Wonderful! There are performances of Horowitz, when younger, playing this 1min. faster than he does here.Those versions are incredible, but I think he was mostly showing (off) what he could do.
Here Horowitz makes music. He & Rachmaninoff were friends. He knew what R. was after.
Mdme. Gina Bachauer was for a short time a student of Rach. In this performance Horowitz plays this piece just as she taught me that Rachmaninoff had her play it. --Giles is great too, but this is my favorite.
I could hear the difference from the first 3 seconds... of course no disrespect for the guy from the previous video I watched cause hes like 2 million times a better player than I am but Horowitz... is Horowitz... nuff said, really...
I just saw a video of a guy playing this song and the comments were really good and some even said that was the best rendition of all time. Then I got curious how will Horowitz play this and to be honest, I had a tiniest doubt in mind that Horowitz's rendering will not be much different from the one Id just seen because it was really, really well done. But now I saw the Horowitz version of this song and Im like... that guy is not to be even compared to Horowitz... I was a fxxking idiot...
@corruptNconquer:>There are some internet users who spend their time writing nonsense about the art of those who would call the true masters. Vladimir Horowitz and Sviatoslav Richter are the greatest interpreters of Russian authors, especially Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Technique and interpretation to go together and they just do not see it who is deaf in the same nature.The posing a fly on the tip of the nose suckers like you. Marcos Leite, pianist
Anyone familiar with this piece KNOWS it would take an act of God to not tipple here and there. Ultimately it's one of Rachmaninoff pieces...speaking personally.
Horowitz was a genius who played with surreal technique and extraordinary expression and artistry. Only the performances of this prelude by Rachmaninoff, Gilels and Moiseiwitsch can be said to be at VH's level.
All others simply do not even belong in the same conversation. And perfect midi-renditions without soul and musicality are only good for video-game sound.
Horowitz had horrible-looking technique: his fingers weren't curved, and his hands rolled a bit. But it worked for him: there were few, if any, pianists in the last century who were revered more than Maestro Horowitz .
Truly inspirational. I tried to capture this spirit of romanticism in my own "Symphonic Variations After a Theme of Cesar Franck" for piano & orchestra (here on YT) . Of course I'm no Rachmaninoff but I wish today's composers would write in this vein instead of the computerized nonsense they "assemble", most of which is so rhythmically complex that humans cannot even reproduce it. Sad state of affairs. Rach was truly among the last of the composers that touched people's hearts.
@JoeTownley Next time you call modern music "computerized nonsense", try to reproduce/create it (not talking about mainstream artists, those are pure shit)
I wish today's composers would occasionally write something like this or his concertos. I just finished a composition entitled "Symphonic Variations After a Theme of Cesar Franck" for piano & orchestra that is here on YT. It is written in the romantic style like Rachmaninoff's but I'd be derided by contemporaries and not taken seriously by the public. If only I had a champion like Horowitz but he likely wouldn't even look at it. Oh well, maybe for the best. It's probably not even worth it.
I love that a real, fantastic pianist makes mistakes. It proves that he's human. Although it's barely noticeable :) . To @MrVladimirHorowitz, you're totally true!
What a master pianist we have in Horowitz! I am also learning how to play this piece and have my interpretation of this video on my site. Please feel free to listen and comment.
@openmindspace - I'm wearing headphones, but realized it was live when I heard some of the missed notes. Thank god he did miss a couple or else I'd be deaf.
sloppy sounding, but i like the way he plays it. piano is so bright, my piano teacher was one of his students and he said that Horowitz's Steinways were built with extremely light action
I like more pedal. Call me horrible or cheap or non-musical... I just like my damned sustain pedal, lol.
OK, and I am just reading comments... Lang Lang haters get over yourselves. I was in your camp, but dude is in his 20s!! Don't compare a virtuosic 20yo pianist to a 60yo, you are talking 40 years of technique and musical experience.
Just be glad we have another Liszt/Horowitz/Richter/Rubinstein around in our time. Listen to him mature, and love every minute of it.
Your failing to see my point. Most of the videos/recordings of those men are when they were in there 50s+.
You can not compare a mid-twenties Lang Lang with a 65 (or 80) year old Rubinstein. That is what is happening on YouTube and the rest of the world. People have recordings of their favorite pianists (when they were 40 years Lang Lang's senior) and they say "well he isn't as good as this guy".
I understand that Horowitz was older in this recording. However I also understand that when Richter, Rubinstien, and Horowitz were in their youths (Lang Lang is in his as of right now) their playing was far superior to that of Lang Lang's now.
I was simply stating my opinion......you took it as an invitation to an argument
Richter's Chopin was terrible when he was Lang Lang's age. The reviews of Horowitz' (of which you can find easily) playing when he was young read such that you could swap "Lang Lang" for "Horowitz" and vice versa.
I don't know enough about Rubinstein's young career... But Lang Lang's playing is at least equal to that of an inexperienced Richter/Horowitz.
...Amazing the world with virtuosic bombastic performances and leaving some of the musicality (that comes with age) out.
Richter's Chopin? Terrible? How could you say that?!?!? Look up Richter's interpretation of the Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 12, and tell me that's terrible.
And if anyone is bombastic and without musicality, it's Lang Lang.
Is English not your first language? You seemingly aren't understanding any of what I say.
Richter is my favorite pianist of all time. That doesn't change the fact that when he was Lang Lang's age his Chopin was terrible. I have the video of Richter playing "Revolutionary" on my Facebook, no other interpretation is equal.
