Brilliant performance with many of the sumptuous trademark Horowitzian rhythmic and melodic elements. I wonder if skipped or cut those measures at the end in the finale/coda area on purpose or if it was an exciting live spur of the moment memory slip. Either way, it matters not, because it was superb!
@galanter Horowitz was famous for making his own editions of famous works (Pictures at an Exhibition comes immediately to mind) - I'm sure the cut was intentional and to achieve greater effect.
How does he do that in the left hand from 4:28-4:54? The pounding left hand drives that section better than any other performance I've ever heard. I don't know if thats an edit he made or if he just purposely slams out those low notes, but it completely changes the tone, for the better.
@jags861 Driving octaves in the left hand is one of Horowitz's many signature "fireworks." Other great examples can be found in his performances of Prokofiev's "Toccata" and the third movement of Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata.
When Nikolay Rubinstein finished premiering this work, Franz Liszt went up on stage and played it back from memory, without a mistake according to Rubinstein and Balakirev.
@Lassannn Descriptions of pianists from the past often mention this or that performance as being immaculate. I think they had a different conception of faultless playing in those days. By all accounts Liszt and Anton Rubinstein were capable of splashing wrong notes in all directions - and Horowitz, too. Still, in early reviews his playing was consistently hailed as spotless. The cleanness of his playing plus his power and passion would leave audiences with an impression of impeccable precision.
(Don't want to be presumptuous, but) I think the edits Horowitz made to this piece were just right - as in GENIOUS-ly right. Now it's a complete, consistent piece. Previously, the theme toward the end was introduced too early, making the coda lose much of its grandness, and the glissando was plain out of place.
As for the playing, well, no one could or will ever beat Horowitz. He's the only one whose coda wasn't a blur of notes, but had an inescapable gravity to it.
@LordCalvinHastings - agreed. horowitz's editings are usually very logical and sensible. someone should produce an edition of this (and all of his other alterations).
@hardybar1 Just what he ones said: "I'm not perfect I'm Horowitz" keep in mind this is 1950 when recorded and not 2010. If this is sloppy or a mess, than the best compliment you can give me is that I play messy and sloppy!
Just think. He only played it once, in concert too, before any recording media. Only H could impart to this piece the proper exotic demonology it requires.
I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet him after the concert. My wife and I went to the back of the concert venue thinking we might see him emerge from the backdoor, but instead were ushered into a line by which we could meet him face to face. What an experience, being able to speak with him. I still have his autograph along with a photo of us shaking hands.
My wife and I saw Horowitz in Ann Arbor Michigan In 1978 I think. It's been over thirty years since that concert. After the concert I was fortunate enough to meet the pianist and get his autograph.
When I approached him I did something stupid. I offered to shake his hand. He gave me a careful look and extended his. I have the pic to proove.
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Simon Barere's recording of Islamey puts Horowitz to shame.
Horowitz sounds like a schoolboy as compared to Barere.
Barere's tempo is MUCH faster than Horowitz..
Barere puts Horowitz in the same embarrassing position in a comparison of their recordings of Schumanns Traumeswirren, the Schumann Toccata, the Liszt Sonata in B minor.
Barere's recording of Blumenfeld's Etude for the Left Hand Alone made Horowitz stop playing the piece.
Damn it, that photo of Horowitz just makes me dissolve in laughter every time I see it.
Anyway, the performance is staggering. Horowitz brings out genuine beauty in this piece - I can't understand the people that say Islamey is only a technical exercise.
Actually, mishima34, according to Harold Schoenberg in the Horowitz biography, a critic shortly after Horowitz's American debut compared Horowitz favorably to Liszt, who he had heard live.
Back and forth. He is better, no HE is better..or even SHE is better (I could list dozens). At what? A transcendent technique? Or musicianship? Or innovation? Or historical importance? Here, these are all opinions based upon the opinions of more talented and prestigious pianists and critics. Appreciate them all for what they accomplished in their own time. Rankings, for what they're worth, are both objective and subjective, dependent upon one's criteria.Just enjoy them.
Irrespective of relative pianistic capabilities, it IS reasonable to assert that Horowitz was the most famous musical artist of the 20th century. The charisma; the enigma; the personality; the mystique; the sheer TALENT!
"No offence" but you take tongue-in-cheek humor too seriously. As a pianist, I don't know of his capabilities, but I suspect within the class of pianists we're discussing, Elvis worse than "sucked". As an entertainer, though I was no fan, he clearly didn't "suck" in the opinion of millions of fans.
The most famous PIANIST certainly. Also the receiver of some of the best promotional strategy in the history of showbizz.
His SOUND was what made him legendary. You would have to hear him live in a good hall to appreciate it. "AWESOME" -- that hideously overworked word -- really is the only word for it.
I agree with you 100% Too many arm chair critics whi I doubt have ever played a piano let alone this. Your comments are spot on - enjoy it for what it is
This is a stunning performance that makes this piece even better than it actually is! (um, Valtentiawhatever--is absurd, she's a child and plays crassly and meaninglessly).
There is an incredible version of this by Valentina Lisitsa on Youtube. Don't get me wrong - I admire the unpredictable and original Horowitz - but do watch Valentina's !
Horowitz' wife, Wanda, she hated the piece and would be angry at him if he played it! He must have practiced it while she was not home... This perhaps explains there's just a pirate recording of this; he must have programmed it once in secret!
That is the most hilarious thing ever! And sad. I would have loved to own a Islamey of Horowitz. Why did she hate Islamey anyway? I mean, one may not like it, but to condemn it and despise it?
she was right ... Horowitz himself dropped it because he wasn't satisfied with its superficial score; as happened to be the case with his own 'rakoczy march' version after seriously editing Liszt's rhapsody. XD
I can't believe people are discussing virtuosity. The only reason I like this piece is because of the middle section and also the themes Rimsky-Korsakov uses further in time in his Sheherazade. Open your minds people!
This is my favourite versions of Islamey - he displays so much more sensitivity of touch than Berezovsky in his version and isn't forced to slow down slightly during awkward bits, really an incredible pianist. Idil Beret's version is also exceptional.
H shortens the piece by cutting out some confused bombast and retightening a few passages. He wanted to be a composer originally but settled for editing, mostly effective.
Not that it really matters but I think this is the January 23, 1950 performance in Carnegie Hall which I and I am sure others have in much better sound without the low frequency hum.
Actually I heard Kissin perform Islamey in Saint Petersburg (Russia) some years ago and it was total crap! Tempi were just way over his technical abilities and the result was just pointless horse galop. There were too many wrong notes and the whole thing was just... unbearable.
to aldebussy: I can't understand the number of thumbs down poeple gave you either. I've heard Berezovsky live and also on YouTube, and I can't stand it either. At best one could say you shouldn't have mentioned him on this blog - save your comment for a video with Berezovsky playing! Tip: Ravel's Alborada del gracioso!!!!
it was in carnegie hall in 1950 or something, it wasn't recorded professionally, and you're not allowed to have recording equipment in there, so it's illegally pirated.
helio, i was responding to someone asking something about when it was recoded and why no one heard about it or something. And I was wrong; the poster edited the description to say it was recorded it 1953.
Of pianists who left recordings, VH is most complete, Tone like light reflected in a crystal,sonority. technique and a musical imagination which is awesome.
Horowitz is always exciting and always has something to say. There are some splashy bits towards the end and like Cziffra he adds some flourishes of his own. Perhaps someone could post one of Cziffra's versions.
i read that there is a pirate recording of horowitz playing rach 3 with rodzinki, supposedly better than the one with barbirolli. anyone knows of its existence? anyways. I think that this is one of horowitz's crowning performances. no one will ever play with such brilliance and power, and cat-like prance and elegance. and the speed of the double notes.
no i think liszt could play this. liszt was known as the greatest pianist during his time, maybe even in the history of the piano. he sightread grieg's concerto in a minor op. 16 and played it perfectly while giving comments at the same time to grieg about the song. grieg even noted that he played the cadenza particularly well. i'm not saying that horowitz was bad. he was also a great pianist.
Liszt could and did play Islamey, and he problably played it 'perfectly' at first sight. Nonetheless, I have a strong feeling that even Liszt could not produce the sheer volcanic power that Horowitz was capable of.
Liszt didn't just sight read the piece. Apparently the story (according to Alan Walker anyway) is that he heard this being played by some Russian lady pianist and he was so excited he dashed back home and played it back just on one listening alone.
And as for matching Horowitz' volcanic power..don't worry. Liszt had plenty of that to spare.
I may never have heard Liszt play, and I may never know if he could match Horowitz, or Richter, or Hamelin, or Gilels, or whoever.
But to have ONE single pianist frighten EVERY other pianist between Kalkbrenner and Anton Rubinstein (bear in mind this spans about 50-60 years and includes the likes of Chopin, Alkan, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms..) is well..unprecedented and unchallenged.
haha it gets even better. Grieg brought him a hand written manuscript of his violin sonata. What did liszt do? Sight read it of course! Except that he sight read both the piano and violin parts. At the same time.
yes liszt was always nervous performing for alkan.
but alkan heard liszt once and went into just about permenant retirement from the concert stage. there's an account of this in alan walker's biography if i'm not mistaken.
I know that both Liszt and Alkan were virtuoso pianists, and would've been at thesame level of performing. Which is why I wonder why would Liszt be nervous to perform in front of him.
How do you know Alkan wasn't a better pianist than him (sorry for the mistyping in the earlier comment)? It's within the realms of possibility. It's not necessarily all about technique or virtuosity. Perhaps Liszt respected his musicianship.
mishima...don't be ridiculous. I absolutely adore Horowitz, for me he is outstanding genius.However, please don't try to compare him with Liszt in any aspect. It is enough to look at the piano textures Liszt invented ( check out earlier version of Transcendental and Paganini Etudes) to realize that in Liszt we had a supernatural phenomenon at work,elemental force of nature's creativity
dear mishima, please study this subject first. According to very great number of sources, Liszt could do things at the piano which Horowitz and others could not.Horowitz was very creative musically, but Liszt was creative on a higher level.
