Horowitz at Home

Possibly the best classical piano CD ever!

I have listened to many classical CDs -piano is my favourite -and this is my favourite CD. I have actually sat with my family and listened to Misuko Uchida's recording of one of the Mozart sonatas (I think the K540 adagio) against Volodya's and there is no comparison. If you only buy one classical piano CD buy this! June 6, 2007

Horowitz....

Are the acoustics here crappy? yes
Does Horowitz hit some wrong notes? yes
You cannot cast judgement on Horowitz playing based on this CD. He is THE pianist of the 20th century. Before some anonymous posters opine that he is incompetent they have to understand what the classical music community thinks. Not for nothing when Horowitz returned to Moscow all of the conservatories came to a halt and students physically fought to be able to listen to him. Keep in mind that Russia/Soviet Union in the 20 century was the epicenter of the piano community. Yes some of his recordings are better than others. He was more technically proficient in his earlier years. Horowitz is one of the only pianists who is not exclusively melody oriented but rather brings out the inner melodies in the other hand and voices. Horowitz is amazing.

One would think that after hundreds of years of keyboard playing the art of innovation would hit the wall of diminishing returns but Horowitz is an antidote to that. I am generally concerned though that Horowitz reached a height that might not be met by subsequent pianists. November 20, 2005

Horowitz, the genius.

Absolutely outstanding. The man was a genius! December 2, 2001

Horowitz - 5+ Stars, Recording - 3 stars

Horowitz at his relaxed finest. His lifetime achievement is clear in the mastery of his instrument and art in his music. Every note carries with it the absolute assuredness of the better part of a century of virtuosity. The Soirees de Vienne alone make this disk a must for piano collections. Too bad DG did their usual mediocre recording job...the piano is muffled and the engineer almost loses the soft passages altogether. August 15, 2001

Fine Late Period Horowitz

Toward the end of his career, Vladimir Horowitz had distilled his art to the bare essentials. Gone were the leonine fortissimos and occasional hysteria of the 1940s, replaced with a new simplicity. This recording, taped in the living room of his New York townhouse in 1989, is an excellent example of Horowitz's late period. The Mozart selections recall the fabled clarity of his Scarlatti playing. Horowitz, 85 at the time of this recording, may not thunder as powerfully as he did during his youth, but he is as in command of his fingers than ever. Although Horowitz has been referred to as a Romantic pianist, his performance of Mozart's Adagio in B Minor is classical in its simplicity.

The Schubert/Liszt Standchen is be one of the greatest piano recordings ever made. Horowitz' control of dynamics and shading make it sound as if the piece was being played on three pianos at once. The two Soirees de Vienne are a virtuosic delight, and the perfect conclusion to a wonderful recording.

Highest recommendation. March 30, 2000

More reviews at Amazon.com ...