Vladimir Horowitz: Virtuoso Pianist of the Twentieth Century
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (October 1, 1903 – November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing.
Early Life and Education
Horowitz was born on October 1, 1903, in Kiev in the Russian Empire, present-day Ukraine. He was the youngest of four children of Samuil Horowitz and Sophia (née Bodik), who were assimilated Jews. His uncle Alexander was a pupil and close friend of Alexander Scriabin. When Horowitz was 10, Scriabin heard him play and told his parents he was extremely talented.
He received piano instruction from an early age, initially from his mother, who was herself a pianist. In 1912, he entered the Kiev Conservatory, where he studied under Vladimir Puchalsky, Sergei Tarnowsky, and Felix Blumenfeld. His first solo recital took place in Kiev on May 30, 1920.
Career and Achievements
Horowitz soon began touring Russia and the Soviet Union, often receiving payment in bread, butter, and chocolate rather than money due to the economic hardship of the Russian Civil War. During the 1922–23 season, he performed 23 concerts of eleven different programs in Petrograd alone. In December 1925, he emigrated to Germany, intending to remain in the West rather than return to the Soviet Union.
On December 18, 1925, Horowitz made his first appearance outside his home country, in Berlin. He laterVladimir Horowitz performed in Paris, London, and New York City. His United States debut came on January 12, 1928, at Carnegie Hall, where he played Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 under Sir Thomas Beecham. The New York Times critic Olin Downes praised Horowitz’s beautiful singing tone and tremendous technique, calling his playing a “tornado unleashed from the steppes” and noting that “it has been years since a pianist created such a furor with an audience in this city.”
In 1933, Horowitz performed for the first time with conductor Arturo Toscanini in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5. The two went on to perform together many times, on stage and in recordings. Horowitz settled in the United States in 1939 and became an American citizen in 1944. He made his television debut in a concert taped at Carnegie Hall on February 1, 1968, and broadcast nationwide by CBS on September 22 of that year.
Despite his rapturous receptions, Horowitz became increasingly unsure of his abilities and withdrew from public performances during several periods: 1936 to 1938, 1953 to 1965, 1969 to 1974, and 1983 to 1985. He suffered from depression and on several occasions had to be pushed onto the stage.
Notable Events and Milestones
Horowitz’s recording career spanned decades and multiple labels. In 1926, he performed on piano rolls at the Welte-Mignon studios in Freiburg, Germany. His first American recordings were made for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1928. His 1930 recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Albert Coates and the London Symphony Orchestra was the world premiere recording of that piece. Beginning in 1940, his recording activity concentrated on RCA Victor in the United States, including a 1941 recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. A live 1943 performance of the same concerto with Toscanini, issued by RCA Victor in 1959, was selected for induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 1962, Horowitz began recording for Columbia Records. His 1965 return concert at Carnegie Hall and a 1968 recording from his television special, Vladimir Horowitz: a Concert at Carnegie Hall, became among his best-known recordings. A 1969 recording of Schumann’s Kreisleriana was awarded the Prix Mondial du Disque. He signed with Deutsche Grammophon in 1985 and made recordings until 1989, including his only recording of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. His final recording, for Sony Classical, was completed four days before his death.
Personal Life
In 1933, Horowitz married Wanda Toscanini, daughter of conductor Arturo Toscanini, in a civil ceremony. Although Horowitz was Jewish and Wanda was Catholic, neither was religiously observant. Because Wanda knew no Russian and Horowitz knew very little Italian, French became their primary language. They had one child, Sonia Toscanini Horowitz, born in 1934. Sonia was critically injured in a motorbike accident in 1957 but survived; she died in 1975 in Geneva, the circumstances of her death from a drug overdose remaining undetermined as to whether it was accidental or a suicide.
Horowitz was close to his wife, who was one of the few people from whom he would accept criticism of his playing. Despite his marriage, persistent rumors surrounded Horowitz’s homosexuality. Arthur Rubinstein said that “everyone knew and accepted him as a homosexual.” Horowitz denied being homosexual and was said to have joked that “there are three kinds of pianists: Jewish pianists, homosexual pianists, and bad pianists!”
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