I was saying (quite clearly) that Lang Lang is the same as a lot of young virtuosos. Not that Richter was a terrible pianist :-/
The piece is so powerful it makes me cry for joy. Maestro Horowitz always seems to conjoin in whatever piece he is playing so together they feel and flow in ecstasy
Love the middle section - so natural and flowing - especially the beginning. And he never loses the 2 voices; most pianists settle for highlighting 1. Not so sure about the outer parts though.
I like Gilel's version better, It seems Horowitz bangs a little too much on the low notes, perhaps its just the recording. Horowitz is still the one of the best though!!
this is one of my pieces, haven't heard horowitz's version before. all i have to say is - holy fuck, he fucking kiiiiiillled it!!!!!! THIS MAN IS GOD!!!
@loveismydestruction YES! Rachmaninoff playing it himself is the performance! Horowitz comes close, also Gilels. And Richter's and Cziffra's interpretations are also great :D
I would never have forgiven a pianist for making a mistake on this piece, because I love it so much...until a couple weeks ago, when I started learning it. We can't all have hands the size of Rachmaninoff's. joe69rocket has got it right.
Actually he didn't. He lived and breathed with any piece ha was playing, music was flowing from his heart and therefore there is no any rule oabout length of notes or stops. If performer is excited then plays faster if he is calm - plays slower. Those who can not adjust themselves to performer's wavelength can not understand the music.
id much rather here a mistake here or there and have the interpretation CORRECT, than a flawless version of the song being totally butched! aka lang.....
@FaygoAddict I think that's the way it should be. If you can be perfect, and play expressively, awesome. But music is majorly about expression. Within reason, mistakes don't matter.
Really??? You're totally preoccupied with the minor flaws in his performance. He's completely brilliant at playing, and you're not even noticing because you're too busy pointing out the negative (and very, very, VERY minor) aspects of this. Please...just enjoy the beauty :). I'm sure that's what Horowitz would have wanted. For every mistake you notice, he more than makes up for it with incredible expression and dynamics. How many people could pull that off?
Mistakes?????? You're joking right? Who cares? This is a live performance he wasn't a machine. Better to have a few mistakes than to miss the expression altogether! I always tell my students this.
I must tell you I take terrible risks. Because my playing is very clear, when I make a mistake you hear it. If you want me to play only the notes without any specific dynamics, I will never make one mistake. Never be afraid to dare.
Horowitz once said," I can play no wrong notes, but if you want me to play it musically, I will play wrong notes" he lived by this motto all his life. Wrong notes are in no way worse than no musicallity
I'm kind of like this, but because I'm lazy. I think Horowitz sounds a bit naturally lazy. He's just super talented and was worked hard when being raised.
@MrVladimirHorowitz Actually, Horowitz in his youth could claim playing entire concerts without mistakes (or merely a single mistake out of a whole program as Arthur Rubinstein noted in his autobiography). But he never consciously tried to achieve that technical perfectionism - his technique was just that good. When he got older, and he made plenty of mistakes. But his philosophy was always the same, and he was right all along.
@demosj we typically have far too limited an understanding of technique. Just because you hit every note perfectly does not mean you did not make a mistake. If you hit every single note perfectly, but failed to evoke the emotion intended by the composer, you made the gravest mistake of all.
@Porojukaha Haha, sorry for poorly articulating myself ~ This is the quote I was citing: "I must tell you I take terrible risks. Because my playing is very clear, when I make a mistake you hear it. If you want me to play only the notes without any specific dynamics, I will never make one mistake. Never be afraid to dare."
Not implying that errors are inherent in order to play well
(my browser is messed up if this posted a few times...)
@MrVladimirHorowitz WOOTS! Respect for that. I reckon mistakes ruins the flow for performances and are irritating for the audience...tho....i find a crap interpretation and approach of a piece way more irritating. To me, bad interpretations appeal to me as ugly as mistakes everytime a phrase is executed without musical sense.
@MrVladimirHorowitz Robots are measured by their accuracy... People are by their mistakes. In the end that is what makes us original. what makes us human. A mistake is a step towards new and unexplored...
I think some comments here comparing Gilels to Horowitz are pretty insane. I think people who made them are children who just need to make all the notes for their teacher and don't know anything about what music really is.
I don't think it is fair to compare this with younger pianists. This is an interpretation; if everyone would play this exactly the same, what would make the difference between a robot and an artist? Besides Horowitz being very old, struggeling with mental illness and without a doubt physical illness (the man played for decades) this is STILL a very good interpretation. Remember Rach and Horowitz actually met and knew eachother; what I hear in this version is devotion and respect for Rachmaninov.
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@DonFrankos actually, you need to watch your mouth. I've played this piece hundreds of times, and i know i've played it correctly at least once. you disparagement of Horowitz is contemptible in the extreme. To many video game. grow up. this is a clean as a primate like you'll hear. avoid speaking please of topics you are clearly outgunned in.
get a life and respect art, ignorant gassy supercilious mister I-know-it all, with your fancy sentences.
'watch your mouth'.. who do you think you are mr. wise guy. we are talking about HOROWITZ here, one of the best pianists of the 20th century, how can you be such a grey, dull dick to not simply respect this 78 old man (78!!) playing such a demanding piece after a life-time career in music. I think this is wonderfully played. how low to judge him by only this interpretation.
@DonFrankos i want to add that all are talking as if this was a bad interpretation but actually its one of the most beautiful ones ever even at 78 no difference. and to this guy ur talking about (the one who thinks he's a wise man) i say to him, have u checked lang lang's interpretation. now thats a clown :P:P
Horowitz was born in 1903, which means he was 78 when this was recorded.