Unfortunately there are no such people in music anymore. The last was great S.Rachmaninoff and we know how shamefully he was treated by contemporary music establishment, especially critics and musicologists
1) There was no one in history who could have heard both Liszt and Horowitz in their prime. That is an impossibility.
2) Who said that Liszt could do on a piano what Horowitz and others could not? Again, it is impossible for anyone to have heard either of these men in their prime. (By the way, the pianos of Liszt's day were MUCH different than modern pianos. MUCH lighter.)
4) Don't insult me, you little schmuck. I know a great deal more about this subject than you do.
Of course,I could easily insult you if I wanted, but that is not my intention,and it would bring us both nowhere.Please make sure you don't insult yourself with your behavior...
I can explain things in a more constructive manner.
It is evident you need to study the subject more, otherwise you would not be a proponent of thesis that Horowitz played in a more accomplished manner than Liszt
I myself am suspicious about legends. Therefore I am free to recommend an excellent book " Portrait of Liszt" by Adrian Williams. It hardly contains any opinion of the author, but offers invaluable information by hundreds of individuals who heard Liszt play, plus a great deal of reviews. Also there is sometimes bar-by-bar description of his interpretation of various pieces, for example, Hammerklavier Sonata.
Liszt could read a prima vista in tempo an orchestral score of 33 staves in small print while at the same time smoking cigar and running commentary on value of the music. Once asked about why he did not transcribe Coriolan overture, he sat down and (according to Carl Reinecke) gave "an ideal rendering of it, adding:" that is how I would have roughly done it"
To my ears, Horowitz is the most accomplished pianist in the second half of XX century, had the greatest talent and knowledge of piano and he was the most musical as well.Extraordinary genius. However, there are pieces by Liszt he wouldn't have been able to play in the author's manner. And for Liszt, such pieces were a minor percentage of his gigantic output and he would play and produce them in an instant. it took horowitz decades to make 4 versions of Carmen
Horowitz was definitely inspired by Liszt (naturally) he idolized him,especially at early age, and he learned a lot about performance from studying reports of his playing. For example, Horowitz uses interlocking octaves instead of parallel chromatic scales at the end of Chopin's Scherzo no 1. Why? Because Liszt recommended this at the end of this piece during one of his masterclasses. Contrary to popular (uninformed) belief, Horowitz was one of the most learned artists of 20th century
Horowitz is indeed a legend, and in many of the pieces he played, he is truly undisputed (Traumerei and everything Rachmaninoff currently come to mind). However, 'Islamey' is not his best work. Feeling, artistic, powerful? Yes. His best work? I don't think so.
Horowitz was mentally and physically on edge. Audiences demanded increasingly trascendental dispalys of pianistic wizardry, and Horowitz NEVER disappointed.
This is a virtuoso showpiece, not a Bach Fugue or a late Beethoven Sonata.
Not his best work? Maybe not, but who cares? This performance overshadows ALL other recordings of this piece.
BEST VERSION EVER. (imo)
grungeman92 2 months ago
I'd say Cziffra's version was still better, but not bad.
Dunderhead36 2 months ago
The middle section has a wonderful folk like quality and simplicity that I've not heard before. - Bravo!
RWinkley02124 6 months ago
Horowitz deserves more than a crappy photo of him sticking out his tongue.
Santosificationable 8 months ago 4
@Santosificationable Ah, you're thinking of an animated GIF with his tongue moving ?
gpawlicki 3 months ago
Brilliant performance with many of the sumptuous trademark Horowitzian rhythmic and melodic elements. I wonder if skipped or cut those measures at the end in the finale/coda area on purpose or if it was an exciting live spur of the moment memory slip. Either way, it matters not, because it was superb!
galanter 8 months ago
@galanter Horowitz was famous for making his own editions of famous works (Pictures at an Exhibition comes immediately to mind) - I'm sure the cut was intentional and to achieve greater effect.
RWinkley02124 6 months ago
i didn't like this because there is just a lot of sound ...
but why is this so beautiful when it's Horowitz that playing it...
rhapsodielll 10 months ago
Finally an islamey fantasy (and not just an islamey toccata)!
classicalmusicbox 9 months ago 7
How does he do that in the left hand from 4:28-4:54? The pounding left hand drives that section better than any other performance I've ever heard. I don't know if thats an edit he made or if he just purposely slams out those low notes, but it completely changes the tone, for the better.
jags861 11 months ago 3
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PeerlessPerformances 9 months ago
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@jags861 Driving octaves in the left hand is one of Horowitz's many signature "fireworks." Other great examples can be found in his performances of Prokofiev's "Toccata" and the third movement of Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata.
