Hi Everyone -

I'm out of the country for a couple weeks and out of touch with the
forum so apologies if this has been covered already. I received an
email from a friend telling about 2 events in NY featuring Byron Janis,
former pupil of Horowitz. The first one, March 8th, sounds like we'd
all like to be there - Janis will speak about Horowitz, Toscanini &
Heifetz as part of his 80th birthday celebration. I'd give my right arm
to be present but can't make it.

Are any of you in NY? Both are free and tickets are handed out at the
door the day of the event. Can someone please go and report back to
us?!!! Maybe a tape or transcript too!

For some reason this computer won't allow cutting/pasting, so Google
Bryon Janis Event to get to one of the many links about it.

Hi, all members!

Deutsche Grammophon will release in june this year the last concert of VH's career, in Hamburg, 21-6-1987. Here what I have received yesterday from DG:

CD 477 7558

The link to the Mazurka is

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/html/newsletters/2008/horowitz-in-hamburg.rm

Regards,

Roberto H. Bernet

Wonderful!!! Horowitz diehard fans can finally replace the noisy radio
broadcast with a clear digital recording. I hope DG will add a little
bonus to this release, a few other things residing in the archives.
/Barny

--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "roberto_bernet"
<rhb@...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi, all members!
>
> Deutsche Grammophon will release in june this year the last concert of
> VH's career, in Hamburg, 21-6-1987. Here what I have received yesterday
> from DG:
>   [Horowitz in Hamburg]
> <http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/horowitz-in-hamburg>
> CD 477 7558
>
>
> Horowitz in Hamburg
> The Last Concert
>
>
> Dear DG Yellow News Subscribers,
>
> On 21 June 1987, before an ecstatic audience in Hamburg's Musikhalle,
> 83-year-old Vladimir Horowitz gave the last concert of a career that
> stretched over nearly seven decades. The recital was taped by North
> German Radio (NDR) and lay in their archives virtually untouched for
> more than 20 years. It is now being released in its entirety on Deutsche
> Grammophon for the first time. The album is due for international
> release in June 2008.
>
> Listen to a full track of Horowitz in Hamburg: Chopin's Mazurka in B
> minor, op. 33 no. 4
>
<http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/html/newsletters/2008/horowitz-in-ham\
> burg.rm> .
>
> Your Deutsche Grammophon Web Team
> www.deutschegrammophon.com <http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/>
>
> The link to the Mazurka is
>
>
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/html/newsletters/2008/horowitz-in-hamb\
> urg.rm
>
<http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/html/newsletters/2008/horowitz-in-ham\
> burg.rm>
>
> Regards,
>
> Roberto H. Bernet
>

Alexander Grynyuk (winner of the Horowitz competition in Kiew) plays a
version of Carmen that is to the 1928 version.
see his website: http://www.grynyuk.com/


--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "Michael R.Brown"
<foosi@...> wrote:
>
> At 12:42 PM 2/26/2008, henry wrote:
>
>  >
>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq\
_XMtCA

>
>
> that would be 1926, for welte & sons. intriguing early sample of the
> very young horowitz!
>

won't play on my computer - what software is required to hear these
audio clips?

joe salerno


barny0948 wrote:
>
>
> Alexander Grynyuk (winner of the Horowitz competition in Kiew) plays a
> version of Carmen that is to the 1928 version.
> see his website: http://www.grynyuk.com/ <http://www.grynyuk.com/>
>
> --- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:the_horowitz_experience%40yahoogroups.com>, "Michael R.Brown"
> <foosi@...> wrote:
>  >
>  > At 12:42 PM 2/26/2008, henry wrote:
>  >
>  > >
>  >
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA
>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92I\
q_XMtCA
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA>
>
>  >
>  >
>  > that would be 1926, for welte & sons. intriguing early sample of the
>  > very young horowitz!
>  >
>
>

I do use Firefox in fact....

