriabin's Étude in D-sharp minor, Chopin's Ballade No. 1, and many Rachmaninoff miniatures, including Polka de W.R.. Horowitz was acclaimed for his recordings of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, and his performance before Rachmaninoff awed the composer, who proclaimed "he swallowed it whole. He had the courage, the intensity, the daring." Horowitz was also known for his performances of quieter, more intimate works, including Schumann's Kinderszenen, Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas, keyboard sonatas by Clementi and several Mozart and Haydn sonatas. His recordings of Scarlatti and Clementi are particularly prized, and he is credited with having helped revive interest in the two composers, whose works had been seldom performed or recorded during the first half of the 20th century.

During World War II, Horowitz championed contemporary Russian music, giving the American premieres of Prokofiev's Piano Sonatas Nos. 6, 7 and 8 (the so-called "War Sonatas") and Kabalevsky's Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3. Horowitz also premiered the Piano Sonata and Excursions of Samuel Barber.

He was known for his versions of several of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies. The Second Rhapsody was recorded in 1953, during Horowitz's 25th anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall, and he said it was the most difficult of his arrangements. Horowitz's transcriptions of note include his composition Variations on a Theme from Carmen and The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa. The latter became a favorite with audiences, who would anticipate its performance as an encore. Transcriptions aside, Horowitz was not opposed to altering the text of compositions to improve what he considered "unpianistic" writing or structural clumsiness. In 1940, with the composer's consent, Horowitz created his own performance edition of Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Sonata from the 1913 original and 1931 revised versions, which pianists including Ruth Laredo and Hélène Grimaud have used. He substantially rewrote Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition to make the work more effective on the grounds that Mussorgsky was not a pianist and did not understand the possibilities of the instrument. Horowitz also altered short passages in some works, such as substituting interlocking octaves for chromatic scales in Chopin's Scherzo in B minor. This was in marked contrast to many pianists of the post–19th-century era, who considered the composer's text sacrosanct. Living composers whose works Horowitz played (among them Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and Poulenc) invariably praised Horowitz's performances of their work even when he took liberties with their scores.

Horowitz's interpretations were well received by concert audiences, but not by some critics. Virgil Thomson was consistently critical of Horowitz as a "master of distortion and exaggeration" in his reviews appearing in the New York Herald Tribune. Horowitz claimed to take Thomson's remarks as complimentary, saying that Michelangelo and El Greco were also "masters of distortion." In the 1980 edition of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Michael Steinberg wrote that Horowitz "illustrates that an astounding instrumental gift carries no guarantee about musical understanding." New York Times music critic Harold C. Schonberg countered that reviewers such as Thomson and Steinberg were unfamiliar with 19th-century performance practices that informed Horowitz's musical approach. Many pianists (such as Martha Argerich and Maurizio Pollini) hold Horowitz in high regard, and the pianist Friedrich Gulda referred to Horowitz as the "Super-God of the piano".

Horowitz's style frequently involved vast dynamic contrasts, with overwhelming double-fortissimos followed by sudden delicate pianissimos. He was able to produce an extraordinary volume of sound from the piano without producing a harsh tone. He elicited an exceptionally wide range of tonal color, and his taut, precise attack was noticeable even in his renditions of technically undemanding pieces such as the Chopin Mazurkas. He is known for his octave technique; he could play precise passages in octaves extraordinarily quickly. When asked by the pianist Tedd Joselson how he practiced octaves, Horowitz gave a demonstration and Joselson reported, "He practiced them exactly as we were all taught to do." Music critic and biographer Harvey Sachs submitted that Horowitz may have been "the beneficiary—and perhaps also the victim—of an extraordinary central nervous system and an equally great sensitivity to tone color." Oscar Levant, in his book The Memoirs of an Amnesiac, wrote that Horowitz's octaves were "brilliant, accurate and etched out like bullets." He asked Horowitz "whether he shipped them ahead or carried them with him on tour."

Horowitz's hand position was unusual in that the palm was often below the level of the key surface. He frequently played chords with straight fingers, and the little finger of his right hand was often curled up until it needed to play a note; to Harold C. Schonberg, "it was like a strike of a cobra." For all the excitement of his playing, Horowitz rarely raised his hands higher than the piano's fallboard. Byron Janis, one of Horowitz's students, said that Horowitz tried to teach him that technique but it didn't work for him. Horowitz's body was immobile, and his face seldom reflected anything other than intense concentration.

Horowitz preferred to perform on Sunday afternoons, as he felt audiences were better rested and more attentive than on weekday evenings.