I don't know of anyone that old who could play this anywhere near as well as Horowitz does here, nor anyone who could pull this sort of thing off LIVE at this age.
Personally, I prefer Gilels' version, but it would be very unfair to compare the two given Gilels was at the height of his technique and Horowitz was well past his best.
Well, Horowitz is great on this piece, but better is Valentina Lisitsa. As for the age of the pianists, Arthur Rubinsein was older than Horowitz while playing not only this masterpiece of Rachmaninov but the whole lot of other concertos; Chopin's, Tschaykovski's and Beethoven's included.
Have a look at Gawrilow playing this - much prefer it to this, which, when all's said and done, is neither Horowitz's best interpretation nor performance (in my humble opinion!)
@cfwpiano YES, I had heard this back in the 70's by another pianist that was on the Merv Griffin show. I found it hard to believe, but it had to be true! I would have been scared to death that my prized piano could have been damaged!
@webguy21 Zimmerman was unfortunate enough to have TWO Steinway pianos lost while in transit. The first time, some morons at JFK destroyed his piano because there was "suspicious glue" in it. This was right after 9/11. Probably a 100k piano, destroyed for no reason -_-
honestly i'm amazed at all the errors ... not sure what that's about...
wish it was this interpretation without all the wrong notes... prolly his first time playing it in a year or something though so i can let it slide.. :)
Horowitz is allowed as many wrong notes as he likes, he's Horowitz. Even Rachmaninoff's own interpretations are sometimes not as amazing as this lad's.
how can you say that... wrong notes completely butcher the experience... just cause you're a horowitz fanboy doesn't make all his performances perfect... and by the way.. horowitz is my favorite of all... i'm a huge fan but i respect him enough to be honest about a truckload of wrong notes ruining this fantastic interpretation... can you not hear them?
hmm..maybe his mistakes are due to the fact that he's 78 years old at the time of this recording. as for your "letting it slide" im sure no one gives a shit
. yeah.. i get that he's old in this recording... my point still stands that i wish there were no mistakes.. can't you read? and it's not that he's old but that he probably hadn't even seen the notes to this piece for decades ... i've heard recordings of him playing much more difficult pieces at this age perfectly well
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I would not agree because now your saying Rhachmaninov's compositions were to "easy" for Horowitz making Rachmaninov a little composer but he was not. I would say that this is a very challanging composition for Horowitz and he still gets it wrong.
Better a live honest performance with slip-ups than a reassembly of snippets emulating a perfect recording, but lacking the dignity of an original performance.
I think Hofmann's version is in its own league. Most of his recordings were, despite the fact that many (from his prime especially, but even some from when he was an old alky lol) were on piano rolls and much of his phrasing and almost subliminal nuances are lost in translation.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
well i think this is not a good version...he made too much disputable stops in the first part, then the first half of the second part is too confused. a russian pianist told me in this part the left hand must do the agitations and the right is only floating. but the end is still okay. ashkenazys version is the best in my opinion
I'm with you on this comment - Horowitz makes this come alive in a way kissin does not - the piano sounds like a whole orchestra, with so much diversity of tone. It is incredible.
Do any of you morons telling Horowitz how to play this piece realize that he was taught how to play it by Sergei Rachmaninov himself??? I suppose you'd criticize HIS performance of it too, just like the idiot critics of his generaton did. Horowitz & Rachmaninov will prevail. You will be forgotten; they will not!
I like Horowitz because his style is a bit more march like. Gilels's is beautiful, but Horowitz brings the march like quality out. This version right here isn't so great because he was pretty damn old when he played this one.
Интересно, а фотография какого года?
n19ns 1 week ago
Wonderful - (except the big mistake at 4:16), very disappointed.
ImmortalSpecies 2 weeks ago 2
WONDERFUL HOROWITZ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡GOD BLESS¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡
historiadeamor425117 3 weeks ago
so.. powerful..
vcxlll 1 month ago
I cannot skip the ad faster.
doroppulokkupoppu 1 month ago
C'est d'une subtilité poignante... je frémis au jeu d'Horowitz, le meilleur interprète de l'écriture Rachmaninovienne !! Tout simplement magique ..
salome851 1 month ago 4
Wonderful! There are performances of Horowitz, when younger, playing this 1min. faster than he does here.Those versions are incredible, but I think he was mostly showing (off) what he could do.
Here Horowitz makes music. He & Rachmaninoff were friends. He knew what R. was after.
Mdme. Gina Bachauer was for a short time a student of Rach. In this performance Horowitz plays this piece just as she taught me that Rachmaninoff had her play it. --Giles is great too, but this is my favorite.
SunslightAndSong 1 month ago
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corruptNconquer 1 month ago
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corruptNconquer 1 month ago
I could hear the difference from the first 3 seconds... of course no disrespect for the guy from the previous video I watched cause hes like 2 million times a better player than I am but Horowitz... is Horowitz... nuff said, really...
sanglee95 1 month ago
I just saw a video of a guy playing this song and the comments were really good and some even said that was the best rendition of all time. Then I got curious how will Horowitz play this and to be honest, I had a tiniest doubt in mind that Horowitz's rendering will not be much different from the one Id just seen because it was really, really well done. But now I saw the Horowitz version of this song and Im like... that guy is not to be even compared to Horowitz... I was a fxxking idiot...
sanglee95 1 month ago
I just watched
sanglee95 1 month ago
This is a video response to an amateur? Gosh I didn’t think this was a competition. Anyways...
