He made the piano sound like an orchestra, and could even drown out an orchestra in ffff passagework. Sitting under the belly of the piano in the middle of the first row in Symphony Hall some forty years ago and hearing him play the E Flat Etude Tableau of Rachmaninoff, I was seized by the rapture of the glorious symphonic sound he tossed off, and I knew that I would never hear any piano playing remotely like that again. And I never have. The memory is a total rapture frozen in time forever.
You do know that his piano was specially voiced to be extra brilliant, don't you? And the NY Steinway already has a brighter sound than the Hamburg. Once, his technician refused to shave off any more felt off the hammers, as per Horowitiz's request. Horowitz got a lot of power from his back and shoulders, but he also got a lot of help from his super bright piano.
@@Highinsight7 I have been truly blessed to have heard -- and met -- Volodya, Rubinstein AND Van! All three great, immortal artists, and amazing men! ❤💯🎼🎵🎶🎹💯👍
ffff is fortissisimo basically playing as loud as possible right? I’m learning playing styles right now and this video is great for the change in emotion.
He is the supreme master of sonorities. As Isaac Stern said of him: "With two notes he could produce twenty colours." And his ability to create "the singing line" is matchless. There are not enough superlatives to describe his playing.
Of all the pianists that I've heard, few are truly incredible. But Horowitz is on a whole other plane. His playing somehow transcends beyond anything I thought possible, and I'm constantly astonished any time I hear his playing. "Incredible" is nowhere near enough to describe him. I honestly don't understand how someone could even compare Horowitz to any other pianist, living or dead. He is by far my favorite pianist, musician, artist, of all time, maybe next to Rachmaninoff as a composer. Horowitz + Rachmaninoff is bliss.
Horowitz is unique, incomparable and will always be! I heard him live several times, knew him personally and played his Steinway. No further comments are necessary. Absolutely immmortal!
I heard him perform this piece live in Boston in 1968. The audience was mesmerized. Other than his technical command, I was particularly impressed by his dynamic control, which was shared by very few other pianists.
Why nobody takes globalization into account, is beyond me. If you go back 30, 40, 50 years ago, you'll see that there was very few of everything, because nobody knew about anything. Today I hear all the time people saying "Wow! Why haven't I heard of this composer until now??" Globalization, that's why. I bet my ass that back in the 50s, Eastern Europe (for example) was filled with excellent pianists who never got the chance to play globally, because there was Horowitz and a few others already, which was enough for the publishers and the media. Today people have the internet and can hear hundreds of performers performing the same piece and make their mind. I, for one, don't like Horowitz that much, because, while he had a great technique, he was bad at details and often delivers his music with countless mistakes (1-2 is cute). It's sad that he continues to top the charts, and everyone else is basically ignoring every new talent. Fossils.
When I was your age, I discovered Rachmaninoff's music for the first time. I tell you, Rachmaninoff's music will stay with you for a lifetime, during your high times and your low times. His music, to quote Hugo, can express that which cannot be stated in words.
Music can express that which cannot be stated in words. That's true for any music.Rachmaninoff's music can express that which any other music cannot express !
@@GZ9090 I was there as well. It was 1982, not 1981. We now know that Horowitz was already in serious decline, leading to his disastrous 1983 Japan tour and complete disappearance in 1984, before reemerging triumphantly (and healthy!) in 1985. But this was not necessarily evident at the time. The magnetism of his musicianship was strongly in evidence. The Chopin F minor Ballade will stay with me forever. I don't think it's been played as impressively since Joseph Hofmann. The Liszt Ballade was deeply moving and incredibly atmospheric. Horowitz simply speaks Liszt's language, more than any other musician I had (and since have) ever heard. I experienced the concert as immensely exhausting because I was so concentrated on every detail of H's interpretations. He demanded that kind of total concentration. There was perhaps a certain melancholy or nostalgic air about this recital that was not present in the prior Horowitz recital I attended in May 1978, where he seemed completely sharp and completely in charge. In the 1982 recital, there was a certain mistiness about it all, even in the greatest crescendos and eruptions. Alfred Brendel, whom I remember seeing in the audience, later complained to the German music critic Joachim Kaiser that Horowitz had mostly played "sfumato." I also heard him in Paris in November 1985, when all the haze of 1982 was blown away and he was as sharp as a young man, but with the infinite experience of the old virtuoso.
David Saturz The first memory is queueing many weeks before to get tickets for this, the first concert, and the unbroadcast one a week later. I waited some 20 odd hours and the atmosphere was wonderful amongst those present as we were all keen followers and mostly musicians. I went to the first concert and sat behind the piano to the left of Horowitz, as seen here. It was hard to stay calm, my wife at that time had no knowledge of Horowitz or any true understanding of his importance. I don’t think I had the best sound behind the piano. It was unfocused and seemed to exaggerate Horowitz’s already generous pedalling. This Rachmaninov sounds better than I remember as a result! It was so hard to focus on the day - it was something like people must feel after winning a lottery. The following week was better in all these ways and I attended with my mother who ‘got’ Horowitz to the extent she painted a simple picture afterwards! In both concerts Horowitz played the same Scarlatti sonatas and these were very successful. The Liszt 2nd Ballade from the 2nd concert was full of the sound world that I associated with Horowitz so this too remains in the memory. I had the 1966 performance of this Rachmaninov in my head so I was fast making allowances for his age and later understood he had been on medication that possibly detracted from the playing. All in all those weeks were ones I shall never forget. They were undoubted highlights of my musical life.
Heard him live in Massey Hall, Toronto, back in the mid 1970's. I was lucky to get a stage seat, so I was only 15 ' from him, looking at his hands the entire concert. It felt like he was giving me a personal recital.
Im 15 yrs old and i wish i was born before,for see and hear live this great pianist..i would go all around the world for a Horowitz`s concert..most of today music can`t be called music..
Oh wow, how much classical music is a treasure... I'm also 15 years old right now, I wish I was older so I could better experience this sensation, 7 years later, the popular music now is even more harsh...
I'm 59 and wish I had heard Rachmaninoff and Hoffman perform live (but I did get to see Horowitz twice at Chicago's Orchestra Hall; once in 1979, and then again in 1980; also got to hear Serkin, Brendel, Pollini, Ashkenazy, Radu Lupu, Ponti, Abbey Simon, etc.). And then there's plenty of folks who heard Rachmaninoff and Hoffman who wish they'd heard Chopin and Liszt. And Chopin probably wished he'd heard Mozart and Bach. So, I guess we all have to appreciate the musicians of our time. Because surely somebody in the future will look back at our time and say, "I wish I had lived in the 2020 years because then I could have heard Hamelin and/or Trifonov. So there are still great pianists today and we must appreciate all of them.
@dawn dawn, I remember when Horowitz died. I was in grad school and I walked into the DNA research lab where I was conducting my investigations. One of my fellow lab workers, Lorri, had cut the article out of the newspaper and showed it to me as she knew I play piano and loved classical music. She asked me, "Did you know who this was?" That was when I found out Horowitz had passed.
His romantic sense of taking passages faster, slower, and leaning into dynamic changes so well makes me feel this piece in a whole new way. In a way I always needed to. Man. I wish I saw him live.
I attended that very recital (London May 1982). What else can be said of the iconic Horowitz that has'nt already been said? I consider myself to have been one of the privileged few in the UK.
The finale movement will always be permanently etched into my memory... Especially that almost cataclysmic ending at 22:53... Almost like the whole universe collapsing in on itself
Yes! The final two chords are utterly perfectly judged. It is hard to put into words how natural and appropriate they sound after the final rush of notes.
@@fellipegalacho1874 That's more accurate, yes - I know Horowitz effectively shrugged it off and almost looked like he wasn't comfortable with or didn't like the praise he was receiving. Just shows how much respect Vladimir had for Rachmaninoff in my opinion that he acknowledged but didn't say anything further.
Honestly, rachmaninoff was a very Humble and insecure man. Honestly, when i heard Rachmaninoff play the concerto himself, it was magical. Smth i had never felt before. Rachmaninoff's performance of his 3rd piano concerto is i believe the best one i have ever heard. Rachmaninoff May have said that Horowitz played it better, but i disagree
@@gwaynebrouwn844 I agree. Rachmaninoff was notoriously insecure about his talents, and probably quite a modest man even then. I far prefer his interpretations to those of Horowitz.
I was there. In the 50's and 60's I went to every Horowitz concert I could afford. I served tables, shelved library books, taught students, painted houses... It was all worth it. What a true musical genius and giant ! Whatever you do in life, spend your few dollars on great performances that will last your lifetime.
Wow, changing from fortissimo to pianissimo and back to fortissimo from 5:00 till 6:00 into the piece, I've never heard such a range in sound from the piano in Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Sonata. Horowitz was a genius.
22:57 the rapid tremolos from such dynamics from Horowitz from the bass notes of the piano, jeez how is he able to create such massive sound like that?! That sounds like thunder but really, it really feels like a symphony orchestra playing in the background
Simply amazing performance by a legend, on his Steinway handkerchief holder. The high notes on this piano ring like bells, the low notes are rich, powerful and clear but not overwhelming. With Horowitz's technique, and his intimate knowledge of the music and its composer, the effect is magic.
