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What's On This CD:
Review: When Columbia Records issued the two-LP set of this historic recital within a couple of weeks after it was presented in New York, we were all under the impression that is was the actual recital as Horowitz played. Now, we have learned that this CD release is the “first-ever unedited CD release of the Grammy-winning recording of his legendary … concert.” We were duped by Columbia, but, Horowitz is Horowitz, and any concert or recording of his was—and remains—a special event. This new CD incarnation will include a bonus DVD with ten minutes of never-before-seen outtakes from the Horowitz film: The Last Romantic. Unfortunately, my review copy did not include liner notes or the DVD. I have long treasured the original Columbia stereo LP set [M2S 728], entitled “An Historic Return, Horowitz at Carnegie Hall – A Recording of His First Concert in Twelve Years.” The concert was also reissued on CD in “The Complete Masterworks Recordings 1962-1973” as Volume III [S3K 53461]. We all thought we were getting the real thing. But too many people I talked with over the years, who attended the concert, did not think so. They were convinced that finger slips they heard during the concert did not entirely appear on the LPs. One reviewer, J. L., in The American Record Guide’s June 1965 issue put it this way: “Now the blessedly unedited whole of it, dropped notes and all down to the final encore, is to be had on these four (LP) sides.” Most of the great critics were there, though the ARG’s J. L. was only able to stay through the first half of the recital. Apparently Horowitz re-recorded segments in the days immediately following the concert to correct some really glaring slips (to him), subtle as they were (to most of the audience). From the press release received from Sony Classical, which accompanied the about-to-be reissued recital, we’re advised “the recital included a number of unacknowledged edits to correct errors and imperfections in Horowitz’s playing, enhancing the legend of his note-perfect control in live performance.” So, the questions have finally been answered. Kudos to Sony Classical, and to Grace Row, who produced this newly restored recording. Horowitz may not have approved of releasing his recital in this manner, but it more accurately documents one of the world’s greatest pianists, and gives us the truth. My admiration for the pianist remains undaunted. In listening to the CD set, I did not make direct A/B comparisons with the LP edition. Instead, I listened to the recital as though it was a new recording, hoping to be mesmerized by Mr. Horowitz; needless-to-say, I was, totally. The really noticeable finger slip heard in the opening Prelude of the Bach/Busoni Toccata in C Major was in the original LP recording—there’s no way that could have been edited out—because it was far too obvious. Mr. Horowitz’s nerves must have been their most jagged simply because there was so much curiosity by his fans whether he could live up to the pianistic standards he had left with the public in 1953 when his live concerts ceased. He knew exactly what they wanted to hear. One can only imagine the stress the pianist felt in making his historic return and how relieved his public was in discovering that Horowitz’s magic prevailed. By the time Horowitz settles down to perform the Schumann Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17, his nerves are under much better control. Horowitz’s playing of this piece is one of the most beautiful performances I have heard coming from him and his piano. The opening movement just shimmers and invites one to immediately take note. Horowitz’s singing tone quality and his well-controlled expression is a model performance of this piece. Yes, in some places, his articulation is so light that some notes (throughout the recital) fail to sound (I did not recall hearing those non-sounding segments in the LP edition. The playing is so delicate at times that the piano’s mechanism and escapement won’t allow the notes to sound. It’s not the fault of the piano because, after all one does have to depress the key enough for the hammer to at least touch the strings. Indeed, this is wonderfully piano playing in the best Romantic tradition. Schumann suits Horowitz wonderfully well. Scriabin (the Sonata No. 9 in F Major, Op. 68, and the Poem in F# Major, Op. 32/1) and Chopin came after the intermission, and by the time Horowitz gets to the Chopin, we, who know his art through careful study of his recordings, or performances we have attended, begin to hear the Horowitz we recall so vividly. Both, Horowitz’s Scriabin, and particularly his Chopin bears the unmistakable Horowitz imprint. Take the Mazurka in C# Minor, Op. 30/4, Horowitz’s rubato and agogic accents can only belong to him (maybe it’s his Russian blood); he literally feels and conveys the dance expression of a mazurka. I recall vividly listening to an old RCA Victor LP “Vault” recording of a set of mazurkas Horowitz recorded early on. Even the great Artur Rubinstein did not proffer the convincing style that Horowitz imbues his music with in this mazurka. Indeed, that most convincing interpretation was replicated in this 1965 recital. Horowitz lost nothing in the intervening years, or at least became more of a pianist’s pianist since his retirement and subsequent return to the stage. More Chopin follows, with the Etude in F Major, Op. 10/8, and a ravishing performance of the Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23, Serenade for the Doll from Debussy’s Children’s Corner, Scriabin’s Etude in C# Minor, Op. 2/1, Moszkowski’s Etude in A-flat Major, Op. 72/11, and the encore, Traumerei from Schumann’s Kinderszenen, Op. 15, a Horowitz specialty, and always a much-expected encore. The electricity of this historic concert remains in tact. It becomes a very special recital the more one listens. Horowitz uses a wonderfully prepared and voiced (not strident) Steinway concert grand, newly selected in 1965 from the famous Steinway basement. The piano’s sound is further enhanced by the magnificent acoustics of Carnegie Hall, including the rumble of the subway trains, but not to the point of distraction. But the credit truly belongs to this legendary master of the keyboard, Vladimir Horowitz, who left us with a wonderful document of one of the most historic musical events of the twentieth century. Yes, the mistakes are all there, and this time, I believe we are hearing the genuine article. Even if you still own the LP or original CD set, you will want to acquire this newly remastered recording if, for nothing more, than “setting the record straight.” Incidentally, a bonus,
aside from the DVD mentioned, is a complete performance of Schumann’s
Kinderszenen, recorded in the studio in the winter of 1962, is
used as filler for the second CD. [September
17, 2003]
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Horowitz:
Live & Unedited: Historic 1965 Carnegie Hall