This brings me to tears. The mistakes only add to it’s perfection.. epic chords and changes made to preludium section at 0:34, 042 (triplets) and 048
Rachmaninoffkid 1 month ago
@corruptNconquer:>There are some internet users who spend their time writing nonsense about the art of those who would call the true masters. Vladimir Horowitz and Sviatoslav Richter are the greatest interpreters of Russian authors, especially Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Technique and interpretation to go together and they just do not see it who is deaf in the same nature.The posing a fly on the tip of the nose suckers like you. Marcos Leite, pianist
MsMarcosleite 2 months ago
I stopped counting mistakes after 50. Yet, this is my favorite recording of this piece...
CappnRock 3 months ago
genius
toucanist 3 months ago
I play this in my car to get people to move out of my way.
1234567fswcvtw 4 months ago 2
@1234567fswcvtw Haha, somehow I can imagine myself doing that :D.
ImmortalSpecies 3 months ago
Thank you horowitz and rachmaninov for this beautiful piece.
decemberbenjamin 4 months ago
It's incredible that an elderly man with alcoholism issues could play one of the best renditions of this piece ever, if not the best.
AmazingShoestring 4 months ago
@AmazingShoestring Maybe it's actually the reason why he did so well.
CappnRock 3 months ago
goosebumps! this man is good!
sonicheroin 4 months ago
Awesome, Horowitz!
And Awesome Rachmaninoff too!!!
This is great!! ;)
5ergioRey 5 months ago
Anyone familiar with this piece KNOWS it would take an act of God to not tipple here and there. Ultimately it's one of Rachmaninoff pieces...speaking personally.
aphotog24 5 months ago
I LOVE HIS INTERPRETATION. This is mind-blowing. What expression and lyricism, marked by clarity beyond means. AHHHHHH.
PeacefulStrife 5 months ago
i somehow find this version cute. :P
m213m2 5 months ago
i want an
iPhone*
Just to get
iTunes*
Just to buy this recording
Vladimir Horowitz "Prelude" Opus 23 no. 5 in G minor*
Haamidpianoman 6 months ago
i want an
iPhone*
Just to get
iTunes*
Just to buy this recording
Vladimir Horowitz "Prelude" Opus 23 no. 5 in G minor
Haamidpianoman 6 months ago
I hope most of you actually remenbers that Horowitz had personnal contact with Rachmaninov. The pieces couldn't be more faithful to the man himself.
Anyways, love Horowitz interpretations. :)
xakoviski 6 months ago
My usual response fits here: Do better, record it and then we can talk. In the meantime, enjoy perfection.
kybudman 7 months ago 2
This is the best.Even according to his interpratations this is far deeper .Maybe because of been live idk.But i love this
aeon2805 7 months ago
Horowitz was a genius who played with surreal technique and extraordinary expression and artistry. Only the performances of this prelude by Rachmaninoff, Gilels and Moiseiwitsch can be said to be at VH's level.
All others simply do not even belong in the same conversation. And perfect midi-renditions without soul and musicality are only good for video-game sound.
Respect and love for our Vladimir :-))
Bret6464 7 months ago
I think the minor "mistakes" Horowitz made added the ferocity and intensity of this piece. (which is probably what he intended) :D
pianokd11 7 months ago
horowitz's interpretation is much better than some, like lang lang
supergaybot 7 months ago
Horowitz had horrible-looking technique: his fingers weren't curved, and his hands rolled a bit. But it worked for him: there were few, if any, pianists in the last century who were revered more than Maestro Horowitz .
TomBarrister 1 year ago
Awesome!
ThrashMetalForces 1 year ago
His use of the sustain is brilliant!! Gives it so much densite (if you can say so).
My favorite pianist ever, my idol. I have posters and my background is of him.. He's extraordinary!
SuhmMusic 1 year ago
Truly inspirational. I tried to capture this spirit of romanticism in my own "Symphonic Variations After a Theme of Cesar Franck" for piano & orchestra (here on YT) . Of course I'm no Rachmaninoff but I wish today's composers would write in this vein instead of the computerized nonsense they "assemble", most of which is so rhythmically complex that humans cannot even reproduce it. Sad state of affairs. Rach was truly among the last of the composers that touched people's hearts.
JoeTownley 1 year ago
@JoeTownley Next time you call modern music "computerized nonsense", try to reproduce/create it (not talking about mainstream artists, those are pure shit)
GJMalaquias 1 year ago
I wish today's composers would occasionally write something like this or his concertos. I just finished a composition entitled "Symphonic Variations After a Theme of Cesar Franck" for piano & orchestra that is here on YT. It is written in the romantic style like Rachmaninoff's but I'd be derided by contemporaries and not taken seriously by the public. If only I had a champion like Horowitz but he likely wouldn't even look at it. Oh well, maybe for the best. It's probably not even worth it.
JoeTownley 1 year ago 2
I love that a real, fantastic pianist makes mistakes. It proves that he's human. Although it's barely noticeable :) . To @MrVladimirHorowitz, you're totally true!
jadedkiwi23 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Happy Birthday Horowitz!
October 1, 1903 – November 5, 1989
Intersting true fact: he was Jewish
anyan112 1 year ago
What a master pianist we have in Horowitz! I am also learning how to play this piece and have my interpretation of this video on my site. Please feel free to listen and comment.
piano0011 1 year ago
That applause blew my speakers.
openmindspace 1 year ago 6
@openmindspace - I'm wearing headphones, but realized it was live when I heard some of the missed notes. Thank god he did miss a couple or else I'd be deaf.
