Vladimir Horowitz plays Balakirev´s Islamey (audio only)

[liszt141]

Is this a different version by chance?

[svenno0007]

0:08 - the beginning was so easy, yet he played a wrong note o.O

[forgottenbooks]

If Horowitz had intended to show off, he would have kept the glissando.

[forgottenbooks]

Absolutey the best performance of the piece. Only after listening to other pianists' performance of this piece will you realize the necessity of Horowitz's edits. He is also the only one who plays the coda without making it devolve into something unrecognizable.

[cuoylyf]

GREAT!

[LordCalvinHastings]

No one plays the coda like Horowitz does. Everyone else, without exception, rushes through the start of the coda, and goes way too slowly at the octaves.

[The55555SSSSS]

perfection..........perfected !

[svenno0007]

@The55555SSSSS that was not perfect - listen to 0:08

[VekiVj]

@svenno0007 I'm sure that one day you will play this piece better then Horowitz -PERFECT

asshole...

[LordCalvinHastings]

@YouAreAllPussies This is his transcription.

[freeqwerqwer]

What akaprinos said is very true. This is an artist w/ a great imagination. He actually made the music sound humorous, whimsical, and fun, as well as impressive

[freeqwerqwer]

What akaprinos said is very true. This is an artist w/ a great imagination.

[anasthasys]

... wonderfully fill the unforgiving minute

with sixty seconds' worth of distance run :)

[maxreger100]

Reading all the comments here is bemusing--especially those who fault Horowitz for being too showy.

If you can't be showy playing Islamey, when can you be?

[roflattheworld]

@maxreger100 Haha, that last comment made my night :)

[newgeorge]

such beautiful cantabile playing!

[The55555SSSSS]

I would have loved to see those fingers!

[mylovelylittleone]

Horowitz'' rendition is the most sophisticated, like a dialogue, caress. When Evgeny plays there's a lot of passion, as if he was wearing his heart out. This is one piece that has SO MUCH coloring that will allow no pianist to hide their "true" colors. It seems like EVERYONE who plays this plays it very differently. Fantasy: lining up all the top pianists and have them all play this one piece sequentially during the whole recital!

[mylovelylittleone]

That's the beauty of mastering an art form; one can artistically recreate the piece while retaining its essential features.

[slavioks]

i like how he takes it slow, how it should be.

[Therachh3]

I like how the audience started applauding before the piece was even over...that's how amazing horowitz is.

[hardybar1]

@YouAreAllPussies 

[mrkwonsony]

Too Pathetic.

[cattleman6420012000]

This is fantastic playing when Horowitz was at his best. Remember this was a live performance. This is a magnificent performance in every way.

[eloisacascio]

Horowitz da 5:30 in poi suona solo le parti che vuole lui...non è giusto.....

[kuma226]

Music cannot valued by the mistake of

pianist. If Horowitz played every part very

clear and no mess, the music would not

excites you and is not interesting.

The art as music, sometimes need what you call "mess." If you want very clear in

every part of music, you should listen to

the computer play of it.

[cirosuperiore]

you r right messes or dissonant notes can be valuable...the success of rock and roll has been exactly the terrible inperfections of the players...

[kuma226]

>demosj

yes. He is not taking fastest tempo.

For instance, his chopin ballade and

sonata#2 performance, there are many

pianists who can play much faster than Horowitz does. Even, Rachmaninoff and

Scriabin...His performance is not slowest but there are many pianists who

could play with much better technique.

And that's what I mean to say.

His performance known as very emotional

and carried away. But he knows that will always excite the audience. I think he is not carried away.

[demosj]

Well of course he doesn't take the fastest tempo. Are you suggesting he should play like Argerich - literally as fast as the fingers can flail?

"Many pianists who could play with much better technique?" Such as? Hofmann or Michelangeli are the only two that come to mind.

Bluntly put, you're wrong. I don't mean it personally, It literally isn't true because it contradicts fact.

[demosj]

Why do you want to play faster than everyone else in the Chopin ballade and sonata no. 2? I've typed too much before I reread this and realized you have no idea about what you're talking about.

First of all, Horowitz holds the record (so to speak) in the presto of the coda of the ballade and final movement of the sonata, so false anyway.

Bluntly, you're wrong. It's not personal, it just contradicts not only fact, but common sense as well.

I bet Simon Barere is your favorite pianist. :)

[meredith218461]

Jaw dropping!. I often think the devil as well as angels resided in those legendary fingers.

[avalanche183]

DAMN! I wonder what the audience's faces looked like at the end of this. My eyes would be HUGE. wow.

[overcus]

totusi pianistii rusi redau an adevar esenta spititului muzicii ruse...interpretarea e geniala!!! horowitz depaseste notiunea de pianism,devenind un adevarat creator al unei supraexistente...Geniu al vremurilor...

