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Vladimir Horowitz

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Vladimir Horowitz was born in 1903 in Kyiv, then part of the Russian Empire. His mother, herself a pianist, gave him his first lessons, and from 1912 he studied at the Kyiv Conservatoire. In 1925 he left the Soviet Union, officially to study in Berlin, in reality with the plan of not returning. His debut at Carnegie Hall in 1928, with Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto under Thomas Beecham, caused great excitement. In 1933 he married Wanda Toscanini, the daughter of the conductor Arturo Toscanini, with whom he often performed. He settled in the United States and became an American citizen.

Music and breakthrough

Horowitz recorded for, among others, RCA Victor, Columbia and Deutsche Grammophon. His 1932 recording of Liszt's Sonata in B minor is for many the benchmark. He played mainly Romantic repertoire, with a great deal of Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and Chopin, but also intimate music by Schumann, Scarlatti and Clementi. His technique, tone colour and the tension in the hall made him famous.

Influence

His career had long interruptions because of doubt and depression. Between 1953 and 1965 he did not perform, and in 1965 he returned at Carnegie Hall. In 1986 he played in Moscow for the first time since 1925, a concert with both musical and political significance. He died in 1989 in New York. Horowitz showed that a pianist with nothing but a grand piano and a hall could sweep an audience away, almost like a pop star.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to his recording of Liszt's Sonata in B minor and notice the contrast between thundering passages and very soft, transparent moments. Can you hear how he builds tension without rushing?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists