Schubert Liszt Liebesbotschaft Horowitz Rec 1929

[Beckmesser2]

@7igerblood Sorry that you deleted all of your comments. Many of them were very perceptive.

[7igerblood]

@Beckmesser2 I decided they were a little long for YouTube, and mildly arrogant. Will turn them into a blog entry, post a summary and a link. Would enjoy further discussion.

[7igerblood]

@chrish12345 are you objecting to the Romantic school of pianism in its entirety, or this instance of it as being a less than perfect example?

[chrish12345]

@7igerblood Who am I to say? But whenever I've heard Horrowitz play Schubert I always feel its a mess - he thinks he can take any liberty he wants to and often does. Its an almost comical blend of extreme rubato, broken phrases, random stacatto bumps and every other kind of distortion. As Brendel says its not so much about a 'school' or tradition but trying to let the piece tell you what to do and I don't think Horrowitz does this very well in Schubert, however well-intentioned.

[intdayntl]

@chrish12345 Good point. Someone once told me that the actor Clark Gable used to "play himself" in movies. Don't know if it's true. But the versatility of "becoming a character" is akin to channeling composers as different as Scarlatti and Brahms. Some performers are willing to be flexible enough, to do the homework, to become the music someone else wrote, and some insist on playing themselves, even if it disservices the music. I can jive with that.

[intdayntl]

meaning I think I get your point, letting the piece tell us what to do.

[intdayntl]

@chrish12345 It's appropriate to insist that we leave our own laziness, sloppiness, ego, or arrogance aside, and play the music as written.

But it's separately true that great musicians often try to be composers as well as performers. This is not as easily taught or tested -- and has therefore been tragically neglected by many music teachers -- though it can be facilitated and encouraged.

[intdayntl]

@chrish12345 So my question of the day: what happens when I, as a novice, budding composer, applies that "arrogant" attitude of seeing art for myself, regardless of how anyone else sees it--be their name Brahms or Bazooka--and I choose to crescendo when Brahms wrote to decrescendo, but I do so not out of sloppiness but from artistic conviction? What if Brahms decided to play staccato when a Czerny, Clementi, or Chopin score said to legato?

[intdayntl]

@chrish12345 Faithfulness to the score is a wonderful concept, but I wonder where to draw the line. Did Bach articulate a given fugue in different ways? Did Chopin sometimes crescendo and sometimes decrescendo, in a particular passage? Does Chopin's first Ballade mean one thing, or several? Is the greatness of art, that it reaches one pinnacle, or that in one, it contains the view from multiple mountaintops? Do we as performers seek one, or as composer-performers explore and discover the many?

[intdayntl]

@chrish12345 Could certain composers' works allow a greater number of artistically valid interpretations, than others'? Personality tendencies may also affect one's views on this. By Myers-Briggs classification, I'm an ENFP, and so I incline toward too much pleurality and subjectivity. Another personality type might incline the other way. Ayn Rand, Emerson, John Taylor Gatto, and Ken Robinson (YouTube: "Do Schools Kill Creativity?") all give interesting commentary on this. What do you think?

[chrish12345]

sorry I'm really not convinced - every phrase is so distorted with an inappropriate sentimentality or just pure laziness, I'm not moved and I I just don't get it

[7igerblood]

@chrish12345 ... perhaps you have more subtle ears than I.

[pianolaunderground]

it isn't the only recording Horowitz made of this piece - he did record it on Welte-Mignon reproducing roll 4121 - I will try record and upload it online shortly!

[Jerrez]

recorded over 90 years ago :-) nice

[beebeequail]

Amazing to hear his style of playing hadn't changed during his whole life.

[fouloas]

SCHUBERT FOREVER TIME



[SwePianoholic]

Yes Schubert was a master...Horowitz? Who is he ??

( Just kidding :)  )

[katkula]

In a way this is finely controlled and well played but I somehow understand why Horowitz wasn't comfortable in releasing this recording :)

[Gorowitz]

Can you please explain? I do not understand the problem with the recording. Maybe it is a bit mannered, but it is not bad.

[braunmuehl]

Thank you very much for sharing this gem!

[uhartchristian]

there are a lot of recordings never released. I am still wondering when we will be able to listen the mozart sonatas recorded in paris.... no 10 11 12 and 13 !!!!

[krokigrygg]

I just love this song... Schubert is a master...

[Amunhotep4th]

It never ceases to amaze me the talents of Vladimir Horowitz - he was a master in every respect !!!

[Toxxic88]

Horowitz looks like a young Robert De Niro in this picture haha. Awesome performance *****

[megansspark]

I think its amazing... :)

[paulostroff99]

Stunning!  Bravo! TY.

[cattleman6420012000]

Wonderful!!