Gunz42069 1 year ago
sloppy sounding, but i like the way he plays it. piano is so bright, my piano teacher was one of his students and he said that Horowitz's Steinways were built with extremely light action
jaxumrecords 1 year ago
I like more pedal. Call me horrible or cheap or non-musical... I just like my damned sustain pedal, lol.
OK, and I am just reading comments... Lang Lang haters get over yourselves. I was in your camp, but dude is in his 20s!! Don't compare a virtuosic 20yo pianist to a 60yo, you are talking 40 years of technique and musical experience.
Just be glad we have another Liszt/Horowitz/Richter/Rubinstein around in our time. Listen to him mature, and love every minute of it.
EuphoricDan 1 year ago
@EuphoricDan
You can't compare Lang Lang to Horowitz, Richter, or Rubinstien. They are in a different league.
AsturiasGuitar 1 year ago
@AsturiasGuitar
Your failing to see my point. Most of the videos/recordings of those men are when they were in there 50s+.
You can not compare a mid-twenties Lang Lang with a 65 (or 80) year old Rubinstein. That is what is happening on YouTube and the rest of the world. People have recordings of their favorite pianists (when they were 40 years Lang Lang's senior) and they say "well he isn't as good as this guy".
They aren't in a different league, not at all.
BTW Horowitz, 78 here.
EuphoricDan 1 year ago
@EuphoricDan
I understand that Horowitz was older in this recording. However I also understand that when Richter, Rubinstien, and Horowitz were in their youths (Lang Lang is in his as of right now) their playing was far superior to that of Lang Lang's now.
I was simply stating my opinion......you took it as an invitation to an argument
AsturiasGuitar 1 year ago
@AsturiasGuitar
Richter's Chopin was terrible when he was Lang Lang's age. The reviews of Horowitz' (of which you can find easily) playing when he was young read such that you could swap "Lang Lang" for "Horowitz" and vice versa.
I don't know enough about Rubinstein's young career... But Lang Lang's playing is at least equal to that of an inexperienced Richter/Horowitz.
...Amazing the world with virtuosic bombastic performances and leaving some of the musicality (that comes with age) out.
EuphoricDan 1 year ago
@EuphoricDan
Richter's Chopin? Terrible? How could you say that?!?!? Look up Richter's interpretation of the Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 12, and tell me that's terrible.
And if anyone is bombastic and without musicality, it's Lang Lang.
AsturiasGuitar 1 year ago
@AsturiasGuitar
Is English not your first language? You seemingly aren't understanding any of what I say.
Richter is my favorite pianist of all time. That doesn't change the fact that when he was Lang Lang's age his Chopin was terrible. I have the video of Richter playing "Revolutionary" on my Facebook, no other interpretation is equal.
I was saying (quite clearly) that Lang Lang is the same as a lot of young virtuosos. Not that Richter was a terrible pianist :-/
EuphoricDan 1 year ago
@EuphoricDan
Honestly.....if you could like Lang Lang......it just shows you have bad taste.
AsturiasGuitar 1 year ago
@AsturiasGuitar
Personal much?
Excuse me for bringing up the very obvious fact that young pianists aren't as good as older, more experienced players.
EuphoricDan 1 year ago
@EuphoricDan
True. But I have personally heard young pianists who are students in colleges and universities, who are far superior to Lang Lang.
AsturiasGuitar 1 year ago
probably the best version on youtube
jardevel 1 year ago
I heard him play live as a student and his Rachmaninoff and Scriabin were just out of this world - one of the most memorable concerts of my life
shishirth 1 year ago
The piece is so powerful it makes me cry for joy. Maestro Horowitz always seems to conjoin in whatever piece he is playing so together they feel and flow in ecstasy
Thank you for this film.
aclearthinker 1 year ago
Horowitz looks so peaceful when playing the piano while Lang Lang looks like he's jizzing on the piano. -.-
inamabilisoppa 1 year ago 3
@inamabilisoppa Agreed
zzinin 1 year ago
When Horowitz said "musically" he meant "the sense to know stuff like 3:27 is the right thing to do."
nicklewisatx 1 year ago 2
amazing. just so amazing. it makes me cry with joy that someone could play like this.
chowderandspoon 1 year ago
Love the middle section - so natural and flowing - especially the beginning. And he never loses the 2 voices; most pianists settle for highlighting 1. Not so sure about the outer parts though.
pianofan24 1 year ago
well... I must respect him..... so better if I write no more words..........
reflexpg 1 year ago
LOVE LOVE LOVE
tacadada 1 year ago
Did he have three hands?
forte93 1 year ago 2
@forte93 you dont have to have 3 hands to play this :D
theshjt1 1 year ago
i don't like his execution at all
lara717 1 year ago
wow he did all that and didn't move! haha
bravo!
snoops4ever 1 year ago
I like Gilel's version better, It seems Horowitz bangs a little too much on the low notes, perhaps its just the recording. Horowitz is still the one of the best though!!
thirttenn 1 year ago
holy crap this is a really good version...
bestdirector88 1 year ago
oh wow this is a good version
GreatUnwashedMass 1 year ago
I dont think they do. I think you can figure it out yourself though. If you need help you can PM me.
sagax2005 1 year ago
wow. 70 years of age and still this good. omg. CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP FOR HOROWITZ!!!!!!!!!!