This is even more impressive than the 1968 Carnegie Hall recording. I'm sure Horowitz wasn't concerned with playing fast or loud, because you can see his intention: to instill every phrase with such rich emotions
Great interpretation, the very first line is absolutely mesmerising. You can hear the whole piece very clearly. He doesn't rush through it, he takes time and makes the music clear. The adagio as a composition itself is wonderful, sounds like an elegy. And the ending is a wonderful contrast to the thundering first movement, reminiscent of Rachmaninov's piano concerto finales.
23:oo on--He really was the greatest. In his face: "I'm coming down the home stretch of this marathon...not bad for an old man...I really loved Rachmaninoff and his music".
22:52 if you guys want to witness the loudest sound a concert grand piano has ever heard, my god Horowitz’s interpretation to play an octave lower really makes it sound like thunder, concert grand pianos are definitely amongst the loudest types of any grand piano by far!!!
I'm not crazy about this sonata but Horowitz always made/makes you listen until the ending. He could make any composition sound digestible, interest, more interesting than it was/is, and always really convincing and beautiful. Bravo Maestro!!!
Not being crazy about this sonata just means you haven't listened to it enough :) I used to be the same, but it has definitely grown on me ( A lot like Wagner's music ). Try listening to Alexander Malofeev's
@@thierryranger2230 I have listened to it enough to know that I'm not crazy about it :) I listened to it again because it's Horowitz. Time is precious I prefer to listen to something that doesn't have to grow on me. Something I really like... Alexander is a talented young pianist. He does interesting things for his age...
@therightmusic7639 I am with you on this sonata. However, I had this performance on a VHS tape and watched it many, many times. It has stood for me as an ideal (for decades now!)of a great creative genius at work in actual performance. Horowitz's focus, depth of understanding, freedom, and imagination are all so inspiring to me. BTW, many years ago I got a chance to play the very piano Horowitz used in this recital. It didn’t feel anything like what I expected. It was quite heavy and didn’t sound under my fingers anything like what you hear here! : )
Quando Lui suona, una infinita tavolozza di colori ti avvolge... Ondate cromatiche ti colpiscono, ti accarezzano e ti percuotono, ti baciano e ti schiaffeggiano....altro non puoi fare che, immobile, ascoltare, stupirti, spaventarti, chiederti in quale Universo ti sei proiettato, in quale fantastico Mondo ti sei perduto , Spettatore Innocente!
A bravura performance. Not only is this musicianship the finest that ever graced planet Earth, but also that someone could conceive of such a piece of music in the first place. They were both a gift to mankind. Tears of joy roll down my cheeks listening to the Second Sonata, the next best musical thing to being in heaven.
This piece just has monster written all over it, I'm not sure what the other you tubers are not hearing as far as melody. What I'm hearing is amazing, I've never heard anyone else play it with such electricity.
@@franksmith541 ah- i was just about to comment this! it feels as though (and forgive me for saying this) kocsis had a better understanding about this piece
@@evslol1153 Horowitz was not his best during this phase, over medicated and alcohol a bad combination. Wanda refused to accompany V.H. He knew, but miracles happen. Then he cleaned up his act and we have his final years, the home videos, Moscow return, Vienna, Hamburg, Mozart Concerto etc,,,,
I have never heard such playing - even from the greatest of today and yesteryears! Where did he find the strength and endurance - and indescribable feeling moments - to play like this at his age. Truly a remarkable achievement!! No one today - and there are many great ones - can play like this. I just wish the ads did not interrupt this marvelous playing.
Such magnificent music, such a brilliant performance! When you start to consider what went into this work... two incredible musical minds -- Rachmaninoff and Horowitz. The genius of the composition... a stunning interpretation... even memorizing such a work is a feat of genius.
As a boy of 10 years old, Horowitz gave a recital for Scriabin in 1915. Scriabin is fantastic stuff; he skips a lot of the intro and end of pieces, a kind of shorthand he uses. I have Horowitz's recordings of Scriabin. Really great recordings. Such modern pieces and over 100 years old, and still sounds modern.
Who gives a damn about a few mistakes when the music playing is great? Small minded people who are jealous of geniuses who attain world fame and renown and great musical accomplishment as Horowitz did. He did not get away with anything, and he did not interpret as you say he did. His greatness resided in the fact that he performed the music exactly as Rachmaninoff dreamed it, lesser "less lazy" note perfectionists interpreted and played the music as lesser than it was
Nowadays, there are some very fine pianists who can do both. It's much more small-minded to assume that Rachmaninoff would not have liked the interpretations of others ;) and I don't see how it is jealousy to opine that others have surpassed Horowitz's interpretation. Something everyone also seems to miss is that Rachmaninoff died in 1943, forty-five years before Horowitz did. Horowitz played very differently in his old age to when he was younger (he was 40 when Rachmaninoff died! How old is he here?)-and he played much better, in my humble opinion, when he was younger.
For an example, look for Horowitz's interpretations of Rachmaninoff's Op. 39 No. 5 from 1962 and 1975 and compare. In just 13 years, his interpretation changed that much. In terms of tone quality, dynamics, and yes, accuracy, I certainly know which one I prefer.
This is just so much better than anything else on the internet... Hamilton, Lugansky the lot just aren't comparable. Wish he was still around to play like that... and this is it him not at his best
Any one who has naysayed this icon in piano history should and must listen to this performance; it is an ultimate in terms of musical and physical perfection and attainment; it demonstrates the dark and fully passionate long suffering Russian soul in its fullness of joy and sorrow. Horowitz at his best was a wizard, sorcerer, very great musician and greater than great pianist. His Scriabin and Rachmaninoff performances are in their own marvelous way absolutely incomparable.
Of all of VH's Rach 2 mashups, this is by far my favorite version. The second movement "mathematically works" better than his other versions. The whole piece feels much more structurally sound to me.
A melodia dissolvida é sugerida como o açúcar na água. A harmonia passa a existir paralela, porém, não ligada diretamente ao canto que se insinua. As dissonâncias se compõe como uma agonia sempre presente, numa época que a alma já passou e se lembra apenas como flashes de um sonho. Lindo.
Thank you so much for this video!!! I have listened so many times to the 1968 recording. And now there is a video. Horowitz's playing really changed through the years, for example at the beginning, he plays much slower. Again, thank you very much and keep up your great work.
I tried playing this piece it is something worth working at....And there is a lovely melancholic sound that is therapeutic to the ear, in its healing qualities....Hard to explain but although haunting at first more as being drip fed some marvellous drizzle essence that sparkles in ones head
In this video(London 1892) he is playing a mashup of Rachmaninoff’s original and revised version of the No.2 Sonata, and it works perfectly well. He has his own unique way to understand and interpret Rachmaninoff’s works as always. Edit: Some time pins 2:007:20 Very beautiful sub-themes of 1st movement 12:10 - 13:15 The most beautiful part 20:4722:57 is literally bombardment
This is great! How does one memorize almost a half hour's worth on notes and perform it so smoothly and elegantly with such poise ill never know. I can agree that there are few mistakes, but all songs played can produce mistakes and the man is 78! I dont see a lot of 70 year old men playing this much music... I like it!! Thumbs up! 5 stars! Now back to listening....
Es como si fuera el mismo Rachmaninov tocando este estallido y romanticismo . Estupenda versión.... la mejor versión de la historia. Tendría que renacer Rach otra vez para superar eso. Nadie más hace esto como Horowitz.
Mind blowing A full exposition of the possibilities of pianistic technical feats Must be an ordeal to master,but always passionate and alive and very strong
That second movement brought me to tears. That is real music, interpreted by a real musician. It made me feel things that I didn't even know I could feel.
Amazing, truly fascinating to see the dynamics change so fast and beautifully. Truly a genius. But I must say that this is quite surprising, I don't know how he didn't break a few strings here and there playing this loud honestly
One can watch this performance again and again add somehow be transported by the clarity of melody and the " on the edge" delivery. Perhaps Vladimir is the only pianist who somehow overrides any slight mishap or indiscretion without it making a jot of difference!
f1f1s It was Rachmaninoff, himself, who allowed Vladimir Horowitz to combine the 1913 & 1931 versions of his 2nd Sonata. They were really good friends, when he did this, and this, as a matter of fact, was important to Rachmaninoff. as well as Horowitz.
I actually like Horowitz's version of the second movement more than both versions of this Sonata. I think that it flows much more nicely, still retaining all the most beautiful parts.
I mean this in total seriousness: Watching Horowitz play is a piano lesson for me. I learn so many things. I have to be mentally and emotionally prepared for it because it's otherwise like drinking from a firehose.
Truly a GREAT piece, and, obviously, a TRULY great performance. I bought the Columbia live cording of Horowitz playing this piece in the 1970s. I listened to it nearly every day for months, until I could har the whole thing in my head. This is epoch-naking, life-changing music. For me.
He literally said that he can either play it musically with mistakes or not very musically and play every note perfect. I can relate to this, actually, though obviously I'm not nearly as good. So, yes, I'd say he definitely prioritized communication over technical precision.
