The Horowitz Steinway Piano at Sherman Clay San Francisco

[rectaltemp]

WHY do people who play "classical piano" have to play pieces that sound awful but showcase that they can play fast and hit all hte keys?

[LLPorduction]

@rectaltemp wow... you think so :'( I don't. What are your favorite classical pieces?

[nikolaiski]

correct me if i'm wrong, but the REAL horowitz piano action would have been unplayable by the average pianist as it the maestro himself wanted it to be as light as possible, and later in life the hammers filed as thin as possible. correct me if i'm wrong, but that basically played a part of the Horowitz sound.

[bozotheda]

I actually read in a biography on Horowitz that his piano had an extraordinarily heavy action. Doesn't really sound like it here though, but hard to tell.

[tnmtemerity]

@nikolaiski Horowitz liked a light action but, Yamaha's for instance tend to have a light action. I don't think the regulation of the action had too much to do with the sound - the voicing of the hammers would play a larger roll than the force required to press a key. I lot of what is the "Horowitz Sound" is in his timing and dynamics - the guy playing this is excellent but, I wouldn't mistake him for Horowitz.... Mohr wrote a book - he claims there is nothing special about the Horowitz piano

[ElEsquisProductions]

@nikolaiski I once played on his piano, which was in the Steinway Factory last year. It has a very heavy action, but since I had always practiced with heavy mechanisms (Petrof and Wienbach) I didnt had a problem. Veeeery powerful bass.

[fr4545]

fantastic

[xistr]

I played the so-called Horowitz piano at Sherman-Clay during its tour last year. Unfortunately, Horowitz wouldn't have recognized this piano, because it's been ruined beyond recognition by whatever hack Steinway technician(s) rebuilt it (surely not Franz Mohr). Gone is the crystal-clear sparkling treble and the oceanic bass that it once had (I know, I played it as recently as 8 years ago, when it was still a great instrument). Now it's just another Steinway D, and a pretty ordinary one at that.

[gitprofnikat]

I did as well. It was very brittle, shallow in sound. The action was like water with no key dip at all. I was rather shocked at the way it was regulated and voiced.

[tnmtemerity]

Whoever that second pianist was - he'd be a hard act to follow...

[stienwayz]

Thanks for sharing your amazing piano-experience!

[PianoPlaya123]

haha nice! that definitely sounds like a Horowitz piano, the lower register tells it all... wish I could play on that

[k73f]

Wow amazing.

What is the song that was playing by that man?

[LVB1770]

k73f, Horowitz played this piece a lot. I believe it's Rachmaninoff but I am not sure which piece. Can anyone name that tune?

[VikingBerserker]

The second one is chopin's 3rd sonata, 4th movement.

The first might be an improvisation, but I am fairly certain that it is not Rachmaninoff.

[spaetensonaten]

@LVB1770 Finale to Chopin's Sonata No. 3 in B minor, op. 58

[leonengard]

4th movement from the 3th Chopin's Sonate.

[damildlyshreddah]

Such an experience :D

[LVB1770]

Thanks damildlyshreddah, it was an experience!