[uhartchristian]

its the most delicate version existing if we can talk about delicacy in this piece. Yes Horowitz keeps to be the most intelligent when we speak about interpretation....

his legato gives us the sentiment of being transported into another dimension. its no more a technical battle for speed and acrobacy but he takes us off for a romantic promande into the coutry of phantasy..... he let us listen a fairy tale... not a competion battle piece....

[kuma226]

I don't think he's carried away.. This is what he does everytime. And this tempo isn't too fast. His tempo is always a little bit slower than other virtuoso's. But his emphasis on rythim and typical tone color, or touch make us feel that the music  is very emotional, not like Polini...

[demosj]

Sorry, I'm confused. Are you speaking about Horowitz when you said his tempo was always a little slower than other virtuoso's?

[mikejr41387]

holy hell!

[Shalev15]

This is great but sometimes he gets carried away by his temperament and then it sound more noisy then powerful. Was it Busoni who said "never get caried away by temperament because you loose strength'?

[aschscha]

I prefer Ciani's interpretation

[cattleman6420012000]

To me this is incredibly great. Horowitz had incredible technique; but he never stopped using his great brain. Amazing interpretation and he makes it sound almost easy. So much musical flair. He was so unique !!

[65attila]

Brillaint of course by the master.

[gerryrains]

He makes this impossibly difficult piece seem effortless and musical as few others ever have.

[cerzule]

Such incredible energy and audacity! I love how the audience bursts into applause before he even finishes playing that hair-raising ending.

[cattleman6420012000]

This is an incredible performance.

[driemaaldrommels]

best islamey there is! better then barere even!

[owatson322utube]

Definitely agree. This is the best performance of Islamey there is.

[wsp67326]

I wholly disagree; he obviously arranged this version so it is not the original piece.  Besides that, and I know many people hold Horowitz in high esteem, as do I, he really did not do this very well. In the delicate moments, and the instances where he could bring some beauty (and not just, as others have alluded to, bombastic chord strikes), he did marvelously. Overall, though, it was a mess at least near the end. It's worth hearing because it's Horowitz; it's not the best there is, imho.

[hardybar1]

@wsp67326 Couldn't agree more! Thank you for telling the truth.

[MrElicottero]

@owatson322utube I don't know, I prefer Pogorelić. He makes it sound a bit more oriental, more passionate.

[mrmolinodelahoz]

The monumental Horowitz demonstrates his great wizardry once again.

It´s pretty incredible.

[aguyfromtexas]

In regards to all the people advocating RES:

I listened to his recording, and I was not horribly impressed. He plays is well, but I've heard many better preformances. Perhaps it was just the recording, but I found Horowitz's preformance much better (Of course haha. I love everything Horiwitz).

[Pischnaholic]

Well, of COURSE, but I'm very much afraid that, despite the great imagination, tonal variety and flair for the dramatic presented here, Ivo Pogorelich's Carnegie Hall performance surpasses even this -- but certainly not by much. The interlocking octaves are gratuitous.

There are many masterful versions of this bete noir, but I find RUPERT EGERTON-SMITH's 2007 video from The Boston Competition for Exceptional Amateurs very satisfying, because he performs at as piece of MUSIC not a Circus Stunt.

[BenGabbay]

Holy...jeez. That was crazy. And freaking incredible. Bravo to you, Horowitz!!!!!

[osc824]

se comio una parte en 5:48

[ostrun]

just great!

[demosj]

What specifics does Mr. Egerton-Smith do that you find more musical than Horowitz?

[Pischnaholic]

Listen to Rupert Egerton-Smith and judge for yourself. You'd appreciate Egerton-Smith even MORE, if you took the time to listen to his Gaspard de la Nuit all of which is available here on YouTube.

Horowitz is one of my idols. However, in this he is more of a showman than an artist. His Islamey is a great circus stunt -- a huge bag full of tricks. The gratuitous addition of ascending interlocking octaves at the end alone proves that.

RES finds unexpected threads of lyricism and makes MUSIC.

[rvn10rvn17]

i;ve listened to the ES's version of gaspard de la nuit.. sorry, there are just more satisfying recording than his..

[Pischnaholic]

We all respond differently to everything. That's why there is no ONE standard version of any of these works. That's why new generations of instrumentalists keep trying to achieve even more than the last.

I'm glad you listened to RES. So few have bothered in comparison to the tens of thousands who are drawn to big names only.

Whose Gaspard do you prefer to RES? What's not good in RES's version?

If RES's rendition had been labeled Argerich, I wonder how you would've responded?

Psychology!

[rvn10rvn17]

i still prefer nichelangeli much.. because, in the beginning, i didn't even like gaspard de la nuit, especially the ondine. i thought it made no sense to me.. but after repeatedly listened to it, i started to like it and it was michelangeli's version.. his ondine was just beyond words..

ps: i don;t like martha's version and the others' are just not as good as his..