You can always differ technical flaws from splashes , like here, by sound quality. If it's well founded , but you hear wrong notes here and there , you'll always forgive it. And vice versa- if the pianist doesn't feel the bottom with his fingers, you always hear it, and understand he's technical difficulties.
The most staggering and charismatic pianist of them all. No one could overwhelm the public the way he could. And here we are hearing him not at his best, and still we find him irresistible. He will never cease to stun and move me. Regret not having been able to hearing in concert, although I had the opportunity to do so back in 1986. God bless you, Volodya.
Come on Dante! You are telling the Big Lie=Horowitz the greatest! The Truth is Horowitz Not the Greatest pianist! Better more colorful beautiful piano sound than Horowitz=Wilhelm Kempff Emil Gilels Radu Lupu Artur Rubinstein Vladimir Ashkenazy! MORE POWERFUL Louder than Horowitz=Mikhail Pletnev the Most Powerful Loudest pianist ever!!=( Prokofiev piano concerto no 1 by Pletnev!! Pletnev the Nuclear Bomb Powerful! ) The second Loudest Hardest Hitter of the keyboard was Lazar Berman!! More Genius than Horowitz=Sviatoslav Richter Solomon Cutner Maurizio Pollini Grigory Sokolov Alexei Lubimov Stanislav Igolinsky!!!!
@@RaineriHakkarainen is that supposed to be an argument? A plethora of names (most of which insignificant) should constitute an argument? Get off here, I’m not wasting my time on you. Have a good day. And study more.
@@dantefiorentino3612 Come on you the 'Ugly Loser Wanger' Dante! The best beautiful piano Sound pianists=Wilhelm Kempff( the Most Beautiful Piano Sound ever!) Vladimir Ashkenazy=( The Most Colorful Volcanic Piano Sound Ever!) Radu Lupu=( The Most Colorful piano Sound Ever!) Dimitri Bashkirov( Bashkirov playing Mendelssohn piano concerto no 1 with the most beautiful piano Sound ever!) Artur Rubinstein=( The GOD of the Golden tone!) Why i have to study More! You the 'Ugly Loser Wanger' Dante you did not knew who are the most Powerful Loudest( Mikhail Pletnev a class of his own! The Second Loudest Hardest Hitter Of the Keyboard was Lazar Berman! You Must study Harder! Now you Do know the most powerful players Pletnev and Lazar Berman!! You Dante The 'Ugly Loser Wanger' claiming that Sviatoslav Richter Solomon Cutner Grigory Sokolov Maurizio Pollini are not more Genius than Horowitz! You The 'Ugly Loser Wanger' must stop telling the Big Lies! The Truth is THE GIANT OF THE PIANO Grigory Sokolov played these concertos=Chopin no 2! Brahms no 2! Mozart 24! Saint-Saens no 2! AFTER GRIGORY SOKOLOV PLAYED THESE CONCERTOS THEN ALL THE OTHERS PIANISTS ARE REALLY ONLY THE DUST ZEROS! Sokolov Versus The Dust Zero Horowitz 100-0!! And we can proof that 100-0! Sokolov his Brahms piano concerto no 2=Sokolov the best piano Sound! Sokolov his rhythmic vitalness is unbeatable! Sokolov the Most TITANIC! Horowitz his Brahms piano concerto no 2 the recordings are Low value Empty Trash Art Music!) So we get=Sokolov and Horowitz their Brahms piano concerto no 2 playing=Sokolov better by a country Mile than The Dust Zero Horowitz!!!
@@dantefiorentino3612 Raineri Hakkarainen 513 subscribers youtube! Dante 1 subscriber youtube! And you are claiming that.i.should be out from the UA-cam! You do not own the youtube! You are Like Putin NO UA-cam! Putin is your The President NO Freedom of speech! You are dreaming.Putin's Butt.Bottom! You.are.Nothing but Puti You the 'Ugly Loser Wanger' claiming that These pianist are insignificant=Emil Gilels=The KING PIANIST! Grigory Sokolov=THE GIANT OF THE PIANO!! Stanislav Igolinsky Better than Dinu Lipatti! Igolinsky the 'Water Color Painter' pianist! His piano Sound Like the Water color painting! Sviatoslav Richter=The Best Greatest Rachmaninov piano Concerto no 2 playing Ever! Solomon Cutner=The Best Structure of Music! Alexei Lubimov Mozart piano concerto no 27! Lubimov a class of his own! Radu Lupu his Brahms piano concerto no 1 with the Finnish Radio Symphony from 1996! Lupu the most colorful sound Ever! Lupu the most Relax player ever! Horowitz his Brahms concerto no 1 recordings are Really Low value Empty Trash Art music! !
@@dantefiorentino3612 My List pianists who were better than Horowitz! MORE Genius than Horowitz! Better piano Sound than Horowitz! More Louder More Powerful than Horowitz! My List there is only one bad awful Trash Pianist and He is the Second Loudest Hardest Hitter of the Keyboard Lazar Berman! Berman the second-rated pianist! Berman the Sledgehammer Boring Bomber Ever! But You The 'Ugly Loser Wanger' Dante you missed that IQ test! You did not pointed out that Berman was over-rated piano Hammer! Your IQ in classical Music is Zero IQ points! And you zero IQ in classical music claiming.to me Study.Harder! Your Knowledge of classical music is Empty.Trash Level! Go and Fuck your Hero Putin! Putin and Dante wants the people out from The UA-cam! Dante you are only 'Ugly Loser Wanger' who is loving Putin and wants block out from the UA-cam the Truth telling.people who.are telling.the.Truth Horowitz Not the Greatest pianist! You Ugly Wanger telling The Big Lie Horowitz the Greatest!! Dante you are a Big Time Lier and Ugly Stupid Wanger NO knowledge of classical Music!!
I was there! In a £10 seat up in what's now called the balcony. Excellent atmosphere- if I recall Charles and Diana were there, and Horowitz played the National Anthem when he first came on stage.
I love how he’s never afraid to take a bit more time over things- bass notes at 22:31 and 12:57 just stood out to me. He takes a breath without letting it interrupt the flow of the music. Masterful.
Una gran transcripción (pese a ser solo un puñado de compases) la sensación exacta de que Horowitz escribió lo que en realidad le faltaba a esta sonata.
I reckon that's exactly how he worked. Some people get picky about his "mistakes" but I think those "mistakes" are a consequence of him fully internalising it and "owning" it. Better to own it with mistakes, than to merely imitate it (however accurately) IMO!
This performance contains many different variations of his, which didn't appear in his other renditions. Definitely not simply smush the two editions. I particularly like that he highlights the Chopin polonaise part in the second movement. That one choice is so brilliant.
@@ianmoore5502 don’t know whether you still are interested, but it is somewhere between 13:23-14:00. This part is from the first edition that pays homage to Chopin polonaise. It’s removed from the second edition
Да...В свои годы этот человек совершил артистический подвиг сыграв так Сонату Рахманинова, как никто еще не играл (даже в наше время я ничего подобного не слышал). С таким блеском и размахом! Фантастика какая-то...время не властно над этим великим артистом, Владимиром Горовцем!
Do you really mean that Horowitz played this sonata BETTER in 1982 than in 1968????? And do you really mean that the Rachmaninov second sonata is GREATER than Beethoven op. 110 or 111??????
All the nonsense that has been written about this marvelous pianist and masterful musician is really nothing more than the ignorance of the writers. Horowitz understood late Russian piano music, and he is a total master of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff. This absolutely magnificent performance conveys the depth and grief and ecstasy of the Russian soul; musically Horowitz is irreproachable and pianistically divine. He played all of the notes spectacularly, both the little ones and the big ones.
The first time I have watched this particular piece of music, Horowitz (despite old age)is formidable at the keys...I'm dying to find any (if exist) of his first performances when he was in his prime, it will be a thrill to watch.
I attended this recital and the one the following week which was neither recorded or broadcast. We now know that Horowitz was not in good health at the time and possibly on medication that affected his playing. The consensus is that his playing improved by the time he made his return to Moscow. The best things in this recital were the Scarlatti sonatas. The following week (still at the RFH) Horowitz gave a rare but amazing performance of the Liszt second Ballade. It's possible that my change of seat for the second performance affected my judgement but I felt that these performances were distinctly better. Nevertheless both occasions were intensely special. There was a palpable air of anticipation in the air that I have not felt before or since. I queued for tickets for 36 hours and the shared thoughts amongst those waiting were special in themselves.
an eccentric and messy performance alright. I'd pay not a few debtbucks to hear a recording of Horowitz playing this piece at the height of his powers, say, the early 1950's. Alas, there is none
David Luck The "Horowitz plays Rachmaninov and Liszt" CD (I actually own the vinyl recording so I assume it is the same), was a much better played version of the Rachmaninov B flat Sonata. I recommend checking that out.
Horowitz was 79 years old and going through personal and health problems at the time and he STILL plays this brilliantly! But of course this was one of his signature pieces and he arranged it himself with Rachmaninoff's consent. It's hard to play badly something so deeply engrained in your soul.
Very special. THe made this piece to be understandable. If somebody want to be critical for this video, do it against Rachmaninoff not Horowitz. This piece has the maximal quality up to this level. Even this quality was possible because of this marvelous pianist.