DogzRock88 1 year ago 2
The fact that someone can actually play this amazes me. This is intense :)
wolfzrock101 1 year ago
so measured...it's called mastery.
veeken77 1 year ago
This is BY FAR the best interpretation of this piece that I have heard
toucanist 1 year ago 2
this is one of my pieces, haven't heard horowitz's version before. all i have to say is - holy fuck, he fucking kiiiiiillled it!!!!!! THIS MAN IS GOD!!!
gtankov 1 year ago
i enjoy this however I generally prefer it to be played a tad slower...listen to Rachmaninoff play it himself. Amazing!
loveismydestruction 1 year ago
@loveismydestruction YES! Rachmaninoff playing it himself is the performance! Horowitz comes close, also Gilels. And Richter's and Cziffra's interpretations are also great :D
sammarco02 1 year ago
Sometimes Horowitz changed notes intentionally.
The "wrong notes" sound fantastic.
demosj 1 year ago 4
technical mistakes are the most forgivable ones... take from that what you wish.
Classicmozayful 1 year ago 6
I am not saying he is bad, I've just started to learn playing piano. but seems he made several mistakes.
ldcnlj 1 year ago
I would never have forgiven a pianist for making a mistake on this piece, because I love it so much...until a couple weeks ago, when I started learning it. We can't all have hands the size of Rachmaninoff's. joe69rocket has got it right.
colourfulwithaU 1 year ago
To those who think Horowitz made mistakes.
Actually he didn't. He lived and breathed with any piece ha was playing, music was flowing from his heart and therefore there is no any rule oabout length of notes or stops. If performer is excited then plays faster if he is calm - plays slower. Those who can not adjust themselves to performer's wavelength can not understand the music.
krruger79 1 year ago 4
i must agree with you.
lets listen to this...the curve he mades on the piece with dynamics is perfect....
DecimasCaminantes 1 year ago
amen
locksinfinite 1 year ago
the most important thing: dynamics, not to be a computer
HOROWITZ R.I.P.
rautibo 1 year ago 3
This is a superb performance.
watutman 1 year ago
id much rather here a mistake here or there and have the interpretation CORRECT, than a flawless version of the song being totally butched! aka lang.....
joe69rocket 2 years ago 4
No such thing as a correct interpretation, really.
Though of course I'll cringe as much as the next guy if someone plays this metronomically.
JonMW 1 year ago
MISTAKES ARE FOR HUMANS!
and this performance is very human! Horrowitz was an expressive human!
FaygoAddict 2 years ago 29
@FaygoAddict It's debatable whether Horowitz was a human or not. He was amazing.
lolitaeviston 6 months ago
@FaygoAddict I think that's the way it should be. If you can be perfect, and play expressively, awesome. But music is majorly about expression. Within reason, mistakes don't matter.
BenjyTehJet 6 months ago
Really??? You're totally preoccupied with the minor flaws in his performance. He's completely brilliant at playing, and you're not even noticing because you're too busy pointing out the negative (and very, very, VERY minor) aspects of this. Please...just enjoy the beauty :). I'm sure that's what Horowitz would have wanted. For every mistake you notice, he more than makes up for it with incredible expression and dynamics. How many people could pull that off?
lalala9298 2 years ago 22
I miss you so much, papa....
VLADIMIRHOROWITZJR 2 years ago 4
Mistakes?????? You're joking right? Who cares? This is a live performance he wasn't a machine. Better to have a few mistakes than to miss the expression altogether! I always tell my students this.
pianoqueen22 2 years ago 8
yeah my piano teacher tells me the same thing! even examiners compliment expression in pieces and overlook little slips
nicsevern 1 year ago
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There are too many mistakes in this piece considering his standards !!
This is probably recorded after 1985, he had become alcoholic and was no longer the best.
He has played the same piece like this. which no-one can emulate :-) :
v=_CLYvsX88gU&feature=related
utki17 2 years ago
@utki17
I must tell you I take terrible risks. Because my playing is very clear, when I make a mistake you hear it. If you want me to play only the notes without any specific dynamics, I will never make one mistake. Never be afraid to dare.
sound familiar?
nmbanana 2 years ago
@utki17 1981. Is it so hard to just check the info next to the video ?
PuresMusic 2 years ago
Recorded NOv.1, 1981
runescapeRP 2 years ago
He's always been the best, you fool.
FaygoAddict 2 years ago 2
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I hear mistakes too
doctorwho888 2 years ago
a hear alot of mistakes:(
vkorehov 2 years ago
awesome play!
chiekom77 2 years ago 2
I like this interpretation. It is explosive and very subtle at the same time. Something only Horowitz could do.
Moisa68 2 years ago 2
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Horowitz once said," I can play no wrong notes, but if you want me to play it musically, I will play wrong notes" he lived by this motto all his life. Wrong notes are in no way worse than no musicallity
MrVladimirHorowitz 2 years ago 102
@MrVladimirHorowitz case in point: Lang Lang
sovietsentinel 1 year ago
@MrVladimirHorowitz True that.
snoops4ever 1 year ago
@MrVladimirHorowitz
I'm kind of like this, but because I'm lazy. I think Horowitz sounds a bit naturally lazy. He's just super talented and was worked hard when being raised.
hellomate639 1 year ago
@MrVladimirHorowitz
You're right that wrong notes aren't worse than no musicality. But we CAN have both; look at Lugansky and Richter.
colourfulwithaU 1 year ago
@MrVladimirHorowitz Actually, Horowitz in his youth could claim playing entire concerts without mistakes (or merely a single mistake out of a whole program as Arthur Rubinstein noted in his autobiography). But he never consciously tried to achieve that technical perfectionism - his technique was just that good. When he got older, and he made plenty of mistakes. But his philosophy was always the same, and he was right all along.
demosj 1 year ago 8
@demosj we typically have far too limited an understanding of technique. Just because you hit every note perfectly does not mean you did not make a mistake. If you hit every single note perfectly, but failed to evoke the emotion intended by the composer, you made the gravest mistake of all.