[aguyfromtexas]

I admire Horowitz greatly for his circus stunts.

[Pischnaholic]

We all do! That was not my point, however. there is more lyricism in Islamey than Horowitz's rendition indicates.

[cctunes]

This is absolutely possessed. I've heard no performance that even comes close, and I've heard every one mentioned. This is insane in its perfection.

[edtskyline]

Berezovsky and Cziffra performance are better.

[Pischnaholic]

Why can't we say that each artist who plays this thing brings something different to it. Certain performances appeal to some people more than others. When you say "better" or "the best," it implies others have weakness, insensitivity, lack of imagination, etc. I don't believe in pitting keyboard giants against one another like gladiators in an arena. Combat to the death is NOT the point of art.

[ReturnOfTheStienway]

Damn. Clapping even before the end??

Only Horowitz.

[demosj]

I have never heard 5:48 played like that. If only we had the video footage. ;-;

[shubus]

This is another Horowitz transcription that the transcribers have not yet caught up with--the sheet music has yet to appear. There is a whole lot of new Horowtiz material added. For the better, if you ask me.

[squishym]

Explosive! That's the best way I could describe it.

[sattvicwarrior]

GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. ABSOLUTE GENIUS.. i cant beleive the comments i read from some of the turds on this site.

Such nobodies with lackuster lives. ..

Not EVEN GOD could play it better than that .

[OrangeSodaKing]

careful, that got John Lennon in trouble.

jk, i believe that horowitz played this absolutely amazing.

[cattleman6420012000]

This is wonderful playing, Horowitz at his best.

[katkula]

The magic of Horowitz is that he leads the melody line very well and points out important countervoices. The rest, well, it can be heard that he just didn't want to practise the difficult jumps in the left hand so he omits them. Also the right hand is simplified in some parts but nevertheless, greatest pianist there has ever been!

[joeisapiano]

Of course! That's the secret, why don't we all do it? It was so easy all along...

[ElPopularVale]

this is horowitz doing whatever the hell he wants with the piece

[fuzzy8balls]

lol typical horowitz I love it even though he cut out several bars

[HumAnimAlien51]

My God, he makes the silent notes on a piece paper become so alive! And then he even seemlessly adds his own! His playing is addictive. He makes stuff I thought I didn't like sound good!

[Pogouldiwitz]

This is the best Islamey on youtube. The others seem to simply be doing technical exercises compared to this most imaginative, colorful performance. Inventiveness always wins out over technique for me.

[ampicob]

Horowitz adds a few flashy improvisations, but Chaloff plays directly from the note sheet. Look at the note sheet and compare...

[Pogouldiwitz]

This doesn't mean that his performance isn't more captivating. Special talents like Horowitz will always be forgiven if they decide to "improvise."

[RabidCh]

Honestly, I think he could've left the changes in the composition out and it'd still be the best to me. The piece just fits Horowitz's style.

[pianofat]

does anyone know what cd this is on THANKS

[lyghdha]

It has never been released.

[bigd36]

Then how do you get it

and how did the poster get it?

[OrangeSodaKing]

hmm. I like Gilel's Islamey a lot too.

[Grigor99]

This performance definitely has the unmistakable Horowitz imprint. Not just in the bravura touches that are added, but in the tonal control. Amazing!

[weikko79]

zOMG! What can you not find on YouTube? I had no idea that Horowitz played "Islamey" (though it seems pretty obvious), let alone that there is a recording in existence of him playing it!

[4c00h]

Hmm.. most versions automatically make me feel like clicking back, this one along with Valentina Lisitsa's version keep me on the page the whole way, it's like they're holding onto me. I wonder why that is.

[akapinos]

That's simple. Horowitz plays with his heart. He doesn't let a few wrong notes dissuade him from bringing out the character of the piece.

[skalkmusix]

exactly

[IAMLISZT]

is this really horowitz? doesnt sound like it...

[keenanonie]

The dry/resonant/accented bass notes, dry/sparkling leggiero passage work, fast octaves, voicing, and, yes, even the wrong notes all point to Horowitz, in my opinion.

[IAMLISZT]

yeah actually youre right, i just never thought hed played this piece

[lazarogeorg]

oh..i think it DOES sound like Horowitz!!!

[weikko79]

Yeah, there are lots of "additional touches" typical of Horowitz.

[lu1think]

A truely great pianist can make a very difficult piece sound easy.... Horowitz.. indeed does so here with this piece

[minor2nd]

The cuts, fistfuls of wrong notes, and bizarre articulations really ruin this piece, and I'm a huge Horowitz fan.

[weikko79]

I don't think they ruin the piece, but I see what you're getting at.

[cattleman6420012000]

It is wonderful to hear this very early recording. I am an enormous fan of Horowitz. Thank you very much for letting us hear this.

[gerryrains]

Herbert,

I agree with you totally.

Gerry