Vladimir Horowitz Playing Scriabin 12 Etudes Op.8 No.12

[aklisny]

this is so brilliant... i have no words.. he for sure exceeded the compositors expectation

[vivianbalerina]

BRILLIANT¡¡¡¡¡



[marcohorowitz8]

possessed by a Demon!!

[PeaceMaker503]

Epic ! One of my favorite piece now ! So powerful and so much poetic ! I'm going to learn it RIGHT NOW !

[SammyGirl903]

@PeaceMaker503 Very difficult piece, but it sounds really cool :) Good luck practicing this!

[PeaceMaker503]

@SammyGirl903 Yes, a very difficult piece, yet it motivates me, it challenges me ! Thank you ! =)

[PeaceMaker503]

@SammyGirl903 I just read this comment again, and now that I learnt it and can play it, I'm going to upload soon ! =D

[SammyGirl903]

@PeaceMaker503 Ok, I can't wait to see you playing this piece! ^^

[apblondon20]

Why is this masterpiece so short?!

[keetner]

Anyone know when this recording was?

[jungwirthmartin]

Best performace ever was Sophia recital by S. Richter, 1958!!!

[isccha89]

Is that the same performance where he played the Chopin's Ballade 1 ?? If so, that was the best performance ever.

[Nganguenf]

Je le reconnais, cette pièce m'a littéralement "dépassé"! Pourtant, j'ai ce besoin de la jouer...Je ne cesserai jamais de le dire : elle représente toute l'agonie de l'humanité.

[onejazzfan]

my favorite one too

[JauntyAngle]

my favourite song

[Erajonit]

Who knows what memories came in Horowitz's mind when he thought about this piece...

[PaulRx4]

The Charleston was a dance fad from the 1920's Search google for flapper era.

Sort of like the twist by Chubby Checker around 1961 a quick popular fad of

little lasting value. "Here today gone tomorrow" as they say. Classical music

like this will last much longer due to its deep value. This piece has been

renown for about 100 years. Chance are whatever is hot stuff now won't be very

famous even 10 years from now. However I still love music from 60's and 70's,

never thought of Jagger now!

[spartan1081990]

@laundrylint the fact that you can play it makes you more special than any actor/actress, fuck I can barely play chopins 20th nocturne

[darzil007]

god needed hands to revive all the beauty of classical music from bach to rachmaninoff so created HOROWITZ........

[laundrylint]

So, I thought I played this pretty well. Guess not.

[PaulRx4]

Talk about nailing a piece, WOW, 50 years ago about 12-14 pianist played this

piece at the VERY VERY GOOD level, now it seems there are 40-50 who play

it at the same level. Because it is such a great piece pianist can't resist it.

Classical music is not dead, real music will always hang in there, things like

hip hop will be like the Charleston given enough years.

[werq34ac]

@PaulRx4 Forgive my ignorance, but what's the Charleston? This is probably proving your point...

As for Mr. Horowitz, even his wrong notes are perfect.

[777dv]

i am very freak and unfashioned listening to this. Excuse me, capitalism

[Nicky808080808]

Now this is fucking music.....Perfect!

[slappendabass69]

a true masterpiece. he just has so mich expression when he plays. it just amazes me. and i love the octaves he plays. he just pounds them like crazy!!

[FantisyLand]

2:12 breathes in "fuck that shit was hard"

[sofrech1991]

I decided to record myself playing this etude after being inspired by Horowitz's performance of it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[davidsoncuber]

I'm really happy to listen to Horowitz, but I cannot understand the last note. It sounds kind of wrong to me.

[cullanpiano]

No matter how great the performance, I cannot stand for the video and sound to be out of sync. Un"watchable"

[vickiehill1]

Wow!! What an amazing piece. I am sooooo thankful for YouTube. Being able to see all of the wonderful moments that I've missed in life & be able to view again, those I didn't. The videos keep one's brilliance alive. It doesn't pass-away but is able to live on. Remarkable.

[1424f28]

Well so far the best I know. A benchmark. So sad, the young generation just did not get it that far.

[NieveDeFuego]

somehow there's an strange pression within my lungs, that's incredible, how moving this piece is and this interpretation. Horowitz indeed, was a master, one of the greatest ever.

[frogfrogfrog12345]

im working on this piece now... ye its challenging. u can look i hav a vid up of me playing prelude C sharp minor and some other covers.