WHAT "A BEAUTIFUL SONATA THIS. IS"!!! I AM DRAWN TO IT SO-O-O-O DIVINELY!! I Am Fascinated By It! It Has So Many "Different Parts (SECTIONS)! Very DISJUNCT With DISTINCT POSSIBILITIES!! A "GREAT MYSTERIOUS CREATIVITY", SO RUSSIAN, Such Depth, So MANY EXPRESSIONS!!! IT IS ""RACHMANINOFF""- It Is ANOTHER GREAT WORK!!! This Performance Of The ""SONATA NO. 2 Op. 36 By VLADIMIR HOROWITZ "Is Very Exciting In SectIons"And His Playing Is THRILLING-At Times Throughout To-The End!! I Am An. Admirer of HOROWITZ And Have ENJOYED His Concerts IN PERSON Along With "Other GREAT PIANISTS"!! VAN CLIBURN IS "INCOMPARABLE IN PLAYING This SONATA""!!! VAN. CLIBURN Has So MUCH PASSION, DRAMA, Depth, Expressions, Different Feelings And COLORS! I "LOVE THE CHIMES" The AWESOME POWER OF The LEFT HAND"" ETC.!!! Van CLiburn Gives SO MUCH PURE SOUND, "Real Quality Of SOUND" IN THE KEYS At All Levels Of Dynamics!! The First Chords "Are. So RESONANT!! IT IS GRIPPING!! It's Grabs Your Feelings And Sets The Theme, Different Themes Or Textures Of The SONATA In Such A Great Way!! His Playing Of This Great SONATA Has "Such SOUL SPIRIT, POWERFUL CLIMAXES, VARIOUS TECHNIQUE And DETAILS , MOODS, TANTALIZING RHYTHMS!! He Has "Such SENSITIVITY, Such A BEAUTIFUL HEART And SPIRIT When Needed Interpreting The SONATA!!! VAN CLIBURN "SUSTAINS The WORK SO BEAUTIFULLY FROM BEGINNING ALL TO THE END"'!!!! His PHENOMENAL FLAWLESS ,POWERFUL TECHNIQUE throughout IS "STUNNING"!! SUPREME!! SUPERLI-I-I-I - I- OUS!!!! Among His GREAT GIFTS -VAN CLIBURN "IS PURE PIANIST"!! PURE PIANISM SOUND!! He Has "TRULY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, RESONANT SOUND!! You Have To Have "THE GREATEST TECHNIQUE With The MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUND To Really Play Rachmaninoff!!! I LOVE VAN CLIBURN'S ""STYLE OF PLAYING" This GREAT WORK!! HE GIVES ""THE GREATEST INTERPRETATION OF The SONATA NO. 2 OP. 36!!!!! No Other Great Pianist Has "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GREAT SOUND With "The STYLE OF PLAYING" LIKE VAN CLIBURN NOT EVEN HOROWITZ!!! HOROWITZ IS"FANTASTIC" But--- I Have A Very Good EAR For Listening To Great Performers! HOROWITZ He Calculates, His FINGERS Don't GO INTO The KEYS, He Sectionalizes The Different PHRASES, His Pianos Can Be Too Soft Etc. Then THERE IS "A Break Or. PAUSE! HOROWITZ "At Times PLAYS With A Lot Of "CALCULATED TENSION!! I Think He Said, ""THEY PLAYED ME TOO HARD And BURNED ME OUT""!!! Perhaps, HOROWITZ "Had His Piano Doctored - "So He Wouldn't Have To Work SO HARD!!! (It Is Said HOROWITZ Had " Breaks Throughout His Long VERY DISTINGUISHED CAREER!! Perhaps, GREAT TENSION And Extremely HIPER Playing With Such EXPLOITATION Caused Horowitz "Real Health Problems"!! HOROWITZ'S Piano Has "A TINGLING SOUND - When HE PLAYS!! LIke 'JINGLE BELLS IN The KEYS'!! HOROWITZ Knows What PLEASES HIS AUDIENCE!! THIS MAKES HIM GREAT!!! I Have ENJOYED Listening To Other Great Pianist Playing This Great SONATA!! But--VAN CLIBURN IS "THE GREATEST INTERPRETER Of SONATA NO. 2 OP. 36 Of RACHMANINOFF!!!!!
Horowitz and Cliburn not the Greatest! More beautiful colorful piano Sound than Horowitz and Cliburn=Wilhelm Kempff Emil Gilels Artur Rubinstein Radu Lupu Vladimir Ashkenazy! More Powerful Louder than Horowitz and Cliburn=Mikhail Pletnev The Supernova Explosion Power!( Prokofiev piano concerto no 1 by Pletnev!) The Second Loudest was Lazar Berman! More Genius than Cliburn and Horowitz=Sviatoslav Richter Solomon Cutner Grigory Sokolov Maurizio Pollini Alexei Lubimov Stanislav Igolinsky!
You are both wise and humble. We too often think that what we have today is better than what was. Rachmaninoff himself gave this Sonata to Horowitz to do with it as he pleased. We are the fortunate ones who hear the results of it. I am thankful that young people like yourself see the value in greatness.
Also worth noting that Horowitz produced his own version of this score as well as other pieces. Eg. Pictures at an Exhibition, which is considered by some better than the original! ("His performance of this arrangement at a 1951 concert in Carnegie Hall has been described as one of the greatest piano performances of all time") So yes, Horowitz choose to perform his own interpretation, which can been seen as 'wrong' but if it becomes more popular than other interpretations is it then wrong?
He made the piano sound like an orchestra, and could even drown out an orchestra in ffff passagework. Sitting under the belly of the piano in the middle of the first row in Symphony Hall some forty years ago and hearing him play the E Flat Etude Tableau of Rachmaninoff, I was seized by the rapture of the glorious symphonic sound he tossed off, and I knew that I would never hear any piano playing remotely like that again. And I never have. The memory is a total rapture frozen in time forever.
You’re a lucky bastard
I THANK GOD I WAS ABLE TO HEAR HIM LIVE IN PERSON !
You do know that his piano was specially voiced to be extra brilliant, don't you? And the NY Steinway already has a brighter sound than the Hamburg. Once, his technician refused to shave off any more felt off the hammers, as per Horowitiz's request. Horowitz got a lot of power from his back and shoulders, but he also got a lot of help from his super bright piano.
@@Highinsight7
I have been truly blessed to have heard -- and met -- Volodya, Rubinstein AND Van! All three great, immortal artists, and amazing men! ❤💯🎼🎵🎶🎹💯👍
ffff is fortissisimo basically playing as loud as possible right? I’m learning playing styles right now and this video is great for the change in emotion.
He is the supreme master of sonorities. As Isaac Stern said of him: "With two notes he could produce twenty colours." And his ability to create "the singing line" is matchless. There are not enough superlatives to describe his playing.
Debatable in these modern times.
No, Itzhak Perlman.
@@TimAndyMik modern pianists don't even come close to these legends
He played this piece so wonderfully despite feeling unwell. Amazing man. I am always such an enormous Horowitz fan.
This was at London's Festival Hall in 1982.Prince Charles was in the audience.
Thank you for sharing that
@Herbert Hall his unwellness was still controlled, luckily
Unfortunately a year later after preforming in tokyo and in Chicago, he was thrown into his 3d burnout.
0:07 - I. Allegro agitato
10:11 - II. Non allegro - Lento
16:50 - III. L'istesso tempo - Allegro molto
[23:05 - Applause]
Nice now i can listen to the applaude on repeat
20:50 - 20:55
Went from FFFF to PPP. Man, I love Vladimir Horowitz .
his trade mark
I can go from ffff to pppp playing as loud as possible to... playing as quiet, so not playing at all.
@Bacn momenr
@Schuyler Bacn ok
Your second timestamp is wrong.
Of all the pianists that I've heard, few are truly incredible. But Horowitz is on a whole other plane. His playing somehow transcends beyond anything I thought possible, and I'm constantly astonished any time I hear his playing. "Incredible" is nowhere near enough to describe him. I honestly don't understand how someone could even compare Horowitz to any other pianist, living or dead. He is by far my favorite pianist, musician, artist, of all time, maybe next to Rachmaninoff as a composer. Horowitz + Rachmaninoff is bliss.
Glazing so hard
@@noahlamar667 Its true tho
And his approach is so nonchalant, as if he’s folding laundry. It’s amazing to watch.
Horowitz is unique, incomparable and will always be! I heard him live several times, knew him personally and played his Steinway. No further comments are necessary. Absolutely immmortal!
So lucky!
I am so jealous, yet happy for you, One of my life's regrets
You must have some special hidden talents as well to be part of his League.
@@michaeltaylor4752 damn
There, there now. There's better talent today. Don't become fanboys.
20:55 the change in dynamics holy shit
I heard him perform this piece live in Boston in 1968. The audience was mesmerized. Other than his technical command, I was particularly impressed by his dynamic control, which was shared by very few other pianists.
Wow!!!
Amen!