PeerlessPerformances 9 months ago
@jags861 That is the ossia i think!
New4785689 7 months ago
I love this work!
7inga7 1 year ago
When Nikolay Rubinstein finished premiering this work, Franz Liszt went up on stage and played it back from memory, without a mistake according to Rubinstein and Balakirev.
Lassannn 1 year ago
@Lassannn Descriptions of pianists from the past often mention this or that performance as being immaculate. I think they had a different conception of faultless playing in those days. By all accounts Liszt and Anton Rubinstein were capable of splashing wrong notes in all directions - and Horowitz, too. Still, in early reviews his playing was consistently hailed as spotless. The cleanness of his playing plus his power and passion would leave audiences with an impression of impeccable precision.
Stofferdoffer 1 year ago
@Lassannn - that is almost incomprehensible, even for liszt. my god.
kasyapa 1 year ago
That picture look like Einstein. Maybe many geniuses are similar.
kdhcollection 1 year ago 2
@kdhcollection - i think VH was imitating einstein deliberately. ;)
kasyapa 1 year ago
(Don't want to be presumptuous, but) I think the edits Horowitz made to this piece were just right - as in GENIOUS-ly right. Now it's a complete, consistent piece. Previously, the theme toward the end was introduced too early, making the coda lose much of its grandness, and the glissando was plain out of place.
As for the playing, well, no one could or will ever beat Horowitz. He's the only one whose coda wasn't a blur of notes, but had an inescapable gravity to it.
LordCalvinHastings 1 year ago
@LordCalvinHastings - agreed. horowitz's editings are usually very logical and sensible. someone should produce an edition of this (and all of his other alterations).
kasyapa 1 year ago
piano wizardry!!!
A528107 1 year ago
haha! sloppy?! you are overly optimistic that you have the facility to properly appraise this fantastic recording
petezilla 1 year ago
what a strange and interesting piece, a prelude to the texture of prokovief. and of course, bravo Horowitz!!
petezilla 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
What a mess that was! Never heard such sloppy playing. And the liberties he took were nothing short of scandalous!
hardybar1 1 year ago
@hardybar1 Just what he ones said: "I'm not perfect I'm Horowitz" keep in mind this is 1950 when recorded and not 2010. If this is sloppy or a mess, than the best compliment you can give me is that I play messy and sloppy!
L4RSLink 1 year ago 4
@hardybar1 - clown.
kasyapa 1 year ago
Its so good---I didnt know this existed!
verystacy 1 year ago
wonder why he played the ossia at 1:43. he surely was able to play the original version, which fits in better, musically. interesting.
pianofogel1 1 year ago
viva Vladimir , the greatest...
cirosuperiore 1 year ago 2
Just think. He only played it once, in concert too, before any recording media. Only H could impart to this piece the proper exotic demonology it requires.
nearenough3 1 year ago
best recording of islamey i have ever heard. horowitz was such an incredible talent... one that will always be missed in the music world.
killbethy 2 years ago 2
Anyone with perfect pitch willing to transcribe Horowitz's Islamey?
demosj 2 years ago
@demosj That's Balakirev's Islamey
tinhorse58 2 years ago
@tinhorse58
I meant the changes Horowitz made.
demosj 2 years ago
Вот это я понимаю Исламей!
f3xphilippru 2 years ago
quite good. anyone seen jeffrey lee's performance?
aucifer8 2 years ago
WOW ! He was an extraordinary musician
rudolphjack 2 years ago 2
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sheppoz 2 years ago
I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet him after the concert. My wife and I went to the back of the concert venue thinking we might see him emerge from the backdoor, but instead were ushered into a line by which we could meet him face to face. What an experience, being able to speak with him. I still have his autograph along with a photo of us shaking hands.
rudolphjack 2 years ago 3
I'm not a tecky guy. How would I post the pic. Take the pics to Office Max and scan them and then what? how do you get them into the computer?
rudolphjack 2 years ago
My wife and I saw Horowitz in Ann Arbor Michigan In 1978 I think. It's been over thirty years since that concert. After the concert I was fortunate enough to meet the pianist and get his autograph.
When I approached him I did something stupid. I offered to shake his hand. He gave me a careful look and extended his. I have the pic to proove.
rudolphjack 2 years ago 6
You gotta post the pic somewhere dude.
demosj 2 years ago
you're so lucky, horowitz already died when i was born, how i wish to see him
chopinhorowitz 2 years ago
i met Yehudi several timews ...no photos...
goroundit123 2 years ago
lol hahah funny picture !!
dsyglym 2 years ago
best picture ever haha
illusion484 2 years ago
Once he turns the key in the ignition and gets in motion, the rubber never again meets the road till he arrives at his destination.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago 2
These old recordings cannot do it justice.
All of the masters died before my time... Why?