Porojukaha 1 month ago
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@Porojukaha Haha, sorry for poorly articulating myself ~ This is the quote I was citing: "I must tell you I take terrible risks. Because my playing is very clear, when I make a mistake you hear it. If you want me to play only the notes without any specific dynamics, I will never make one mistake. Never be afraid to dare."
Not implying that errors are inherent in order to play well
(my browser is messed up if this posted a few times...)
corruptNconquer 1 month ago
@MrVladimirHorowitz WOOTS! Respect for that. I reckon mistakes ruins the flow for performances and are irritating for the audience...tho....i find a crap interpretation and approach of a piece way more irritating. To me, bad interpretations appeal to me as ugly as mistakes everytime a phrase is executed without musical sense.
KantutJuice 1 year ago
@MrVladimirHorowitz Robots are measured by their accuracy... People are by their mistakes. In the end that is what makes us original. what makes us human. A mistake is a step towards new and unexplored...
01AcidTrash10 1 year ago
I think some comments here comparing Gilels to Horowitz are pretty insane. I think people who made them are children who just need to make all the notes for their teacher and don't know anything about what music really is.
rushwarp 2 years ago 2
does anyone know of any sheet music with pedal release symbols for this song? thanks
Jocklen8 2 years ago
It is better to find for yourself the necessary pedaling.
GeneralKuno 2 years ago 3
I don't think it is fair to compare this with younger pianists. This is an interpretation; if everyone would play this exactly the same, what would make the difference between a robot and an artist? Besides Horowitz being very old, struggeling with mental illness and without a doubt physical illness (the man played for decades) this is STILL a very good interpretation. Remember Rach and Horowitz actually met and knew eachother; what I hear in this version is devotion and respect for Rachmaninov.
DonFrankos 2 years ago 2
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@DonFrankos actually, you need to watch your mouth. I've played this piece hundreds of times, and i know i've played it correctly at least once. you disparagement of Horowitz is contemptible in the extreme. To many video game. grow up. this is a clean as a primate like you'll hear. avoid speaking please of topics you are clearly outgunned in.
tedbohne 2 years ago
get a life and respect art, ignorant gassy supercilious mister I-know-it all, with your fancy sentences.
'watch your mouth'.. who do you think you are mr. wise guy. we are talking about HOROWITZ here, one of the best pianists of the 20th century, how can you be such a grey, dull dick to not simply respect this 78 old man (78!!) playing such a demanding piece after a life-time career in music. I think this is wonderfully played. how low to judge him by only this interpretation.
DonFrankos 2 years ago 6
@DonFrankos i want to add that all are talking as if this was a bad interpretation but actually its one of the most beautiful ones ever even at 78 no difference. and to this guy ur talking about (the one who thinks he's a wise man) i say to him, have u checked lang lang's interpretation. now thats a clown :P:P
develish16 2 years ago 2
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Here's good ole VLAD THE IMPALER OF PIANOS! Well ---God bless him, Horowitz is Horowitz. Hate my comment, i just couldn't resist.
I have to say, this was a unique interpretation though; not as dry as some others.
Katheryne
ProLifeMontanaLass 2 years ago
Horowitz was born in 1903, which means he was 78 when this was recorded.
I don't know of anyone that old who could play this anywhere near as well as Horowitz does here, nor anyone who could pull this sort of thing off LIVE at this age.
Personally, I prefer Gilels' version, but it would be very unfair to compare the two given Gilels was at the height of his technique and Horowitz was well past his best.
friendant72 2 years ago 14
Well, Horowitz is great on this piece, but better is Valentina Lisitsa. As for the age of the pianists, Arthur Rubinsein was older than Horowitz while playing not only this masterpiece of Rachmaninov but the whole lot of other concertos; Chopin's, Tschaykovski's and Beethoven's included.
WitoldBanasik 1 year ago
Have a look at Gawrilow playing this - much prefer it to this, which, when all's said and done, is neither Horowitz's best interpretation nor performance (in my humble opinion!)
markdoogle 2 years ago
Horowitz had spells of depression and alcoholism.
Sometimes this menatal illness handiccaped his playing.
Still a 70 year old Horowitz is better then 99% of professional pianoplayers!
Imagine how he must have sounded when he was 30-40 years younger!!!!
maxhansendk 2 years ago 57
This comment has received too many negative votes show
99%?
Imagine all the great pianists that we DON'T hear about.
His piano here sounds like crap too. Almost like a harpsichord in the bass notes...
cfwpiano 2 years ago
Comment removed
sagax2005 1 year ago
@sagax2005 Umm, Horowitz had his own personal Steinway piano that was brought to every concert he played, at least in the later years.
cfwpiano 1 year ago 2
@cfwpiano YES, I had heard this back in the 70's by another pianist that was on the Merv Griffin show. I found it hard to believe, but it had to be true! I would have been scared to death that my prized piano could have been damaged!
webguy21 1 year ago
@webguy21 Zimmerman was unfortunate enough to have TWO Steinway pianos lost while in transit. The first time, some morons at JFK destroyed his piano because there was "suspicious glue" in it. This was right after 9/11. Probably a 100k piano, destroyed for no reason -_-
cfwpiano 1 year ago
@sagax2005 cjwpiano is correct, Horowitz brought around his own Steinway
jackyry83094 1 year ago
@maxhansendk Well i guess he sounds at 70 years better than 100 percent of the proffesional pianists :)
MaestroBoot 1 year ago
@maxhansendk a recording exist !