Why nobody takes globalization into account, is beyond me. If you go back 30, 40, 50 years ago, you'll see that there was very few of everything, because nobody knew about anything. Today I hear all the time people saying "Wow! Why haven't I heard of this composer until now??" Globalization, that's why. I bet my ass that back in the 50s, Eastern Europe (for example) was filled with excellent pianists who never got the chance to play globally, because there was Horowitz and a few others already, which was enough for the publishers and the media. Today people have the internet and can hear hundreds of performers performing the same piece and make their mind. I, for one, don't like Horowitz that much, because, while he had a great technique, he was bad at details and often delivers his music with countless mistakes (1-2 is cute). It's sad that he continues to top the charts, and everyone else is basically ignoring every new talent. Fossils.
@@alanpotter8680"To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable." - Mad Man Beethoven.
i like his pacing a lot: swinging, like something approaching in the distance
When I was your age, I discovered Rachmaninoff's music for the first time. I tell you, Rachmaninoff's music will stay with you for a lifetime, during your high times and your low times. His music, to quote Hugo, can express that which cannot be stated in words.
Music can express that which cannot be stated in words. That's true for any music.Rachmaninoff's music can express that which any other music cannot express !
Is 19 too late to discover this
@@vijaykrishnan7797 so X
E
@@000Crete ?
1981 - I was there. He did another unrecorded concert exactly a week later.
Please tell us your experience of this recital. It must have been incredible to be there in person.
David Saturz Agreed
@@GZ9090 I was there as well. It was 1982, not 1981. We now know that Horowitz was already in serious decline, leading to his disastrous 1983 Japan tour and complete disappearance in 1984, before reemerging triumphantly (and healthy!) in 1985. But this was not necessarily evident at the time. The magnetism of his musicianship was strongly in evidence. The Chopin F minor Ballade will stay with me forever. I don't think it's been played as impressively since Joseph Hofmann. The Liszt Ballade was deeply moving and incredibly atmospheric. Horowitz simply speaks Liszt's language, more than any other musician I had (and since have) ever heard. I experienced the concert as immensely exhausting because I was so concentrated on every detail of H's interpretations. He demanded that kind of total concentration.
There was perhaps a certain melancholy or nostalgic air about this recital that was not present in the prior Horowitz recital I attended in May 1978, where he seemed completely sharp and completely in charge. In the 1982 recital, there was a certain mistiness about it all, even in the greatest crescendos and eruptions. Alfred Brendel, whom I remember seeing in the audience, later complained to the German music critic Joachim Kaiser that Horowitz had mostly played "sfumato."
I also heard him in Paris in November 1985, when all the haze of 1982 was blown away and he was as sharp as a young man, but with the infinite experience of the old virtuoso.
David Saturz The first memory is queueing many weeks before to get tickets for this, the first concert, and the unbroadcast one a week later. I waited some 20 odd hours and the atmosphere was wonderful amongst those present as we were all keen followers and mostly musicians. I went to the first concert and sat behind the piano to the left of Horowitz, as seen here. It was hard to stay calm, my wife at that time had no knowledge of Horowitz or any true understanding of his importance. I don’t think I had the best sound behind the piano. It was unfocused and seemed to exaggerate Horowitz’s already generous pedalling. This Rachmaninov sounds better than I remember as a result!
It was so hard to focus on the day - it was something like people must feel after winning a lottery. The following week was better in all these ways and I attended with my mother who ‘got’ Horowitz to the extent she painted a simple picture afterwards! In both concerts Horowitz played the same Scarlatti sonatas and these were very successful. The Liszt 2nd Ballade from the 2nd concert was full of the sound world that I associated with Horowitz so this too remains in the memory. I had the 1966 performance of this Rachmaninov in my head so I was fast making allowances for his age and later understood he had been on medication that possibly detracted from the playing.
All in all those weeks were ones I shall never forget. They were undoubted highlights of my musical life.
Heard him live in Massey Hall, Toronto, back in the mid 1970's. I was lucky to get a stage seat, so I was only 15 ' from him, looking at his hands the entire concert. It felt like he was giving me a personal recital.
Im 15 yrs old and i wish i was born before,for see and hear live this great pianist..i would go all around the world for a Horowitz`s concert..most of today music can`t be called music..
Oh wow, how much classical music is a treasure... I'm also 15 years old right now, I wish I was older so I could better experience this sensation, 7 years later, the popular music now is even more harsh...
I'm 59 and wish I had heard Rachmaninoff and Hoffman perform live (but I did get to see Horowitz twice at Chicago's Orchestra Hall; once in 1979, and then again in 1980; also got to hear Serkin, Brendel, Pollini, Ashkenazy, Radu Lupu, Ponti, Abbey Simon, etc.). And then there's plenty of folks who heard Rachmaninoff and Hoffman who wish they'd heard Chopin and Liszt. And Chopin probably wished he'd heard Mozart and Bach. So, I guess we all have to appreciate the musicians of our time. Because surely somebody in the future will look back at our time and say, "I wish I had lived in the 2020 years because then I could have heard Hamelin and/or Trifonov. So there are still great pianists today and we must appreciate all of them.
@dawn dawn, I remember when Horowitz died. I was in grad school and I walked into the DNA research lab where I was conducting my investigations. One of my fellow lab workers, Lorri, had cut the article out of the newspaper and showed it to me as she knew I play piano and loved classical music. She asked me, "Did you know who this was?" That was when I found out Horowitz had passed.
His romantic sense of taking passages faster, slower, and leaning into dynamic changes so well makes me feel this piece in a whole new way. In a way I always needed to. Man. I wish I saw him live.
I attended that very recital (London May 1982). What else can be said of the iconic Horowitz that has'nt already been said?
I consider myself to have been one of the privileged few in the UK.
The finale movement will always be permanently etched into my memory... Especially that almost cataclysmic ending at 22:53... Almost like the whole universe collapsing in on itself
Yes! The final two chords are utterly perfectly judged. It is hard to put into words how natural and appropriate they sound after the final rush of notes.
Как это можно играть по памяти😒
About Horowitz, Sergei Rachmaninov himself once said: "He plays my second sonata better than his composer."
As Horowitz once corrected an interviewer during an interview... "Third Concerto, yeah. Yeah he liked my playing."
@@fellipegalacho1874 That's more accurate, yes - I know Horowitz effectively shrugged it off and almost looked like he wasn't comfortable with or didn't like the praise he was receiving. Just shows how much respect Vladimir had for Rachmaninoff in my opinion that he acknowledged but didn't say anything further.
Honestly, rachmaninoff was a very Humble and insecure man. Honestly, when i heard Rachmaninoff play the concerto himself, it was magical. Smth i had never felt before. Rachmaninoff's performance of his 3rd piano concerto is i believe the best one i have ever heard. Rachmaninoff May have said that Horowitz played it better, but i disagree
@@gwaynebrouwn844 I agree. Rachmaninoff was notoriously insecure about his talents, and probably quite a modest man even then. I far prefer his interpretations to those of Horowitz.
@@Maffchops Yes! It was Charles Kuralt of CBS the Maestro corrected prior to the Moscow concert in 1986.
When I was a young pianist I so wanted to hear him in person. Never got the chance, but so thrilled to find this recording.
I was there. In the 50's and 60's I went to every Horowitz concert I could afford. I served tables, shelved library books, taught students, painted houses... It was all worth it. What a true musical genius and giant ! Whatever you do in life, spend your few dollars on great performances that will last your lifetime.
Horowitz puts music together in a completely new way. His originality is bottomless.
such beautiful playing... by a man who KNEW Rachmaninoff... and whom RACHMANINOFF admired a GREAT deal...
Wow, changing from fortissimo to pianissimo and back to fortissimo from 5:00 till 6:00 into the piece, I've never heard such a range in sound from the piano in Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Sonata. Horowitz was a genius.
22:57 the rapid tremolos from such dynamics from Horowitz from the bass notes of the piano, jeez how is he able to create such massive sound like that?! That sounds like thunder but really, it really feels like a symphony orchestra playing in the background
Simply amazing performance by a legend, on his Steinway handkerchief holder. The high notes on this piano ring like bells, the low notes are rich, powerful and clear but not overwhelming. With Horowitz's technique, and his intimate knowledge of the music and its composer, the effect is magic.
This is even more impressive than the 1968 Carnegie Hall recording. I'm sure Horowitz wasn't concerned with playing fast or loud, because you can see his intention: to instill every phrase with such rich emotions
Vladimir Horowitz was a truly accomplished classical pianist who played so beautifully. I could listen to him all day❤️
Great interpretation, the very first line is absolutely mesmerising. You can hear the whole piece very clearly. He doesn't rush through it, he takes time and makes the music clear. The adagio as a composition itself is wonderful, sounds like an elegy. And the ending is a wonderful contrast to the thundering first movement, reminiscent of Rachmaninov's piano concerto finales.
There is so much joy in Horowitz's playing.
23:oo on--He really was the greatest. In his face: "I'm coming down the home stretch of this marathon...not bad for an old man...I really loved Rachmaninoff and his music".
22:52 if you guys want to witness the loudest sound a concert grand piano has ever heard, my god Horowitz’s interpretation to play an octave lower really makes it sound like thunder, concert grand pianos are definitely amongst the loudest types of any grand piano by far!!!