[HannaandPaul]

@frogfrogfrog12345 I listened to your Rachmaninoff and I would suggest waiting a year or two before playing the Scriabin -- the technique required is immense and the octaves at the end are killer...

Ive played this piece and it made the Winter wind etude i was learning at the same time easy

[newFranzFerencLiszt]

I think it's the most aggressive, irate, powerful and at the same time dramatic and sad piece I know

[PeteTheSnowDog1]

Alexander Scriabin died at the very early age of 43. Horowitz did know him when he was a child and performed for him. His cause of death was from a blood disease called septicaemia. He contracted it when shaving and thus cut his upper lip which then led to his death in 1915

[GreatUnwashedMass]

interesting -- sounds just like Rach

[eclair9]

This is one of the most animated performances I've seen by Mr. Horowitz. He's utterly amazing.

[ingute1992]

They are both geniuses, Scriabin and Horowitz...

[CanadaPisces]

An outstanding performance of the the Scriabin etude by a master of the keyboard!

Thank you wilsonnkwan for the posting!

[ATNickMellor]

There's great clarity and poetry in this playing, perhaps let down by moments of self-indulgent showmanship during which his sound suffers. Dinorah Varsi's version is spellbinding, as is her serene poise. Well worth a look

[roxiegirl442]

Horowitz is the only pianist that can make errors and still have the number one interpretation of almost every song he masters to perfection!

[ibclappin]

@roxiegirl442 he comfortably played for himself, no matter how many people were listening. chopin said he wrote because of his own enjoyment and considered other people's joy a bonus

[4coffeebeans]

never seen him so into a performance before...

[lolitaeviston]

I'm playing this for an audition. Lulz. Going to totally fail. Obviously Horowitz is amazing- but I just think he's the cutest old man. He's so sweet! So you can't hate him for his mad skills...

[cowboytim98]

I want to hear Volodos do this.

[Tubztele]

@cowboytim98 Thats the rawest thing ive heard someone say today ... Nice job

[cowboytim98]

@Tubztele Raw? How the heck was that raw?

[Tubztele]

@cowboytim98 lol nevermind cowboy your not up on the lingo...raw=that would be awesome dude lol

[cowboytim98]

@Tubztele I'm probably old ENUF (does that spelling make ya happy?) to be your father.  Watch it, kid.

[Tubztele]

@cowboytim98 flame on

[FranzLisztFerentz]

10 persons are deaf...

[phynesse2000]

@ProkovievRules I ve always felt this way about this interpretation as well! But its also the whole cultural relationship between the two and the history surrounding this very concert and, last but not least, the specticle of watching this guy work at the piano. Never gonna be matched :)

[ljpiano]

This is called epic! RIP Vladimir Horowitz.

[miliona1re]

I've lost my jaw under the table...... :)

[TamaNewb]

NO, NO,NOOOOOOOOOOOO... just... unbearable... unhear! TO GOOD.

[jiririji]

es excelente la interpretacion

[tyu3456]

In the description: " the agony of a man on the verge of sanity" >>> I think you mean "insanity" :D

[SUPPLEANDFIRM]

@tyu3456 That is what happens when stupid people try to write melodramatically.

[CSPlayerDamon]

@tyu3456 I think he means he's just about to go insane? :P

[SUPPLEANDFIRM]

@CSPlayerDamon No. Wrong. You also do not understand simple words, it would appear.

[CSPlayerDamon]

@SUPPLEANDFIRM You're right, if verge only means "before entering". That's how it is translated in my language at least.

[gonzalojosevb]

UN DIOS!

[0101dicky]

1:36 my baby brother says: "how can grandpa move so fast??"

[PureSoapCleans]

No artificial effects. Pure art, serious work. Talent, genius and love to art. I love Horowitz. God Bless his soul!

[ProkofievRules]

It's kind of unfair for future generations when a pianist nails a piece like this. It kind of eliminates it from the creative repertoire. Unless you're planning on beating Horowitz' interpretation, might as well try a different piece.

[wilsonnkwan]

@ProkofievRules Kinda true... but no harm trying :)

[perniciouspickle]

@ProkofievRules a) i don't think it's a competition. just do what you do, the best you can.

b) there's nothing that can compare to a live rendition of this piece. the maestro has passed on, and left the torch for us young pianists to carry forward to new audiences, which i do, proud to call myself a musician and overjoyed simply to know that such a standard as horowitz's exists.