joe salerno

Derek Oppen wrote:
>
>
> Works fine on mine. Switch to Firefox, far superior to Internet Explorer....
>
> This guy is a major talent. As is Valeri Kuleshev who made a great
> recording of Horowitz transcriptions and original pieces for piano for
> BIS. I still prefer Horowitz' own versions, but not a bad
> digitally-recorded version for those who prefer DDD to analogue.
>
> On Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 8:39 PM, joe@...
> <mailto:joe@...> <jsalerno@...
> <mailto:jsalerno@...>> wrote:
>
>     won't play on my computer - what software is required to hear these
>     audio clips?
>
>     joe salerno
>
>     barny0948 wrote:
>      >
>      >
>      > Alexander Grynyuk (winner of the Horowitz competition in Kiew)
>     plays a
>      > version of Carmen that is to the 1928 version.
>      > see his website: http://www.grynyuk.com/
>     <http://www.grynyuk.com/> <http://www.grynyuk.com/
>     <http://www.grynyuk.com/>>
>      >
>      > --- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com
>     <mailto:the_horowitz_experience%40yahoogroups.com>
>      > <mailto:the_horowitz_experience%40yahoogroups.com
>     <mailto:the_horowitz_experience%40yahoogroups.com>>, "Michael R.Brown"
>      > <foosi@...> wrote:
>      > >
>      > > At 12:42 PM 2/26/2008, henry wrote:
>      > >
>      > > >
>      > >
>      > <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA
>     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA>
>      > <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA
>    
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA>>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92\
Iq_XMtCA
>     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA>
>      > <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA
>     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c92Iq_XMtCA>>
>      >
>      > >
>      > >
>      > > that would be 1926, for welte & sons. intriguing early sample
>     of the
>      > > very young horowitz!
>      > >
>      >
>      >
>
>
>

At 06:59 PM 3/13/2008, Derek wrote:

  > [Alexei Grynyuk] is a major talent.

i first heard him a few years in a scrambled mp3 of the "carmen
variations" from a russian competition. he definitely was trying to
out-horowitz horowitz - he mostly failed, but there were indications
of major neurological abilities as far as handling differentiated
data-bits in small time-increments. he's gone on in his project, i'd
say, and is attempting to storm the record books for octave velocity.

Alexei Grynyuk - snip - liszt HR6 Octave Unleash -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kv6v8Boh94 - some thrilling moments

Alexei Grynyuk - snip - Octaves Unleash (liszt sonata) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xjiIlc5VRI - some unique
intoxications, but booboos many, and interpretation (even counting)
off in places

Alexei Grynyuk - snip - Scarlatti/Tausig Capriccio -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8lQsV1jgV8- too fast, too loud, but
indications of developing real jeu perle

based on these little snips i think grynyuk could be one of the
greats technically, perhaps interpretively too, if he learns to focus
- also sublimate his technical striving into a total emotional effect.

[ i've said in the youtube comments that he could probably manage the
dreyshock revolutionary-in-octaves - he should reconstruct it. ]

complete pieces, too, here:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Grynyuk&search=tag

Mr. Janis did favor us with a little playing,
including a beautifully liquid opening of the
Piano Concerto No. 4 of Beethoven, following this
charming musicality with the comments of
Toscanini, who hated his approach and said so.
The teenager, however, did not suffer the
maestro's wrath for long, as Toscanini quickly
pointed out that "Serkin plays it that way too!"

Talk centered around Mr. Janis's years in
Hollywood ­ his wife is the daughter of Gary
Cooper ­ and the amazing expatriate community of
musicians living there in the 1940s. Thus we
heard that Gregor Piatigorsky was always late
because he only turned his automobile to the
right. It was a great time to be an aspirant and
to learn from such artists as Emanuel Feuermann,
Heifetz, Toscha Seidel, Igor Stravinsky, and, of
course, Oscar Levant, a veritable fountain of
idiosyncratic stories. Mr. Janis praised the
teaching methods of Horowitz, which were
unconventional in their detachment but extremely
effective. He marveled at the special action of
the great man's pianos, the keys returning to
position faster than a normal Steinway, but
difficult to handle for a mere mortal. The entire
experience was moving, but also bittersweet. Like
Byron Janis's career as a whole, the afternoon
contained too little of his magnificent playing and then was over.

- http://www.nysun.com/article/72597?page_no=2

The keyboard was sent to Wells, Maine, to be restored by Russell
Grethe, who has done ivory restoration work for Vladimir Horowitz and
Henry Kissinger.

-
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/punews/local_story_021093848?keyword=topstory+pag\
e=2

... how he played for Vladimir Horowitz when he was 14 years old, and
how to make a crescendo on a single chord.

-
http://missourimta.org/momusicnews/2008/01/barenboim-talks-about-playing-for.php

[Walter Ponce] came to the United States at age 17 on a Fulbright
grant, receiving a Master's and doctorate from The Juilliard School,
where he was one of three students chosen to study with Vladimir
Horowitz. Ponce is now professor and head of the piano area at UCLA.

- http://www.evliving.com/events.php?action=fullnews&id=9247

Dieckow, who's originally from Texas, said he knew from a young age
that he wanted to be a pianist. He studied under Dalies Frantz at the
University of Texas and then with Olga Stroumillo, assistant to
Vladimir Horowitz, in New York City. His favorite is romantic period
music, pieces by Beethoven and Chopin. He's given four solo recitals
at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, but now dedicates his life to teaching.