I'm not crazy about this sonata but Horowitz always made/makes you listen until the ending. He could make any composition sound digestible, interest, more interesting than it was/is, and always really convincing and beautiful. Bravo Maestro!!!
Not being crazy about this sonata just means you haven't listened to it enough :) I used to be the same, but it has definitely grown on me ( A lot like Wagner's music ). Try listening to Alexander Malofeev's
@@thierryranger2230 I have listened to it enough to know that I'm not crazy about it :) I listened to it again because it's Horowitz. Time is precious I prefer to listen to something that doesn't have to grow on me. Something I really like... Alexander is a talented young pianist. He does interesting things for his age...
@@therightmusic7639 That's alright :) The music we like changes and evolves all the time anyway :)
@@thierryranger2230 Wise reply :)
@therightmusic7639 I am with you on this sonata. However, I had this performance on a VHS tape and watched it many, many times. It has stood for me as an ideal (for decades now!)of a great creative genius at work in actual performance. Horowitz's focus, depth of understanding, freedom, and imagination are all so inspiring to me.
BTW, many years ago I got a chance to play the very piano Horowitz used in this recital. It didn’t feel anything like what I expected. It was quite heavy and didn’t sound under my fingers anything like what you hear here! : )
One of the most beautiful things i ever heard
Quando Lui suona, una infinita tavolozza di colori ti avvolge... Ondate cromatiche ti colpiscono, ti accarezzano e ti percuotono, ti baciano e ti schiaffeggiano....altro non puoi fare che, immobile, ascoltare, stupirti, spaventarti, chiederti in quale Universo ti sei proiettato, in quale fantastico Mondo ti sei perduto , Spettatore Innocente!
A bravura performance. Not only is this musicianship the finest that ever graced planet Earth, but also that someone could conceive of such a piece of music in the first place. They were both a gift to mankind. Tears of joy roll down my cheeks listening to the Second Sonata, the next best musical thing to being in heaven.
This piece just has monster written all over it, I'm not sure what the other you tubers are not hearing as far as melody. What I'm hearing is amazing, I've never heard anyone else play it with such electricity.
I prefer the late Zoltan Kocsis in the uncut original version. Fingers of steel.
@@franksmith541 ah- i was just about to comment this! it feels as though (and forgive me for saying this) kocsis had a better understanding about this piece
@@evslol1153 Horowitz was not his best during this phase, over medicated and alcohol a bad combination.
Wanda refused to accompany V.H.
He knew, but miracles happen.
Then he cleaned up his act and we have his final years, the home videos, Moscow return, Vienna, Hamburg, Mozart Concerto etc,,,,
I have never heard such playing - even from the greatest of today and yesteryears! Where did he find the strength and endurance - and indescribable feeling moments - to play like this at his age. Truly a remarkable achievement!! No one today - and there are many great ones - can play like this. I just wish the ads did not interrupt this marvelous playing.
Such magnificent music, such a brilliant performance! When you start to consider what went into this work... two incredible musical minds -- Rachmaninoff and Horowitz. The genius of the composition... a stunning interpretation... even memorizing such a work is a feat of genius.
As a boy of 10 years old, Horowitz gave a recital for Scriabin in 1915. Scriabin is fantastic stuff; he skips a lot of the intro and end of pieces, a kind of shorthand he uses. I have Horowitz's recordings of Scriabin. Really great recordings. Such modern pieces and over 100 years old, and still sounds modern.
誘惑度が半端なく心が囚われてしまいます。本当に素晴らしい。
I can't get enough of 21:34 it's so beautiful, and can only play that well by Horowitz himself.
Who gives a damn about a few mistakes when the music playing is great? Small minded people who are jealous of geniuses who attain world fame and renown and great musical accomplishment as Horowitz did. He did not get away with anything, and he did not interpret as you say he did. His greatness resided in the fact that he performed the music exactly as Rachmaninoff dreamed it, lesser "less lazy" note perfectionists interpreted and played the music as lesser than it was
Nowadays, there are some very fine pianists who can do both. It's much more small-minded to assume that Rachmaninoff would not have liked the interpretations of others ;) and I don't see how it is jealousy to opine that others have surpassed Horowitz's interpretation.
Something everyone also seems to miss is that Rachmaninoff died in 1943, forty-five years before Horowitz did. Horowitz played very differently in his old age to when he was younger (he was 40 when Rachmaninoff died! How old is he here?)-and he played much better, in my humble opinion, when he was younger.
For an example, look for Horowitz's interpretations of Rachmaninoff's Op. 39 No. 5 from 1962 and 1975 and compare. In just 13 years, his interpretation changed that much. In terms of tone quality, dynamics, and yes, accuracy, I certainly know which one I prefer.
His dynamics! Soooo great!! I love Horowitz interpretations!
This is just so much better than anything else on the internet... Hamilton, Lugansky the lot just aren't comparable.
Wish he was still around to play like that... and this is it him not at his best
Any one who has naysayed this icon in piano history should and must listen to this performance; it is an ultimate in terms of musical and physical perfection and attainment; it demonstrates the dark and fully passionate long suffering Russian soul in its fullness of joy and sorrow. Horowitz at his best was a wizard, sorcerer, very great musician and greater than great pianist. His Scriabin and Rachmaninoff performances are in their own marvelous way absolutely incomparable.
Thank you for sharing. I cannot stop listening to his piano.
Of all of VH's Rach 2 mashups, this is by far my favorite version. The second movement "mathematically works" better than his other versions. The whole piece feels much more structurally sound to me.
A titan in the music world
A melodia dissolvida é sugerida como o açúcar na água. A harmonia passa a existir paralela, porém, não ligada diretamente ao canto que se insinua.
As dissonâncias se compõe como uma agonia sempre presente, numa época que a alma já passou e se lembra apenas como flashes de um sonho. Lindo.
ⅰ0:45～1:27冒頭の凄まじいフォルテ、ⅱ13:26～48ラフマニノフの熱くたぎるようなメッセージが伝わってくる。14:10～15:31カデンツァに続いて、厭世的なフレーズが続く。低音の響きが脳髄にうずく。Ⅲ18:16～19:30 繰り返し出てくる限りなく色っぽいメロディー、懐かしさと憧れに包まれる、21:08～21:40 指を伸ばしたままの和弦から、イスラメイばりのトレモロのコーダまで、冗長な１番とは比較にならない名曲だと思う。とくにⅢはすばらしく、作曲者の同意を得て、かなりきりばりしてホロヴッツ版として出している。原典版はアシュケナージが弾いているが、あまり意味のない巨匠主義的パッセージが少し多すぎ、冗長の感は否めない。Ⅲは短くまとめたうえで３ｍくらいのアンコールとしてもホロヴィッツは弾いていたように思う。リストのソナタ、ショパンの葬送、シューベルトのさすらい人等に比べ、聴きどころ満載、しかも聴衆をいい気持ちにさせてくれるサービス精神満点のソナタである。誰だっけ？「指が回るだけのピアニストが指が回らなくなったら終わりだ」なんてね。多少もつれてもよたよた歩いてても十分伝わってくるよ。指がマムシになっていたり、（三度の下降スケールを24指で弾いているときに５指が伸び切っている（カルメン幻想曲）のも全く不可解！）のにあんな爆音が出るのは相変わらず謎だけれど。
21:30 to the end is magic, especially 22:20 to 22:30 - the dynamics!
Thank you so much for this video!!! I have listened so many times to the 1968 recording. And now there is a video. Horowitz's playing really changed through the years, for example at the beginning, he plays much slower.
Again, thank you very much and keep up your great work.
I tried playing this piece it is something worth working at....And there is a lovely melancholic sound that is therapeutic to the ear, in its healing qualities....Hard to explain but although haunting at first more as being drip fed some marvellous drizzle essence that sparkles in ones head
In this video(London 1892) he is playing a mashup of Rachmaninoff’s original and revised version of the No.2 Sonata, and it works perfectly well. He has his own unique way to understand and interpret Rachmaninoff’s works as always.
Edit: Some time pins
2:00 7:20 Very beautiful sub-themes of 1st movement
12:10 - 13:15 The most beautiful part
20:47 22:57 is literally bombardment
This is great! How does one memorize almost a half hour's worth on notes and perform it so smoothly and elegantly with such poise ill never know. I can agree that there are few mistakes, but all songs played can produce mistakes and the man is 78! I dont see a lot of 70 year old men playing this much music... I like it!! Thumbs up! 5 stars! Now back to listening....
You made a few grammatical mistakes, i.e., the man WAS 78, not IS
78. And it's DON'T,
not DONT.
@@miltonmoore8369 you missed, “ill.”
What about pianists who have memorized all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas?
@@mikern2001 memorised all 32 Beethoven sonatas but are they musical performances that lift you out of your seat.
The Arrau performance of all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas does
Es como si fuera el mismo Rachmaninov tocando este estallido y romanticismo . Estupenda versión.... la mejor versión de la historia. Tendría que renacer Rach otra vez para superar eso. Nadie más hace esto como Horowitz.
Mind blowing A full exposition of the possibilities of pianistic technical feats Must be an ordeal to master,but always passionate and alive and very strong
That second movement brought me to tears. That is real music, interpreted by a real musician. It made me feel things that I didn't even know I could feel.
Amazing, truly fascinating to see the dynamics change so fast and beautifully. Truly a genius.
But I must say that this is quite surprising, I don't know how he didn't break a few strings here and there playing this loud honestly
That's called an overflow of applause that just burst forth in sheer enthusiasm
The work of satan dwarfs this christian loving rubbish
One can watch this performance again and again add somehow be transported by the clarity of melody and the " on the edge" delivery. Perhaps Vladimir is the only pianist who somehow overrides any slight mishap or indiscretion without it making a jot of difference!
f1f1s It was Rachmaninoff, himself, who allowed Vladimir Horowitz to combine the 1913 & 1931 versions of his 2nd Sonata. They were really good friends, when he did this, and this, as a matter of fact, was important to Rachmaninoff. as well as Horowitz.
Probably the most introspective and nuanced interpretation I have heard of this extraordinary piece played by an extraordinary artist.
I actually like Horowitz's version of the second movement more than both versions of this Sonata. I think that it flows much more nicely, still retaining all the most beautiful parts.
Best version of this piece...
Amazing. What confidence and command of the instrument he has!
I mean this in total seriousness: Watching Horowitz play is a piano lesson for me. I learn so many things. I have to be mentally and emotionally prepared for it because it's otherwise like drinking from a firehose.
He seems playing so effortlessly with ease.
8:43 all the colours of a complete orchestra ...... unbelievable , and quite paranormal ... only "him" ....
Truly a GREAT piece, and, obviously, a TRULY great performance. I bought the Columbia live cording of Horowitz playing this piece in the 1970s. I listened to it nearly every day for months, until I could har the whole thing in my head. This is epoch-naking, life-changing music. For me.
Manos paloma q revolotean sobre el teclado, lo acarician, lo golpean, sonríen, lloran...
Qué maravilla, lo hacen hablar, ... qué grande Horowitz.
საოცრება,როგორც ყოველთვის უკვდავი გენიოსი,შეუდარებელი ჰოროვიცი
My favorite is the lento @ 10:12 . Just lovely!
He literally said that he can either play it musically with mistakes or not very musically and play every note perfect. I can relate to this, actually, though obviously I'm not nearly as good.
So, yes, I'd say he definitely prioritized communication over technical precision.
You can always differ technical flaws from splashes , like here, by sound quality. If it's well founded , but you hear wrong notes here and there , you'll always forgive it. And vice versa- if the pianist doesn't feel the bottom with his fingers, you always hear it, and understand he's technical difficulties.
The most staggering and charismatic pianist of them all. No one could overwhelm the public the way he could. And here we are hearing him not at his best, and still we find him irresistible. He will never cease to stun and move me. Regret not having been able to hearing in concert, although I had the opportunity to do so back in 1986. God bless you, Volodya.
Come on Dante! You are telling the Big Lie=Horowitz the greatest! The Truth is Horowitz Not the Greatest pianist! Better more colorful beautiful piano sound than Horowitz=Wilhelm Kempff Emil Gilels Radu Lupu Artur Rubinstein Vladimir Ashkenazy! MORE POWERFUL Louder than Horowitz=Mikhail Pletnev the Most Powerful Loudest pianist ever!!=( Prokofiev piano concerto no 1 by Pletnev!! Pletnev the Nuclear Bomb Powerful! ) The second Loudest Hardest Hitter of the keyboard was Lazar Berman!! More Genius than Horowitz=Sviatoslav Richter Solomon Cutner Maurizio Pollini Grigory Sokolov Alexei Lubimov Stanislav Igolinsky!!!!
@@RaineriHakkarainen is that supposed to be an argument? A plethora of names (most of which insignificant) should constitute an argument? Get off here, I’m not wasting my time on you. Have a good day. And study more.
@@dantefiorentino3612 Come on you the 'Ugly Loser Wanger' Dante! The best beautiful piano Sound pianists=Wilhelm Kempff( the Most Beautiful Piano Sound ever!) Vladimir Ashkenazy=( The Most Colorful Volcanic Piano Sound Ever!) Radu Lupu=( The Most Colorful piano Sound Ever!) Dimitri Bashkirov( Bashkirov playing Mendelssohn piano concerto no 1 with the most beautiful piano Sound ever!) Artur Rubinstein=( The GOD of the Golden tone!) Why i have to study More! You the 'Ugly Loser Wanger' Dante you did not knew who are the most Powerful Loudest( Mikhail Pletnev a class of his own! The Second Loudest Hardest Hitter Of the Keyboard was Lazar Berman! You Must study Harder! Now you Do know the most powerful players Pletnev and Lazar Berman!! You Dante The 'Ugly Loser Wanger' claiming that Sviatoslav Richter Solomon Cutner Grigory Sokolov Maurizio Pollini are not more Genius than Horowitz! You The 'Ugly Loser Wanger' must stop telling the Big Lies! The Truth is THE GIANT OF THE PIANO Grigory Sokolov played these concertos=Chopin no 2! Brahms no 2! Mozart 24! Saint-Saens no 2! AFTER GRIGORY SOKOLOV PLAYED THESE CONCERTOS THEN ALL THE OTHERS PIANISTS ARE REALLY ONLY THE DUST ZEROS! Sokolov Versus The Dust Zero Horowitz 100-0!! And we can proof that 100-0! Sokolov his Brahms piano concerto no 2=Sokolov the best piano Sound! Sokolov his rhythmic vitalness is unbeatable! Sokolov the Most TITANIC! Horowitz his Brahms piano concerto no 2 the recordings are Low value Empty Trash Art Music!) So we get=Sokolov and Horowitz their Brahms piano concerto no 2 playing=Sokolov better by a country Mile than The Dust Zero Horowitz!!!
@@dantefiorentino3612 Raineri Hakkarainen 513 subscribers youtube! Dante 1 subscriber youtube! And you are claiming that.i.should be out from the UA-cam! You do not own the youtube! You are Like Putin NO UA-cam! Putin is your The President NO Freedom of speech! You are dreaming.Putin's Butt.Bottom! You.are.Nothing but Puti
You the 'Ugly Loser Wanger' claiming that These pianist are insignificant=Emil Gilels=The KING PIANIST! Grigory Sokolov=THE GIANT OF THE PIANO!! Stanislav Igolinsky Better than Dinu Lipatti! Igolinsky the 'Water Color Painter' pianist! His piano Sound Like the Water color painting! Sviatoslav Richter=The Best Greatest Rachmaninov piano Concerto no 2 playing Ever! Solomon Cutner=The Best Structure of Music! Alexei Lubimov Mozart piano concerto no 27! Lubimov a class of his own! Radu Lupu his Brahms piano concerto no 1 with the Finnish Radio Symphony from 1996! Lupu the most colorful sound Ever! Lupu the most Relax player ever! Horowitz his Brahms concerto no 1 recordings are Really Low value Empty Trash Art music! !
@@dantefiorentino3612 My List pianists who were better than Horowitz! MORE Genius than Horowitz! Better piano Sound than Horowitz! More Louder More Powerful than Horowitz! My List there is only one bad awful Trash Pianist and He is the Second Loudest Hardest Hitter of the Keyboard Lazar Berman! Berman the second-rated pianist! Berman the Sledgehammer Boring Bomber Ever! But You The 'Ugly Loser Wanger' Dante you missed that IQ test! You did not pointed out that Berman was over-rated piano Hammer! Your IQ in classical Music is Zero IQ points! And you zero IQ in classical music claiming.to me Study.Harder! Your Knowledge of classical music is Empty.Trash Level! Go and Fuck your Hero Putin! Putin and Dante wants the people out from The UA-cam! Dante you are only 'Ugly Loser Wanger' who is loving Putin and wants block out from the UA-cam the Truth telling.people who.are telling.the.Truth Horowitz Not the Greatest pianist! You Ugly Wanger telling The Big Lie Horowitz the Greatest!! Dante you are a Big Time Lier and Ugly Stupid Wanger NO knowledge of classical Music!!
Love it every time...absolutely brilliant!
I was there!
In a £10 seat up in what's now called the balcony.
Excellent atmosphere- if I recall Charles and Diana were there, and Horowitz played the National Anthem when he first came on stage.
Goddamn his bass notes 😭😭 i swear this man always takes me to another dimension with his playing. I’m striving to be like him!
I love how he’s never afraid to take a bit more time over things- bass notes at 22:31 and 12:57 just stood out to me. He takes a breath without letting it interrupt the flow of the music. Masterful.
Magnificent! His fingers are like "glued"to the piano.
Una gran transcripción (pese a ser solo un puñado de compases) la sensación exacta de que Horowitz escribió lo que en realidad le faltaba a esta sonata.
Tremendous......The old virtuoso plays it like he owns it.
I reckon that's exactly how he worked. Some people get picky about his "mistakes" but I think those "mistakes" are a consequence of him fully internalising it and "owning" it. Better to own it with mistakes, than to merely imitate it (however accurately) IMO!
This performance contains many different variations of his, which didn't appear in his other renditions. Definitely not simply smush the two editions. I particularly like that he highlights the Chopin polonaise part in the second movement. That one choice is so brilliant.
time stamp??