[laundrymunkey1414]

@ProkofievRules -what are u talking about?

[ProkofievRules]

@laundrymunkey1414 No matter who plays this piece, when I hear it, I always think of this performance. I'm certainly not the only one. Might as well try a different piece: the penultimate rendition has already been performed. Even on his best day, a tremendous artist like Lugansky approaches the quality of this interpretation asymptotically.

[phortion]

@ProkofievRules (from thefreedictionarydotcom): penultimate [pɪˈnʌltɪmɪt]

adj.

next to the last

n.

anything that is next to the last, esp a penult

[from Latin paene almost + ultimate, on the model of Latin paenultimus]

Did you really mean to use that word?

[laundrymunkey1414]

@ProkofievRules interesting---I am a bass player--and I think the level of bass playing has been rising for the past 30 years. When someone goes out and plays a hard piece, then soon that piece becomes standard rep, until the next person mihgt transcribe another even more difficult piece. Is this not how it works with piano?

[ProkofievRules]

@laundrymunkey1414 In piano, I would argue that the standards, at least for artistry have fallen in the last 30 years. You won't hear any young gun playing this piece like this. Horowitz was very good friends with the composer. Certainly, in classical piano, we are all trying to define a piece's essence with our playing.

Richter was famous for not recording the Rach 3, in saying that "it had already been perfected."

My comment was just a tongue-in-cheek allusion to that. ;)

[C0urante]

@ProkofievRules Sounds like any cellist and the Elgar Concerto... Jacqueline du Pré owned that piece like no other. Everyone else just sounds phony in comparison.

[ChrisWatch]

@ProkofievRules It's unfair that people think this is the only way you should play it.

[ProkofievRules]

@ChrisWatch It's unfair to me how many people on this site didn't get my joke.

[ChrisWatch]

@ProkofievRules regardless. Even if you're subtle comedy act was based on the idea of: who in the world talks like this.

There is still in question the people who think Horowitz wrote this etude and simply labeled it Scriabin to give him a little attention..

[Silkmeister]

@ProkofievRules maybe instead, each musician entitled to his/her own interpretation, and that in itself will be satisfying enough for the player and for the composer.

good day

[yogithecamel]

@ProkofievRules Children today are smarter than ever. It's people like you that put children down and hate. Why don't you open your eyes. There are small asian children nailing classical pieces all over youtube.

[ProkofievRules]

@yogithecamel You are evidently not among this new super generation of children then, I suppose.

[yogithecamel]

@ProkofievRules Well seeing as how I'm in my 20s your correct I'm not a super child. Nor do I play the piano at an expert level. I do play guitar and bass at an expert level however. Vladimir was a superior pianist there is no doubt he is one of the best pianists of the 20th century. I just think it's naive to state that his skill level can't be matched by anyone alive today.

[TheMrknownothing]

@ProkofievRules

I think you misinterpret the entire reason for playing music. Displaying your skill to a crowd pales in comparison to the joy of experiencing it yourself.

[bilibalala]

@ProkofievRules There are heavenly sound and sounds of mortal... Clearly Horowitz legendary performance of this piece is heavenly. Therefore for all other mortals they can still try as no mortal will be foolish enough to compare themselves with heaven.

[HotSo0P]

@ProkofievRules All the more reason why we need new real classical music today!

[adamdcFaN]

@ProkofievRules There is no such thing as a "best" interpretation.

[VocalEdgeTV]

@ProkofievRules ...then why ever try to accomplish anything if you fear it not "being good enough"? Someone is always going to be better. This is piece is dear to me (my mom plays it as do it)...and it was one of Scriabin's favorite encore pieces. What a shame if everyone stopped playing it because Horowitz played it. He played pretty much everything haha...so that would eliminate...well...everything.­

[Japansepuppy2481]

@ProkofievRules I agree, but why not play for fun? To listen to the music and FEEL how it sounds. Horowitz will always be a legend. Every pianist has different interputation.

[videoreff]

@ProkofievRules I have to disagree. I can play 2 or 3 Rach pieces, no chance I'll ever be able to play like Horowitz but it's a great feeling when you get something out of it.