Awards and recognitions

The star for Vladimir Horowitz on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)
    • 1963 Columbia Records Presents Vladimir Horowitz
    • 1964 The Sound of Horowitz
    • 1965 Vladimir Horowitz plays Beethoven, Debussy, Chopin
    • 1966 Horowitz at Carnegie Hall – An Historic Return
    • 1972 Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff (Etudes-Tableaux Piano Music; Sonatas) (Columbia M-30464)
    • 1973 Horowitz Plays Chopin (Columbia M-30643)
    • 1974 Horowitz Plays Scriabin (Columbia M-31620)
    • 1977 The Horowitz Concerts 1975/76 (RCA ARL1-1766)
    • 1979 The Horowitz Concerts 1977/78 (RCA ARL1-2548)
    • 1980 The Horowitz Concerts 1978/79 (RCA ARL1-3433)
    • 1982 The Horowitz Concerts 1979/80 (RCA ARL1-3775)
    • 1988 Horowitz in Moscow (Deutsche Grammophon 419499)
    • 1991 The Last Recording (Sony SK 45818)
    • 1993 Horowitz Discovered Treasures: Chopin, Liszt, Scarlatti, Scriabin, Clementi (Sony 48093)

Miscellaneous

Notes

  1. /ˈhɒrəvɪts/; Russian: Владимир Самойлович Горовиц, romanizedVladimir Samoylovich Gorovits; Yiddish: וולאַדימיר סאַמוילאָוויטש האָראָוויץ