@@ianmoore5502 don’t know whether you still are interested, but it is somewhere between 13:23-14:00. This part is from the first edition that pays homage to Chopin polonaise. It’s removed from the second edition
Да...В свои годы этот человек совершил артистический подвиг сыграв так Сонату Рахманинова, как никто еще не играл (даже в наше время я ничего подобного не слышал). С таким блеском и размахом! Фантастика какая-то...время не властно над этим великим артистом, Владимиром Горовцем!
Totalmente deacuerdo
Блестящий комментарий!
Somehow the souls of Rachmaninov and Horowitz got intermingled as one spirit
So many feels from this music
My favorite version of my favorite piano piece
In questa sonata si avverte pienamente la personalità romantica di Horowitz
The greatest performance of the greatest piece by the greatest composer by the greatest pianist on the greatest instrument.
😂 exact!!! Yes!
Do you really mean that Horowitz played this sonata BETTER in 1982 than in 1968????? And do you really mean that the Rachmaninov second sonata is GREATER than Beethoven op. 110 or 111??????
@@ulfwernernielsen6708 yes, emphatically
@ulfwernernielsen6708 In my opinion, it is better than Op. 110 and is the equal Op. 111.
Après écoute complète c’est vraiment exceptionnel ❤️
All the nonsense that has been written about this marvelous pianist and masterful musician is really nothing more than the ignorance of the writers. Horowitz understood late Russian piano music, and he is a total master of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff. This absolutely magnificent performance conveys the depth and grief and ecstasy of the Russian soul; musically Horowitz is irreproachable and pianistically divine. He played all of the notes spectacularly, both the little ones and the big ones.
The first time I have watched this particular piece of music, Horowitz (despite old age)is formidable at the keys...I'm dying to find any (if exist) of his first performances when he was in his prime, it will be a thrill to watch.
I attended this recital and the one the following week which was neither recorded or broadcast. We now know that Horowitz was not in good health at the time and possibly on medication that affected his playing. The consensus is that his playing improved by the time he made his return to Moscow. The best things in this recital were the Scarlatti sonatas. The following week (still at the RFH) Horowitz gave a rare but amazing performance of the Liszt second Ballade. It's possible that my change of seat for the second performance affected my judgement but I felt that these performances were distinctly better. Nevertheless both occasions were intensely special. There was a palpable air of anticipation in the air that I have not felt before or since. I queued for tickets for 36 hours and the shared thoughts amongst those waiting were special in themselves.
an eccentric and messy performance alright. I'd pay not a few debtbucks to hear a recording of Horowitz playing this piece at the height of his powers, say, the early 1950's. Alas, there is none
David Luck
The "Horowitz plays Rachmaninov and Liszt" CD (I actually own the vinyl recording so I assume it is the same), was a much better played version of the Rachmaninov B flat Sonata. I recommend checking that out.
I heard him at Carnegie Hall in 1975 and never heard more beautiful playing in my life
Horowitz was 79 years old and going through personal and health problems at the time and he STILL plays this brilliantly! But of course this was one of his signature pieces and he arranged it himself with Rachmaninoff's consent. It's hard to play badly something so deeply engrained in your soul.
Very special. THe made this piece to be understandable. If somebody want to be critical for this video, do it against Rachmaninoff not Horowitz. This piece has the maximal quality up to this level. Even this quality was possible because of this marvelous pianist.
This is amazing!
WHAT "A BEAUTIFUL SONATA THIS. IS"!!! I AM DRAWN TO IT SO-O-O-O DIVINELY!! I Am Fascinated By It! It Has So Many "Different Parts (SECTIONS)! Very DISJUNCT With DISTINCT POSSIBILITIES!! A "GREAT MYSTERIOUS CREATIVITY", SO RUSSIAN, Such Depth, So MANY EXPRESSIONS!!! IT IS ""RACHMANINOFF""- It Is ANOTHER GREAT WORK!!!
This Performance Of The ""SONATA NO. 2 Op. 36 By VLADIMIR HOROWITZ "Is Very Exciting In SectIons"And His Playing Is THRILLING-At Times Throughout To-The End!! I Am An. Admirer of HOROWITZ And Have ENJOYED His Concerts IN PERSON Along With "Other GREAT PIANISTS"!!
VAN CLIBURN IS "INCOMPARABLE IN PLAYING This SONATA""!!! VAN. CLIBURN Has So MUCH PASSION, DRAMA, Depth, Expressions, Different Feelings And COLORS! I "LOVE THE CHIMES" The AWESOME POWER OF The LEFT HAND"" ETC.!!! Van CLiburn Gives SO MUCH PURE SOUND, "Real Quality Of SOUND" IN THE KEYS At All Levels Of Dynamics!! The First Chords "Are. So RESONANT!! IT IS GRIPPING!! It's Grabs Your Feelings And Sets The Theme, Different Themes Or Textures Of The SONATA In Such A Great Way!! His Playing Of This Great SONATA Has "Such SOUL SPIRIT, POWERFUL CLIMAXES, VARIOUS TECHNIQUE And DETAILS , MOODS, TANTALIZING RHYTHMS!! He Has "Such SENSITIVITY, Such A BEAUTIFUL HEART And SPIRIT When Needed Interpreting The SONATA!!! VAN CLIBURN "SUSTAINS The WORK SO BEAUTIFULLY FROM BEGINNING ALL TO THE END"'!!!! His PHENOMENAL FLAWLESS ,POWERFUL
TECHNIQUE throughout IS "STUNNING"!! SUPREME!! SUPERLI-I-I-I - I- OUS!!!!
Among His GREAT GIFTS -VAN CLIBURN "IS PURE PIANIST"!! PURE PIANISM SOUND!! He Has "TRULY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, RESONANT SOUND!! You Have To Have "THE GREATEST TECHNIQUE With The MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUND To Really Play Rachmaninoff!!! I LOVE VAN CLIBURN'S ""STYLE OF PLAYING" This GREAT WORK!! HE GIVES ""THE GREATEST INTERPRETATION OF The SONATA NO. 2 OP. 36!!!!! No Other Great Pianist Has "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GREAT SOUND With "The STYLE OF PLAYING" LIKE VAN CLIBURN NOT EVEN HOROWITZ!!!
HOROWITZ IS"FANTASTIC" But--- I Have A Very Good EAR For Listening To Great Performers! HOROWITZ He Calculates, His FINGERS Don't GO INTO The KEYS, He Sectionalizes The Different PHRASES, His Pianos Can Be Too Soft Etc. Then THERE IS "A Break Or. PAUSE! HOROWITZ "At Times PLAYS With A Lot Of "CALCULATED TENSION!! I Think He Said, ""THEY PLAYED ME TOO HARD
And BURNED ME OUT""!!! Perhaps, HOROWITZ "Had His Piano Doctored - "So He Wouldn't Have To Work SO HARD!!! (It Is Said HOROWITZ Had " Breaks Throughout His Long VERY DISTINGUISHED CAREER!! Perhaps, GREAT TENSION And Extremely HIPER Playing With Such EXPLOITATION Caused Horowitz "Real Health Problems"!!
HOROWITZ'S Piano Has "A TINGLING SOUND - When HE PLAYS!!
LIke 'JINGLE BELLS IN The KEYS'!!
HOROWITZ Knows What PLEASES HIS AUDIENCE!! THIS MAKES HIM GREAT!!!
I Have ENJOYED Listening To Other Great Pianist Playing This Great SONATA!! But--VAN CLIBURN IS "THE GREATEST INTERPRETER Of SONATA NO. 2 OP. 36 Of RACHMANINOFF!!!!!
Horowitz and Cliburn not the Greatest! More beautiful colorful piano Sound than Horowitz and Cliburn=Wilhelm Kempff Emil Gilels Artur Rubinstein Radu Lupu Vladimir Ashkenazy! More Powerful Louder than Horowitz and Cliburn=Mikhail Pletnev The Supernova Explosion Power!( Prokofiev piano concerto no 1 by Pletnev!) The Second Loudest was Lazar Berman! More Genius than Cliburn and Horowitz=Sviatoslav Richter Solomon Cutner Grigory Sokolov Maurizio Pollini Alexei Lubimov Stanislav Igolinsky!
@@RaineriHakkarainenNeither Kempff nor Gilels were on the level of Horowitz. In fact, I can play piano better than Kempff or Gilels did!
You are both wise and humble. We too often think that what we have today is better than what was. Rachmaninoff himself gave this Sonata to Horowitz to do with it as he pleased. We are the fortunate ones who hear the results of it. I am thankful that young people like yourself see the value in greatness.
Love the music of Rachmaninov and if Horowitz is playing then that is double the love for me....
Also worth noting that Horowitz produced his own version of this score as well as other pieces. Eg. Pictures at an Exhibition, which is considered by some better than the original! ("His performance of this arrangement at a 1951 concert in Carnegie Hall has been described as one of the greatest piano performances of all time") So yes, Horowitz choose to perform his own interpretation, which can been seen as 'wrong' but if it becomes more popular than other interpretations is it then wrong?
😭😭I cried