CodyNelsonMusic 2 years ago
:( i know exactly how you feel...
jarosemann1228 2 years ago 2
It's great to hear this !! I am a giant fan of Horowitz.
cattleman6420012000 2 years ago
... and with a tongue like that he could EASILY manage the Circus Gallop. Beats Hamelin's nose any day.
Lennythewinner 2 years ago
Just classic. And his piano playing ain't bad either!
Lennythewinner 2 years ago
Somebody is always better than Horowitz. That makes him the Gold Standard.
Ha!
nearenough3 2 years ago
El final es muy triste ... el gran horowitz destroza el tema
guaguote 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Simon Barere's recording of Islamey puts Horowitz to shame.
Horowitz sounds like a schoolboy as compared to Barere.
Barere's tempo is MUCH faster than Horowitz..
Barere puts Horowitz in the same embarrassing position in a comparison of their recordings of Schumanns Traumeswirren, the Schumann Toccata, the Liszt Sonata in B minor.
Barere's recording of Blumenfeld's Etude for the Left Hand Alone made Horowitz stop playing the piece.
marcxopoco 2 years ago
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marcxopoco 2 years ago
Sublime in each and every sense & genius the man who posted this treasure for us to behold. Thank you. Unbelievable.
beehive17 2 years ago 20
Horowitz really brought out the melody in this piece, truly wonderfully performed
08vista 2 years ago 2
Damn it, that photo of Horowitz just makes me dissolve in laughter every time I see it.
Anyway, the performance is staggering. Horowitz brings out genuine beauty in this piece - I can't understand the people that say Islamey is only a technical exercise.
demosj 3 years ago 6
ONLY technique? definately not and horowitz just pwned everyone that said that :3
maddorox 2 years ago
haha, that photo shows that Horowitz had a sense of humor!!! =D
modelstatue 2 years ago
if this picture dissolves u in laughter everytime u see it u should watch this clip for 10 mins every day.
Laughing has great health benefits
robindooreman 2 years ago
Horowitz was a miracle!
mxj30 3 years ago 24
Actually, mishima34, according to Harold Schoenberg in the Horowitz biography, a critic shortly after Horowitz's American debut compared Horowitz favorably to Liszt, who he had heard live.
demosj 3 years ago
Back and forth. He is better, no HE is better..or even SHE is better (I could list dozens). At what? A transcendent technique? Or musicianship? Or innovation? Or historical importance? Here, these are all opinions based upon the opinions of more talented and prestigious pianists and critics. Appreciate them all for what they accomplished in their own time. Rankings, for what they're worth, are both objective and subjective, dependent upon one's criteria.Just enjoy them.
SiegfriedHorner 3 years ago 4
Irrespective of relative pianistic capabilities, it IS reasonable to assert that Horowitz was the most famous musical artist of the 20th century. The charisma; the enigma; the personality; the mystique; the sheer TALENT!
SiegfriedHorner 3 years ago 4
Errrrm... Elvis?
Probably you'd have to restrict that to classical music artists.
Number3Pencils 3 years ago
#3pencils: That should have gone without saying.
Were it not, might we consider artists in India or China..if sheer popularity based upon numbers were considered?
I think you, and all others here understood my meaning.And I DID say "pianistic capabilities". Was Elvis that good a pianist?
SiegfriedHorner 3 years ago
Yeah, I know what you mean. I guess I'm just a stickler for preciseness of phrasing.
Also, you did say "pianistic capabilities", but it was within the clause "Irrespective of relative pianistic capabilities".
I don't know whether Elvis was a good pianist.
Number3Pencils 3 years ago
Did you mean "precision of phrasing?" ;)
Pogouldiwitz 2 years ago
Enhhh, it's pretty close.
Heh heh heh.
Number3Pencils 2 years ago
no offence but Elvis sucked!!
robindooreman 2 years ago
"No offence" but you take tongue-in-cheek humor too seriously. As a pianist, I don't know of his capabilities, but I suspect within the class of pianists we're discussing, Elvis worse than "sucked". As an entertainer, though I was no fan, he clearly didn't "suck" in the opinion of millions of fans.
SiegfriedHorner 2 years ago
The most famous PIANIST certainly. Also the receiver of some of the best promotional strategy in the history of showbizz.
His SOUND was what made him legendary. You would have to hear him live in a good hall to appreciate it. "AWESOME" -- that hideously overworked word -- really is the only word for it.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
I agree with you 100% Too many arm chair critics whi I doubt have ever played a piano let alone this. Your comments are spot on - enjoy it for what it is
steinwaygrande1 3 years ago
This is a stunning performance that makes this piece even better than it actually is! (um, Valtentiawhatever--is absurd, she's a child and plays crassly and meaninglessly).
TheVirtuosos 3 years ago
Now I start understanding Islamey, thanks to the fantastic musicianship.
Ellevius 3 years ago
There is an incredible version of this by Valentina Lisitsa on Youtube. Don't get me wrong - I admire the unpredictable and original Horowitz - but do watch Valentina's !
ValentinaFan 3 years ago
I've watched Valentina's Islamey - in my opinion good, but nothing special. I would not compare it to best performances of this piece.
misina101 2 years ago 3
valentina was just doing warmup... still, left a bit more emotionally to be desired.
asdfhuliashduflasihf 2 years ago
Phenomenal piano playing, but what a crappy piece of music!
troppofiato 3 years ago
I liked the Lang Lang. Now I'll listen to Graffman.
likethecats 3 years ago
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大学生のとき弾いた思い出の曲。
色々な演奏者の演奏を聴いて、みんな違った演奏を聴かせてくれて、そう言う弾き方もありだなと思った。
残念なのは自分の理想としているイメージの演奏には未だ出合ってない事かな。
確かに演奏は難しいので、そこが引っかかってる所だと思う。
でもHorowitzはすごい！
finale98 3 years ago
GOD.
pupulique 3 years ago
Thank you for the recommendation! Viele Gruesse!
axekat 3 years ago
Horowitz' wife, Wanda, she hated the piece and would be angry at him if he played it! He must have practiced it while she was not home... This perhaps explains there's just a pirate recording of this; he must have programmed it once in secret!
Starwalker6978 3 years ago
That is the most hilarious thing ever! And sad. I would have loved to own a Islamey of Horowitz. Why did she hate Islamey anyway? I mean, one may not like it, but to condemn it and despise it?
Sinfoniette 3 years ago
she was right ... Horowitz himself dropped it because he wasn't satisfied with its superficial score; as happened to be the case with his own 'rakoczy march' version after seriously editing Liszt's rhapsody. XD
scriabinwasmydad 3 years ago
Funnier fact: She was also the daughter of Toscanini...
Sinfoniette 3 years ago
I quite admire is dynamics, This is my favourite interpretation. Horowitz!
axekat 3 years ago
i love you all
shinleg 3 years ago
He plays pretty beautiful.. I feel silent night in his touches.
Leinherd 3 years ago
Does anyone know why he skips the Trepak section completely?
Grigor99 3 years ago
Because it's crap? I think it's a vast improvement to leave out all that pointless rambling.
cziffra1980 3 years ago
lmfao rofl look at the picture :L:L:L:L:L
KearneyPiano 3 years ago 7
I can't believe people are discussing virtuosity. The only reason I like this piece is because of the middle section and also the themes Rimsky-Korsakov uses further in time in his Sheherazade. Open your minds people!
aldebussy 3 years ago
he plays it so calmly and beautifully.
iluvS2music 3 years ago
Why do people say that Berezovsky set a new standard for this piece when we have had this for years?
GypsyPianist 3 years ago
What a true virtuoso! Incredibly technqiue but always the music comes first!
vernan52981 3 years ago 2
This is my favourite versions of Islamey - he displays so much more sensitivity of touch than Berezovsky in his version and isn't forced to slow down slightly during awkward bits, really an incredible pianist. Idil Beret's version is also exceptional.
pardonmedog 3 years ago
Anyway, WOWZERS!!! thats all I have to say.
beryllium2 3 years ago
this amazing !
uo12345678910 3 years ago 2
Why always this picture???
nbharakey 3 years ago 3
because is fun :P
volodya2 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
sure, horowits is fuckin godly and plays islamey amazingly, but i say that lang lang had a better coda. thats just my opinion
moemoe12321 3 years ago
Nah.
thunder1909 3 years ago
H shortens the piece by cutting out some confused bombast and retightening a few passages. He wanted to be a composer originally but settled for editing, mostly effective.
nearenough3 3 years ago
Not that it really matters but I think this is the January 23, 1950 performance in Carnegie Hall which I and I am sure others have in much better sound without the low frequency hum.
dcoppen 3 years ago
haha i like this song...
churchpianist 3 years ago
Will there ever be a second Vladimir Horovitz? I dare to doubt...
48montblanc07 3 years ago 3
Probably not, but Kissin will probably come close.
mvanputten 3 years ago
Actually I heard Kissin perform Islamey in Saint Petersburg (Russia) some years ago and it was total crap! Tempi were just way over his technical abilities and the result was just pointless horse galop. There were too many wrong notes and the whole thing was just... unbearable.
katkula 3 years ago 5
There's only one word for this interpretation - no, two: breathtaking and incredible!!
48montblanc07 3 years ago
He is a pure genius and artist!
arthurcrescendo 3 years ago
lol funny pic!
coaster1000 3 years ago 2
Horowitz is the best pianist in the past and now and forever
Technoboy1410 3 years ago 2
yes, also liszt wasn't too bad maybe... :
volodya2 3 years ago
haha.. just maybeeee :P
bulboflight 3 years ago
A lot better than The Banging Berezovsky! I hate that guy. He knows how to play etudes. That's all.
This is divine!
aldebussy 4 years ago
true
theniceone223 3 years ago
I don't know really why you got so many thumbs down for that comment. If I had a chance to see Berezovsky live, I probably wouldn't go.
TehBrettster 3 years ago
to aldebussy: I can't understand the number of thumbs down poeple gave you either. I've heard Berezovsky live and also on YouTube, and I can't stand it either. At best one could say you shouldn't have mentioned him on this blog - save your comment for a video with Berezovsky playing! Tip: Ravel's Alborada del gracioso!!!!
48montblanc07 3 years ago
how is it pirated? why not just have original cd? was it not released. i have no idea what you mean by pirate recording rare. is there an original?
goodridgewinners 4 years ago
no, was never commercially released :)
kasyapa 3 years ago
it was in carnegie hall in 1950 or something, it wasn't recorded professionally, and you're not allowed to have recording equipment in there, so it's illegally pirated.
fatalfuz 3 years ago
Maybe it's illegal, but I think people appreciate hearing Horowitz's rendition of Islamey.
heliophobe99 3 years ago 3
helio, i was responding to someone asking something about when it was recoded and why no one heard about it or something. And I was wrong; the poster edited the description to say it was recorded it 1953.
fatalfuz 3 years ago
thank god there were people like that
fisherroastedpeanut 3 years ago
The unmistakeable Horowitz imprint!
Grigor99 4 years ago
Of pianists who left recordings, VH is most complete, Tone like light reflected in a crystal,sonority. technique and a musical imagination which is awesome.
BRAVO for this post.
63Attila 4 years ago 5
Horowitz is always exciting and always has something to say. There are some splashy bits towards the end and like Cziffra he adds some flourishes of his own. Perhaps someone could post one of Cziffra's versions.
piano345 4 years ago 2
i read that there is a pirate recording of horowitz playing rach 3 with rodzinki, supposedly better than the one with barbirolli. anyone knows of its existence? anyways. I think that this is one of horowitz's crowning performances. no one will ever play with such brilliance and power, and cat-like prance and elegance. and the speed of the double notes.
rachmaninovian92 4 years ago
how did you find this?
IAMLISZT 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I wonder how many people out there realize that even the might Franz Liszt was likely incapable of this kind of piano playing.
In terms of sheer pianism, Horowitz IS the greatest who EVER lived.
mishima1974 4 years ago
Damn it. I meant to say 'Mighty' Franz Liszt not 'might' Franz Liszt.
I hate it when that happens.
mishima1974 4 years ago
no i think liszt could play this. liszt was known as the greatest pianist during his time, maybe even in the history of the piano. he sightread grieg's concerto in a minor op. 16 and played it perfectly while giving comments at the same time to grieg about the song. grieg even noted that he played the cadenza particularly well. i'm not saying that horowitz was bad. he was also a great pianist.
sTaCkYjO 4 years ago
Liszt could and did play Islamey, and he problably played it 'perfectly' at first sight. Nonetheless, I have a strong feeling that even Liszt could not produce the sheer volcanic power that Horowitz was capable of.
mishima1974 4 years ago
i know u commented 2 months ago, but just to point out to you, many sources claim that Liszt had actually sight-read Islamey.
Rohit0406 3 years ago
I sightread Islamei, too.
Very, very slowly.
mishima1974 3 years ago 3
Just to add in on the little Liszt factoid.
Liszt didn't just sight read the piece. Apparently the story (according to Alan Walker anyway) is that he heard this being played by some Russian lady pianist and he was so excited he dashed back home and played it back just on one listening alone.
And as for matching Horowitz' volcanic power..don't worry. Liszt had plenty of that to spare.
BreuschPagan 3 years ago 2
How do you know?
Did you ever hear Liszt play?
mishima1974 3 years ago
I may never have heard Liszt play, and I may never know if he could match Horowitz, or Richter, or Hamelin, or Gilels, or whoever.
But to have ONE single pianist frighten EVERY other pianist between Kalkbrenner and Anton Rubinstein (bear in mind this spans about 50-60 years and includes the likes of Chopin, Alkan, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms..) is well..unprecedented and unchallenged.
BreuschPagan 3 years ago 4
you prove a very good point
Ligeti92 3 years ago
Apparently Liszt also surprised Grieg by sight reading his piano concerto perfectly from a hand written manuscript.
VikingBerserker 3 years ago
haha it gets even better. Grieg brought him a hand written manuscript of his violin sonata. What did liszt do? Sight read it of course! Except that he sight read both the piano and violin parts. At the same time.
This is not normal.
BreuschPagan 3 years ago
Comment removed
Lennythewinner 2 years ago
actually liszt was always nervous performing for Alkan
123eldest 3 years ago
yes liszt was always nervous performing for alkan.
but alkan heard liszt once and went into just about permenant retirement from the concert stage. there's an account of this in alan walker's biography if i'm not mistaken.
