Vladimir Horowitz (1903 - 1989), piano

Program :
Beginning : 00:00

November 15, 1932: Abbey Road Studio No.3, London, England :
Chopin: Mazurka in F minor, Op.7 No.3 : 0:16
Chopin: Etude in F major, Op.10 No.8 : 2:51
Schumann: Traumeswirren (from "Fantasiestücke"), Op.12 No.7 : 5:23

May 29, 1933: Abbey Road Studio No.3, London, England :
Chopin: Mazurka in E minor, Op.41 No.2 : 7:57

Radio Broadcast: October 5, 1933: Copenhagen, Denmark (first Horowitz's recording live)
Debussy: Serenade for the Doll (Sérénade à la Poupée) : 10:04

1934 (Abbey Road Studio No.3, London, England)
May 6 :
Bach/Busoni: "Nun freut euch, lieben Christen" (Rejoice, beloved Christians) ("from 10 Chorale Preludes"), BV B 27 : 13:19
Schumann: Arabeske in C major, Op.18 : 15:31
Debussy: "Pour les arpèges composés" (For the composite arpeggios), Etude No.11 : 22:01
Beethoven: 32 Variations in C minor, WoO 80 : 25:49

May 12 :
Schumann: Toccata in C major, Op.7 : 35:34
Chopin: Etude in F major, Op.25 No.3 : 40:29
Chopin: Etude in G-flat major, Op.10 No.5 : 42:15

1935 (Abbey Road Studio No.3, London, England)
June 2 :
Chopin: Mazurka in C-sharp minor, Op.50 No.3 : 44:04
Chopin: Etude in C-sharp minor, Op.10 No.4 : 48:29
Chopin: Etude in G-flat major, Op.10 No.5 : 50:43
Scarlatti: Sonata in G major, K.125/L.487 : 52:29

June 4 :
Scarlatti: Sonata in B minor, K.87/L.33) : 54:50

March 9, 1936: Abbey Road Studio No.3, London, England :
Chopin: Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.35, I. Grave - Doppio movimento : 59:24
Chopin: Scherzo No.4 in E major, Op.54 : 1:06:45

Historical reminder :
Horowitz enjoys his success, amassing colossal sums of money and indulging his passion for beautiful cars, clothes and painting. He lives at the Majestic, has hired an assistant secretary, and travel companion, frequents salons and celebrities. Since his 1928 triumph in New York, four years ago, his schedule has been repeating itself: touring Europe and the US at a frightening pace. He still gives brilliant pieces while also wishing to continue his search for colour in his playing.

In November 1932, the great conductor Arturo Toscanini asks Horowitz to be a soloist in Beethoven's fifth concerto for a concert on April 23, 1933, at Carnegie Hall. That's how Horowitz meets Wanda Toscanini, his wife from December 21 1933. From the moment Horowitz joins the Toscanini clan, his businessmen Judson and Merovitch do not count for him anymore. From 1932, Merovitch feels the tide turning, and tried to renegotiate Vladimir's contract which has remained oral, only validated by his father in Russia; he wants to put it in writing signed by Horowitz. Vladimir not only does not sign the contract but has begun to distance himself by removing the impresario's name from his programs in 1933 and breaking officially in 1935. Judson has taken care of the tours, and the cost of stewardship as well as the psychological security of the virtuoso, but there is Wanda now. And that's not all: Horowitz and Rubinstein, through bickering, end up turning their backs on each other for twenty years.

In the fall of 1934, two events impact the present. After many years of patience, Siméon Gorowitz has finally received the visa to come see his son in Europe. And as Volodya is deeply moved, he becomes a father in turn: little Sonia Horowitz is born in December 1934. However, he doesn't (and will never!) talk about her. The arrival of Siméon is truly poignant. The formidable and flamboyant engineer has become a sad wall-wiper, crying, especially since he has terrible news to tell his son: Sofia, his mother, died four years earlier of peritonitis. Vladimir becomes mad with rage: if his mother did not receive the necessary care it was necessarily as a measure of retaliation against him. As for her sister Regina who so wanted to accompany her father, her visa was refused to force Siméon to return and if he doesn't return, she will be sent to a prison camp. So Vladimir feels a duty to dazzle his father: he takes him on a tour to Europe. He wants him to be proud of his successes, and to know that all his sacrifices were not in vain.

The 1935/1936 season became his first break with the stage. Less and less sure of himself, Horowitz cancels a large part of his concerts, keeping only a few dates. May 5, 1936, at the Salle Pleyel, is his last concert before his first retirement. Doctors diagnose him with appendicitis and he has an operation in Paris. Finally, he leaves for Switzerland to find his friends Rachmaninoff, Adolf Busch and Rudolf Serkin, before returning to the stage on September 16, 1938, in Zurich, not without having this nervous tension which still paralyzes him.

In December 1939, the Toscanini clan and Horowitz leave Europe to escape WW2 which had just begun.

A few notes about my YouTube video :
- All editions I used for this score video are URTEXT except for the fingerings
- Horowitz makes plenty of changes to the scores (cuts, simplifications, adds) that I did not mentioned

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