The Grand Pianists II

We continue our look in to the lives, music and careers of some of The Grand Pianists of our times this week with today's Grand Pianist, Vladimir Horowitz. Horowitz was an American classical pianist and composer of Russian descent. His technique, use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were considered legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of all time. Born in 1903, he made his first appearance outside his native Russia in his 1925 debut in Berlin. His first concert in America came in January of 1928 at Carnegie Hall. Just last weekend on my tumblr, I shared his 50th Anniversary Celebration at the White House with the Carters in 1978.

A few details courtesy of Wikipedia:

In December 1925, Horowitz crossed the border into the West, ostensibly to study with Artur Schnabel in Berlin. Privately intending not to return, the 22-year-old pianist had stuffed American dollars and British pound notes into his shoes to finance his initial concerts. He went on to a phenomenal career that spanned more that 6 decades.

In 1986, Horowitz announced that he would return to the Soviet Union for the first time since 1925 to give recitals in Moscow and Leningrad. In the new atmosphere of communication and understanding between the USSR and the USA, these concerts were seen as events of political, as well as musical, significance. Most of the tickets for the Moscow concert were reserved for the Soviet elite and few sold to the general public. This resulted in a number of Moscow Conservatory students crashing the concert, which was audible to viewers of the internationally televised recital. The Moscow concert was released on a compact disc entitled Horowitz in Moscow, which reigned at the top of Billboard's Classical music charts for over a year. It was also released on VHS and, eventually, DVD. The concert was also widely seen on a Special Edition of CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt, reporting from Moscow.

Following the Russian concerts, Horowitz toured several European cities including Berlin, Amsterdam, and London. In June, Horowitz redeemed himself to the Japanese with a trio of well received performances in Tokyo. Later that year, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States, by President Ronald Reagan.

Horowitz's final tour took place in Europe in the spring of 1987. A video recording of one of his last public recitals, Horowitz in Vienna, was released in 1991. His final recital, in Hamburg, Germany, took place on June 21, 1987. He continued to record for the remainder of his life.

Vladimir Horowitz died on November 5, 1989 in New York City of a heart attack, aged 86. He was buried in the Toscanini family tomb in the Cimitero Monumentale, Milan, Italy.

Today's documentary footage is the best quality possible for an 1985 film. The Last Romantic is a documentary filmed within the home of concert pianist Vladimir Horowitz. The film contains mainly performances of classical works, but also provides an intimate look into Horowitz's private life. The companion piece I have chosen for my tumblr today is the 1951 recording of Horowitz's Carnegie Hall Recital in March of that year.

For your visual appreciation there is the excellent collection of Random Hotness down below and the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr where the random selector in my head decided Italian was the flavor of the day. Thanks for the visit, stop in tomorrow to check out the next of our Grand Pianists. Until next time as always, Enjoy!