BreuschPagan 3 years ago
Interesting, sounds a bit far-fetched though, but im not about to research it. interesting none the less
123eldest 3 years ago
Why would Liszt be nervous performing for Alkan? It's not like Alkan was a better pianist than Liszt.
thunder1909 3 years ago
And would know this, exactly?
cziffra1980 3 years ago
I know that both Liszt and Alkan were virtuoso pianists, and would've been at thesame level of performing. Which is why I wonder why would Liszt be nervous to perform in front of him.
thunder1909 3 years ago
How do you know Alkan wasn't a better pianist than him (sorry for the mistyping in the earlier comment)? It's within the realms of possibility. It's not necessarily all about technique or virtuosity. Perhaps Liszt respected his musicianship.
cziffra1980 3 years ago
Perhaps that too, which after thinking about seems more likely.
thunder1909 3 years ago
mishima...don't be ridiculous. I absolutely adore Horowitz, for me he is outstanding genius.However, please don't try to compare him with Liszt in any aspect. It is enough to look at the piano textures Liszt invented ( check out earlier version of Transcendental and Paganini Etudes) to realize that in Liszt we had a supernatural phenomenon at work,elemental force of nature's creativity
berlioz1830 3 years ago
I'm talking about pianism, not composition.
mishima1974 3 years ago
dear mishima, please study this subject first. According to very great number of sources, Liszt could do things at the piano which Horowitz and others could not.Horowitz was very creative musically, but Liszt was creative on a higher level.
Unfortunately there are no such people in music anymore. The last was great S.Rachmaninoff and we know how shamefully he was treated by contemporary music establishment, especially critics and musicologists
berlioz1830 3 years ago
1) There was no one in history who could have heard both Liszt and Horowitz in their prime. That is an impossibility.
2) Who said that Liszt could do on a piano what Horowitz and others could not? Again, it is impossible for anyone to have heard either of these men in their prime. (By the way, the pianos of Liszt's day were MUCH different than modern pianos. MUCH lighter.)
4) Don't insult me, you little schmuck. I know a great deal more about this subject than you do.
mishima1974 3 years ago
I meant '3)' not '4)'.
mishima1974 3 years ago
Of course,I could easily insult you if I wanted, but that is not my intention,and it would bring us both nowhere.Please make sure you don't insult yourself with your behavior...
I can explain things in a more constructive manner.
It is evident you need to study the subject more, otherwise you would not be a proponent of thesis that Horowitz played in a more accomplished manner than Liszt
berlioz1830 3 years ago
I myself am suspicious about legends. Therefore I am free to recommend an excellent book " Portrait of Liszt" by Adrian Williams. It hardly contains any opinion of the author, but offers invaluable information by hundreds of individuals who heard Liszt play, plus a great deal of reviews. Also there is sometimes bar-by-bar description of his interpretation of various pieces, for example, Hammerklavier Sonata.
berlioz1830 3 years ago
Liszt could read a prima vista in tempo an orchestral score of 33 staves in small print while at the same time smoking cigar and running commentary on value of the music. Once asked about why he did not transcribe Coriolan overture, he sat down and (according to Carl Reinecke) gave "an ideal rendering of it, adding:" that is how I would have roughly done it"
berlioz1830 3 years ago
To my ears, Horowitz is the most accomplished pianist in the second half of XX century, had the greatest talent and knowledge of piano and he was the most musical as well.Extraordinary genius. However, there are pieces by Liszt he wouldn't have been able to play in the author's manner. And for Liszt, such pieces were a minor percentage of his gigantic output and he would play and produce them in an instant. it took horowitz decades to make 4 versions of Carmen
berlioz1830 3 years ago
Horowitz was definitely inspired by Liszt (naturally) he idolized him,especially at early age, and he learned a lot about performance from studying reports of his playing. For example, Horowitz uses interlocking octaves instead of parallel chromatic scales at the end of Chopin's Scherzo no 1. Why? Because Liszt recommended this at the end of this piece during one of his masterclasses. Contrary to popular (uninformed) belief, Horowitz was one of the most learned artists of 20th century
berlioz1830 3 years ago
Comment removed
Lennythewinner 2 years ago
Where did you get this?
The only person I know that has this is David Dubal.
mishima1974 4 years ago
no way! horowitz played this piece??!! interesting. some mistakes, but then again, he's horowitz. he certainly adds a beautiful touch to this music.
lynam60 4 years ago
Mistakes? This is the greatest performance of Islamei ever recorded. Even the wrong notes are RIGHT.
mishima1974 4 years ago
Horowitz is indeed a legend, and in many of the pieces he played, he is truly undisputed (Traumerei and everything Rachmaninoff currently come to mind). However, 'Islamey' is not his best work. Feeling, artistic, powerful? Yes. His best work? I don't think so.
lynam60 4 years ago
This was just before the 12 month retirement.
Horowitz was mentally and physically on edge. Audiences demanded increasingly trascendental dispalys of pianistic wizardry, and Horowitz NEVER disappointed.
This is a virtuoso showpiece, not a Bach Fugue or a late Beethoven Sonata.
Not his best work? Maybe not, but who cares? This performance overshadows ALL other recordings of this piece.
mishima1974 4 years ago