Tag: Horowitz

The Vladimir Horowitz Archives – Wikipedia – Facebook

Kiew, September 18, 1903 – New-York, November 5, 1989)

Vladimir Horowitz was born in Kiev, Russian Empire (now the capital of Ukraine). There are unsubstantiated claims that Horowitz was born in Berdychiv (a city near Zhytomyr in Ukraine), but his birth certificate unequivocally states Kiev as his birthplace.

Horowitz was the youngest of four children of Samuil Horowitz and Sophia Bodik, who were assimilated Jews. Samuil was a well-to-do electrical engineer and a distributor of electric motors for German manufacturers. Horowitz was born in 1903, but in order to make him appear too young for military service so as not to risk damaging his hands, his father took a year off his son’s age by claiming he was born in 1904. The 1904 date appeared in many reference works during the pianist’s lifetime.

Horowitz’s uncle Alexander was a pupil and close friend of Alexander Scriabin. When Horowitz was 10, it was arranged for him to play for Scriabin, who told his parents that he was extremely talented.

Horowitz received piano instruction from an early age, initially from his mother, who was herself a pianist. In 1912 he entered the Kiev Conservatory, where he was taught by Vladimir Puchalsky, Sergei Tarnowsky, and Felix Blumenfeld. His first solo recital was in Kharkiv in 1920.

Schumann – Arabesque – Horowitz, Piano

Robert Schumann wrote his Arabesque in C major, Op. 18 in 1839 when he was 29 years old, dedicating it to Frau Majorin Friederike Serre auf Maxen, to whom he …

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Rhapsody

Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 – Horowitz, Piano

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-Flat Major is the sixth work of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies composed by Franz Liszt. This piece was later arranged for orchestra. In its original piano version, it is famous for its very fast octaves in the last part.

Chopin - Ballade No. 3 - Horowitz, Piano

Ballade / Piano / ROMANTIC MUSIC

Chopin – Ballade No. 3 – Vladimir Horowitz, Piano

Chopin’s Ballade No 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47, dating from 1841, is dedicated to Pauline de Noailles. The inspiration for this Ballade by Frédéric Chopin is usually claimed to be Adam Mickiewicz’s poem Undine, also known as Świtezianka.

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Rhapsody

Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 – Horowitz, Piano

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor is the second in a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by composer Franz Liszt, and is by far the most famous of the set. Liszt was strongly influenced by Hungarian folk music, with its unique gypsy scale.

Chopin - Polonaise Heroic No. 6 - Horowitz, Piano

ROMANTIC MUSIC / Piano / Polonaise

Polonaise Héroïque No. 6 (Chopin) – Vladimir Horowitz

The Polonaise No 6 in A-flat major, Op. 53 was called Polonaise Héroïque (heroic) in french) by Frédéric Chopin’s French lover, the writer Georges Sand. This composition is one of Chopin’s most admired and has long been a favorite of the classical piano repertoire.