Horowitz plays Scriabin Sonata No. 10 Opus 70 (b)

[sdweaver2008]

That very last note - the low, unexpected one, just before the applause, amazes me. The brilliance of Scriabin, and the unparalleled insight Horowitz has with this music. No pianist knew better how to end a piece - one frequently hears the audience gasp.

[demosj]

I love the applause, even though it was cut off. At first it's tentative as the audience grapples with what they've heard, and then steadily builds until it's identical to a response to Horowitz playing the Star and Stripes Forever in the 1940s.

He said that he liked that kind of applause most, the one that begins with silence, because that meant he succeeded with the piece.