[sackwhacker]

@ProkofievRules

well, Horowitz did have an early encounter with Scriabin himself, so he had to nail it to do this etude justice :D

[chrisnantucket]

@ProkofievRules I dunno, check out Lola Astanova...

[videoreff]

@chrisnantucket Ah the wonderful Lola, a first rate pianist & one of the best around these days. But there's only one Horowitz....

[irragno]

un Dio!!!!



[wantrice]

His left hand is like a striking snake!

[KheldarPr]

He's. giving. me. goose. bumps.

[ionpeiciu]

Magnificent !!!

[AlexanderScriabin7]

Absolutely nothing can beat this performance of this song

[DavilaAmor]

sad song :( but i like

[AldenHardaway]

Words like "passion" and "energy" would not do this performance justice; there is a demonic quality to this piece, a quality that Horowitz exploits more than Scriabin himself. Do you know the year of this performance? I know a 1960's one and his 1986 Moscow recital performance, but the sheer force and intensity of this one, the sense of grappling with a monumental power gives this one a surreal, insanely powerful quality found in extremely few recordings of any music, anywhere. Bravo, Volodya!

[emanuel33e]

I love this song

-Hey Horowitz!

-Yes...

-How are you?

-Now more... I play a piano song!

[olegnarod]

I think that this is the only  performance, that we can see Horowitz shaking his body, he is always serious and quite during his performances...

To my mind he IS the best... and we won't see a pianist like him. A pianist like Horowitz appears in the world once a century!

[forgottenbooks]

At 1:01, I feel like singing - even though I never sing.

[leomulder]

Horowitz is my favorite one on this, but I think he doesn't play all the notes in the climax. You can notice. But there is a recording from 1960's that is, in my opinion, the most balanced performance he has ever made.

[gianpaga11]

you never died. You belong to eternity. With constant love

[aklisny]

absolutely and pure phantastic...

[bushinarin]

I think if you yelled at someone and then turned your piano and played this, that you would frighten them.

[darrens888]

@bushinarin true musicians dont get angry at ppl....

[bushinarin]

@darrens888 Never huh? I didn't realize that musicians didn't display a full and normal range of emotions.

[ASirensSoliloquy]

The right hand in this piece is just octaves. The left hand is jumping all over the place. Difficult to play, but awesomely rewarding once mastered; such passion in this piece.

[leomulder]

@ASirensSoliloquy Not just octaves on right hand.

[ASirensSoliloquy]

@leomulder Okay it's not ALL octaves but most of it is.

[leomulder]

@ASirensSoliloquy LOL. Sorry, I think I was implicant. You're right.

[allanikitskaya]

Great emotional expression, perfect interpretation!!!

[Barbette321]

I love it when someone watches a youtube performance and says something really off the wall and everybody jumps on him. It's kind of like World Professional Wrestling. Regardless of what you think about his phrasing, Horowitz really exposes himself. He breathes life into the performance. He appears to be doing nothing much but the audience is electrified and on the edge of their seats. Not too many people can do that.

[gipsymustang]

we've got 8 punks around here

[dancingwithoutwords]

I feel disturbing when the really top pianist cut the phrase of the melody at their will...,when they put the music in pieces, I hate it! WHY? THe whole study has a natural inflection, an unity, it's absurd and stupid to interrupt it artificially. When this happens, they are under the syndrome of over playing, so they loose the original sense of the music, it turns out as vicious, fake, and they need to stop for a while, to rest their mind.I can not enjoy this, the original feeling is lost.

[universalsingularity]

Am I the only one who thought the audience was disturbing? Ha

[LordCalvinHastings]

I don't know if it's just my weird way of looking at things, but the name "Vladimir" reminds me a lot of the word "Wizard".

[gipsymustang]

@LordCalvinHastings "vladimir" is a russian name, and if translate it itll be "rule the world" -vladimir

[LordCalvinHastings]

Why 100 years? This performance might never be surpassed at all. Even if I become an awesome pianist someday, I will never attempt this piece, simply because I would lose all my self-esteem over failing to create music half as good as this.

[mamdss]

HOROWITZ THE LEGENDA !

[ann03071874]

The best by far...

[javilack]

For example this is bad chopin...

[ultracoolhomies]

Horowitz is a god. 

[classicalnut1]

i do love this recording played with strong intensity and no holding back. but everyone seems to disregard most other recordings. Sure the expression differs from pianist to pianist, but really - anyone who can play this well is awesome!