References

  1. "Obituries: Vladimir Horowitz". The Daily Telegraph. November 7, 1989. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Folkart, Burt A. (November 6, 1989). "World-Renowned Pianist Vladimir Horowitz Dies". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Born in Kiev, Russia, on Oct. 1, 1904, Horowitz was the youngest of four children of Simeon and Sophie Horowitz
  3. "'Controlled thunder' is gone: Horowitz's death takes the last link". Peninsula Times Tribune. Associated Press. November 6, 1989. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Merson, Francis (2012-07-05). "The 10 Greatest Pianists of All Time – 2. Vladimir Horowitz (1903–1989)". Limelight. Arts Illuminated Pty Ltd. p. 9. Archived from the original on 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  5. Time. Michael Walsh, The Greatest Pianist of All?, July 21, 2008. Retrieved on June 3, 2009.
  6. "The 20 Greatest Pianists of all time". Classical Music. Archived from the original on 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  7. Dubal, 1989
  8. ^ Schonberg, 1992.
  9. Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Eight Edition, page 798 (Scribner Books, New York, 1982).
  10. Полновластный король, вечный странник-артист.... Interesting Kiev (in Russian). Interesniy.kiev.ua. 27 September – 3 October 2003. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-30. (Title translation: "Sovereign king, an eternal wanderer-artist...")
  11. Bowers, Faubion. Scriabin, a Biography p,. 82.
  12. Chotzinoff, Samuel (1964). A Little Nightmusic, p. 36. Harper & Row.
  13. ^ Plaskin, 1983, pp. 52, 56, 338–37, 353.
  14. Holland, Bernard (November 6, 1989). "Vladimir Horowitz, Titan of the Piano, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  15. Horowitz interview with Charles Kuralt, CBS News Sunday Morning
  16. Biography. Horowitz Berlin. (subscription required)
  17. Moshevich, Sofia (2004). Dmitri Shostakovich, Pianist. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 49. ISBN 0-7735-2581-5. Archived from the original on 2023-03-18. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  18. Videotaped interview, 1982, intermission feature from London recital
  19. Downes, Olin. The New York Times, January 13, 1928.
  20. Downes, Olin. The New York Times, February 21, 1928.
  21. Vladimir Horowitz on Encyclopedia.com Archived 2023-03-18 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 15 January 2010
  22. Schonberg, Harold C. (April 22, 1990). "Recordings; Horowitz's Parting Gift: Charming Novelties". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  23. "Sony Masterworks to Release Unprecedented Series of Horowitz Recordings..." PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  24. "Kaufmann, Nico (1916–1996)". Zentralbibliothek Zürich (in German). Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  25. Plaskin, Glenn (1983), p. 10 "interviews with all six of Horowitz's students: Gary Graffman, Byron Janis, Ivan Davis, Ronald Turini, Coleman Blumfield, and Alexander Fiorillo"
  26. ^ Plaskin, Glenn (1983), p. 305 "...he also won the Franz Liszt Competition and received a surprise phone call from Horowitz the day after the announcement. ...with 60 concerts planned for his first cross-country tour and a CBS record contract, Davis intrigued Horowitz."
  27. Plaskin, Glenn (1983), p. 300
  28. Walsh, Michael (2005-06-21). "Vladimir Horowitz: The Prodigal Returns". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  29. "Horowitz TV Interview 1977". YouTube. August 25, 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-11-18. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  30. ^ Assay, Michelle (10 January 2020). "Vladimir Horowitz: Our Contemporary". Gramophone. Mark Allen Group. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  31. Plaskin, 1983, p. 162.
  32. Dubal, 1991, p. 16. "During the years I knew him, there were no signs of any sex life and very little talk on the subject. I personally doubt that he was capable of loving a man emotionally, but there was no doubt he was powerfully attracted to the male body and was most likely often sexually frustrated throughout his life."
  33. Dubal, 1991, pp. 16–17.
  34. Dubal, 1991, p. 251.
  35. "The Great White (Jewish, Gay) Way". 15 October 2004. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  36. "58 Years and Counting. A Love Story". The New York Times. 5 September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  37. Janis, Byron. Chopin and Beyond: My Extraordinary Life in Music and the Paranormal, pp. 67–68. Wiley. ISBN 0-470-60444-1
  38. Plaskin, Glenn (1983). Biography of Vladimir Horowitz Quill ISBN 0-688-02656-7 p. 215 "In December 1940, Horowitz had begun psychoanalysis with an eminent psychiatrist, Dr. Lawrence Kubie, a strict Freudian who was attempting to exorcise the homosexual element from Horowitz."
  39. Plaskin, Glenn (1983). Biography of Vladimir Horowitz Quill ISBN 0-688-02656-7 pp. 338, 387, 389.
  40. Brown, Chip (2013-03-24). "The Operatic Reign of Peter Gelb". The New York Times Magazine. pp. MM26. Archived from the original on 2013-03-21. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  41. Satoh Masaharu(佐藤正治, KAJIMOTO) 放射線22 「ひびのない骨董品」 "Tokyo Shimbun" 6-13-2006
  42. Taubman, Philip (April 21, 1986). "for Horowitz in Moscow, Bravos and Tears". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  43. Charles Kuralt liner notes for Horowitz in Moscow CD
  44. Leonard, James. Horowitz in Hamburg: The Last Concert. Archived 2019-12-02 at the Wayback Machine, , AllMusic. (n.d.). Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  45. Folkart, Burt A. (November 6, 1989). "World-Renowned Pianist Vladimir Horowitz Dies". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  46. Pearson, Richard (November 6, 1989). "Pianist Vladimir Horowitz Dies". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  47. "Vladimir Horowitz Buried in Italy". Chicago Tribune. November 12, 1989. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  48. See, e.g., Joachim Kaiser and Klaus Bennert, Grosse Pianisten in Unserer Zeit (1997)
  49. "This colossal account of Liszt's great, arching tone-poem for piano... has never really been surpassed for technical authority." The Sunday Times, 3 January 2010.
  50. "Vladimir Horowitz biography". biography.yourdictionary.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  51. Barnes & Noble. "Chopin, Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonatas". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  52. Plaskin, Glenn (1983). Biography of Vladimir Horowitz. UK: Macdonald. ISBN 0-356-09179-1
  53. Dubal, David (1993). Remembering Horowitz: 125 Pianists Recall a Legend. Schirmer Books. pp. 350–51. Preface Acknowledgments Introduction '... Van Cliburn ...Yefim Bronfman... Horacio Gutierrez... and Shura Cherkassky'
  54. "Argerich on Horowitz (with English Subtitles)". YouTube. October 17, 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-11-18. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  55. "Blu-ray: HOROWITZ IN MOSKAU 1986 – Konzertfilm und Reportage über die Rückkehr des legendären Pianisten in die Sowjetunion für zwei Konzerte 61 Jahre nach seiner Emigration nach Berlin, sodann in die USA; major". Online Merker (in German). Retrieved 2023-12-25.
  56. Sachs, Harvey (1982). Virtuoso. Thames and Hudson.
  57. "The Horowitz Papers in the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library of Yale University". Yale University Library Online Exhibitions. hdl:10079/fa/music.mss.0055. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  58. Anthony Tommasini, Horowitz at 85: Still Playing Free Archived 2017-05-11 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, Sunday, September 25, 1988
  59. "Vladimir Horowitz (pianist)". Gramophone. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.

Bibliography

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