Search - Vladimir Horowitz :: Horowitz Plays Chopin , Vol. 1

Great, but he's greater on other recordings.

Maxim St. Pierre | Pretoria, IL USA | 08/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, this has the two best ballades, numbers 1 and 4, plus my favorite Chopin piece, the barcarolle. The barcarolle is fantastic on this recording. It's really wonderful. Horowitz at his best. The rest is, well... so-so. Vlad is a little sloppy on the fourth ballade especially. He makes some glaring mistakes. It sounds like he was really bored and was winging it through most of the piece. The coda is the highlight of the piece - it sounds demonic as it should. The first ballade is also just ok. But you know, mediocre Horowitz is usually better than first-rate anyone else. I think Rubenstein and Emanuel Ax both have better recordings of the ballades."

RCA's Chopin Horowitz Grab-Bag

Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 09/15/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD reissue contains all of Horowitz's stereo RCA Chopin recordings, along with an early mono item.



Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasy was a Horowitz specialty for many years. He was playing this piece as far back as the 1920s, when few pianists dared to touch such a structurally complex work. His best recording of this piece remains the 1966 version taped live in Carnegie Hall. This can be found on Volume 3 of Sony's complete Horowitz issue. The 1982 version is among the most mannered playing Horowitz ever approved for commercial release. The phrasing and metric pulse sag, and the piece fails to cohere.



Chopin's Ballade in G minor was another piece Horowitz played constantly. Again, his best version of this work can be found elsewhere, including Volumes 3 (1965) and 4 (1968) of the Sony set. The aforementioned problems are also in evidence here. In addition, some of Horowitz's playing is technically sub-par, with an awkward coda that sounds banged.



Horowitz recorded the Barcarolle several times. His 1980 live recording contains the typical Horowitz mannerisms of that period, with an erotically charged coda. The old charmer is present for the "Black Key" Etude, while the C-sharp minor Etude is given rather perfunctory treatment.



Horowitz seemed more at home in Chopin's Ballade No. 4 than he did in the first Ballade. The phrasing, dynamics, and dramatic build up are just so "right" here, that one can scarcely imagine a better performance--even with the occasional minor slip of finger.



The Chopin Waltz combines both--very different--editions of Chopin's text, with perhaps a dash of Horowitz's melancholy.



Also included is a 1945 recording of Chopin's Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise. This is an excellent sampling of the incendiary Chopin Horowitz favored until the 1960s. Relatively unmannered, this is riveting playing.



The sound quality varies, which is understandable considering the range of recordings times and venues. These performances have already received multiple releases on CD. One wishes RCA would do Horowitz's memory a real service--instead of merely exploiting it--and undertake a full Horowitz reissue as they've done for Rubinstein and William Kapell.



"

Mixed review

Brother John | The O.C. | 11/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Two of the disk's main pieces are the first Ballade and the Polonaise-Fantasie. Somehow RCA believed his mannered London performances were the ones to reissue on this package. Too bad, as the other pieces are quite nice. Interestingly his Ballade #4 and Barcarolle are rather similar to his earlier mono RCA recordings (ironically). The Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise is an incredible performance from the mid-40's (which really doesn't fit in the rest of the disk - but certainly worth having!)."