[nylonhead116]

Scriabin would applaud this performance if he was still alive at that time

[mdehkram]

Horowitz was known for his octave playing, which is evident here. Starting at 1:42, his left hand leaps are incredible, he is not close to the keys, his fingers are straight, and he is playing fortissimmo. How anyone can play like that without injury, I remember seeing him play that passage when it appeared first on TV years ago, and it is still as shocking. He plays like a madman.

[Nganguen]

I do love this piece which remain me the whole agony of mankind...But I was unable to play it as well as the talented Horowitz...C'est peut-être la 100 ème fois que je suis cette vidéo!

[Nganguen]

@Nganguen All the sadness, the melancholy and the agony of this world ... This piece is The Pandora's box !

Tribute to A.Scriabine and respect for Vladimir Horowitz

[dharmaboy1]

Remarkable! Transfixing! Awesome performance. He was truly one of the greatest pianists to ever grace this planet!!!

[belialah]

Horowitz:God

[ann03071874]

Without doubt the best. Well Scriabin was his teacher at one point...

[Indosuaros]

Does anyone here like rap?

[thePedro1er]

@Indosuaros yes i do i like all kinds of music even reggae, i hate people that are prejudice against one type of music because of rappers like flo rider lil Wayne and 50 cent they're not the only people in rap there are much better artists than them

[Heat0nMyFeet]

@Indosuaros I do, and I can also play this etude

[Indosuaros]

@Heat0nMyFeet Respect. I honestly don't remember what my comment was before this, but if you can play this song then respect.

[royo90]

This performance of the Scriabin etude is second to none.

[dido93]

@royo90 Horowitz is fantastic...as usual...but listen to Scriabin's own rendition too...superlative...

[observer6mm]

So much achievement portrayed in one piece!

[hohohee1]

he looks like Spilzman ! + cause his jewish = ima nazi + my father is japanese + my mother is german = AXIS OF POEWR OF EVIL son

[anyan112]

Happy Birthday Horowitz!

October 1, 1903 – November 5, 1989

Intersting true fact: he was Jewish

[hohohee1]

@anyan112 intresting fact .. my grandpa was a german nazi ....

[itsanthonyhere]

How the heck can you stretch an 11th?

[openmindspace]

@itsanthonyhere just wait for your hands to grow i guess :P. I could reach a 10th when i was 12.

[openmindspace]

@itsanthonyhere No it isnt. 2 octaves is 16th :P

[itsanthonyhere]

@openmindspace But it's close enough ! I just can't see anyone doing a 12th. This is going to drive me nuts for a while.

[openmindspace]

@itsanthonyhere Well i can BARELY reach the legendary 12'th ;P

I could show you a picture if you like.

[chingstasnipe]

hmm where was this recorded...

[Nexodaedalus]

hahaha, i must've seen this video over 100 times, but i never noticed horowitz's massive-cheeked sigh at the end (watch from around 2.12).

i've played this piece quite a few times myself and i find myself doing exactly the same, every time!

[massdot]

We are so privileged to be able to experience this. God have mercy!

[krokigrygg]

Incredible performance...

It also takes me back to the time when i was actually practising piano...

[openmindspace]

This is a great Peice played by a Great pianist

[Nexodaedalus]

I learnt this for the first year of my music degree... I kind of regret it now. It should be saved for when you are at the pinnicle of your technical and poetic talent, and not rushed into with the naivity I had at 19. Bravo Horowitz for putting me in my place once again.

[Paganetz]

Camp, ham-fisted bungling.

[15silverblade]

master

[Paganetz]

Camp, ham-fisted bungling.

[lupin392]

stunning,do you know what was this recital?

[lupin392]

stunning!do you know what recital was this?

[ElnorsMagicValley]

Bravisimo... ♥

[aaron8895]

pretty much nothing compares to this...

[cattleman6420012000]

Unbelievably great.

[paulostroff99]

Stunning! TY James. Great posting as well.

[cattleman6420012000]

Horowitz was so unique. Incredible pianist, no one like him. His playing musically moves me so much.

[CanadaPisces]

Let us enjoy a master of the keyboard!

[machtrebel]

I feel alive when I listen to Horowitz. I can't think of a greater compliment

[ScutigerousPume]

0:39 to 0:45 has to be one of the most brilliantly played passages ever.