4785689 1 year ago
@maxhansendk make 100% of that
meesbroersen 1 year ago
@maxhansendk a recording exist ;)
4785689 1 year ago
personally i like gilels's interpretation much more, but this one isn't bad too, if he didn't make so many mistakes it would be better though
detox997 2 years ago 2
honestly i'm amazed at all the errors ... not sure what that's about...
wish it was this interpretation without all the wrong notes... prolly his first time playing it in a year or something though so i can let it slide.. :)
pinkfloyddwc 2 years ago
Horowitz is allowed as many wrong notes as he likes, he's Horowitz. Even Rachmaninoff's own interpretations are sometimes not as amazing as this lad's.
Giovanni222 2 years ago
how can you say that... wrong notes completely butcher the experience... just cause you're a horowitz fanboy doesn't make all his performances perfect... and by the way.. horowitz is my favorite of all... i'm a huge fan but i respect him enough to be honest about a truckload of wrong notes ruining this fantastic interpretation... can you not hear them?
pinkfloyddwc 2 years ago 3
Of course i can hear them, I just sort of... don't care.
Giovanni222 2 years ago 5
hmm..maybe his mistakes are due to the fact that he's 78 years old at the time of this recording. as for your "letting it slide" im sure no one gives a shit
fatalfuz 2 years ago
. yeah.. i get that he's old in this recording... my point still stands that i wish there were no mistakes.. can't you read? and it's not that he's old but that he probably hadn't even seen the notes to this piece for decades ... i've heard recordings of him playing much more difficult pieces at this age perfectly well
pinkfloyddwc 2 years ago 4
best version of this piece i've ever heard
Milkshake85 2 years ago 5
it seems too easy for horowitz
orchidxbabae24 2 years ago
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I would not agree because now your saying Rhachmaninov's compositions were to "easy" for Horowitz making Rachmaninov a little composer but he was not. I would say that this is a very challanging composition for Horowitz and he still gets it wrong.
ClassicMusicOnly 2 years ago
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ClassicMusicOnly 2 years ago
The flexibility and range of his style is astounding!
TransLorentz 2 years ago
great, but I prefer Gilels on this piece
rpagliari 2 years ago
I agree
cellomaniac14 2 years ago
The piano seems to have its own life, it wants to explode in the forte parts and to relax in the piano parts...
MatteMacPiano 2 years ago 5
A lot of it isn't as good as Gilels interp but I actually think Horowitz plays the slow quiet melodic part better though.
Indra177 2 years ago
The central slow section is super georgeous and one can hear all the inner lines and harmonic movements.
mrmolinodelahoz 2 years ago 4
Better a live honest performance with slip-ups than a reassembly of snippets emulating a perfect recording, but lacking the dignity of an original performance.
midlandsmusiclover 2 years ago 12
i make the exact same mistakes when i play this piece.
YazDawg 2 years ago
horrowitz is crazy - his hands must not be connected to his wrists :0
strawberrylacesluva 2 years ago 8
Before y'all bash this recording too much let's remember that the guy was 77. If I can move without soiling myself at that age I'll be happy.
jusducky 2 years ago 21
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I think Hofmann's version is in its own league. Most of his recordings were, despite the fact that many (from his prime especially, but even some from when he was an old alky lol) were on piano rolls and much of his phrasing and almost subliminal nuances are lost in translation.
BloodyLovin 2 years ago
stop this spam everywhere
pustohod 2 years ago
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well i think this is not a good version...he made too much disputable stops in the first part, then the first half of the second part is too confused. a russian pianist told me in this part the left hand must do the agitations and the right is only floating. but the end is still okay. ashkenazys version is the best in my opinion
Libbert89 2 years ago
wow this is incredible :)
listening first to kissin and then this - horowitz plays it like heaven!
RASH31 2 years ago 3
I'm with you on this comment - Horowitz makes this come alive in a way kissin does not - the piano sounds like a whole orchestra, with so much diversity of tone. It is incredible.
Manxypop 2 years ago
Then listen to Gilels :)
QPer76 2 years ago
kissin played it fast and accurate. and expressionless.
zs1230 2 years ago 5
u morons horowitz was the best pianoist ever u tone death? if u cd actually play piano ud realise
123coxy123 2 years ago
Do any of you morons telling Horowitz how to play this piece realize that he was taught how to play it by Sergei Rachmaninov himself??? I suppose you'd criticize HIS performance of it too, just like the idiot critics of his generaton did. Horowitz & Rachmaninov will prevail. You will be forgotten; they will not!
johnp234 2 years ago 15
Rachmaninov's performances of this piece are not that good in my opinion. Gilels does a better job.
chomskyFTW 2 years ago
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that's right. I also prefer Gilels. A lot of people just prefer Horowitz because he is more popular.
kindin10 2 years ago
hes more popular because hes better (not always the case, but in this case, its true)
ljoekelsoey4 2 years ago 9
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I know, the truth hurts
kindin10 2 years ago
I like Horowitz because his style is a bit more march like. Gilels's is beautiful, but Horowitz brings the march like quality out. This version right here isn't so great because he was pretty damn old when he played this one.
hellomate63