- http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/2008/01/download_file.html

I didn't hear a thing that suggests he interprets a single note,
personally. Impressive speed but I couldn't say a single positive
thing beyond that. He is clueless about Horowitz's sound.

Andrew

>  > [Alexei Grynyuk] is a major talent.
>
> i first heard him a few years in a scrambled mp3 of the "carmen
> variations" from a russian competition. he definitely was trying
to
> out-horowitz horowitz - he mostly failed, but there were
indications
> of major neurological abilities as far as handling differentiated
> data-bits in small time-increments. he's gone on in his project,
i'd
> say, and is attempting to storm the record books for octave
velocity.
>
> Alexei Grynyuk - snip - liszt HR6 Octave Unleash -
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kv6v8Boh94 - some thrilling moments
>
> Alexei Grynyuk - snip - Octaves Unleash (liszt sonata) -
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xjiIlc5VRI - some unique
> intoxications, but booboos many, and interpretation (even
counting)
> off in places
>
> Alexei Grynyuk - snip - Scarlatti/Tausig Capriccio -
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8lQsV1jgV8- too fast, too loud,
but
> indications of developing real jeu perle
>
> based on these little snips i think grynyuk could be one of the
> greats technically, perhaps interpretively too, if he learns to
focus
> - also sublimate his technical striving into a total emotional
effect.
>
> [ i've said in the youtube comments that he could probably manage
the
> dreyshock revolutionary-in-octaves - he should reconstruct it. ]
>
> complete pieces, too, here:
> http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Grynyuk&search=tag
>

We know that Horowitz has five pianos, and his CD503 is the one he took
on tours in his late years (including the Moscow recital, of course).
I wonder, however, what has happened to his CD186, the one he hand-
picked for his '65 historic return.

I read in Plaskin's book that 'Since 1940, he had been playing the same
instrument, which he now thought sounded too strident, and he chose in
its place the concert gracd CD186---"more mellow, more like the human
voice."' (p.339)

Does anyone have any idea if this piano he had been playing since 1940
the CD503?  And why he stopped playing CD186 if it is "more mellow"
and "more like the human voice", but instead get a new piano for his
home use in his late years?

CD 186 began having problems in 1972, mostly related to the action.
According to the Plaskin biography, it became so bad that Horowitz
erupted into a temper tantrum during a recording session, rose from
the bench, and swung his fist against the prop stick, causing the lid
to fall down, nearly deafening Columbia's engineers.

CD 186 was retired from Horowitz's use.  Steinway's techs repaired it
the best they could.  The piano was re-numbered, and then sold.

--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "henryvhfan"
<henryvhfan@...> wrote:
>
> We know that Horowitz has five pianos, and his CD503 is the one he
took
> on tours in his late years (including the Moscow recital, of
course).
> I wonder, however, what has happened to his CD186, the one he hand-
> picked for his '65 historic return.
>
> I read in Plaskin's book that 'Since 1940, he had been playing the
same
> instrument, which he now thought sounded too strident, and he chose
in
> its place the concert gracd CD186---"more mellow, more like the
human
> voice."' (p.339)
>
> Does anyone have any idea if this piano he had been playing since
1940
> the CD503?  And why he stopped playing CD186 if it is "more mellow"
> and "more like the human voice", but instead get a new piano for
his
> home use in his late years?
>

Dear henryvhfan:

The trivia-page of the valuable site "The Vladimir Horowitz Website"
offers a brief but clear information about VH's pianos. See:
http://web.telia.com/~u85420275/trivia.htm

Regards,

Roberto


--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "henryvhfan"
<henryvhfan@...> wrote:
>
> We know that Horowitz has five pianos, and his CD503 is the one he
took
> on tours in his late years (including the Moscow recital, of
course).
> I wonder, however, what has happened to his CD186, the one he hand-
> picked for his '65 historic return.
>
> I read in Plaskin's book that 'Since 1940, he had been playing the
same
> instrument, which he now thought sounded too strident, and he chose
in
> its place the concert gracd CD186---"more mellow, more like the
human
> voice."' (p.339)
>
> Does anyone have any idea if this piano he had been playing since
1940
> the CD503?  And why he stopped playing CD186 if it is "more mellow"
> and "more like the human voice", but instead get a new piano for
his
> home use in his late years?
>

Wasn't Lang Lang using one of them?

http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm9-5/Lang-Lang-en.htm

********Val

--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "roberto_bernet"
<rhb@...> wrote:
>
> Dear henryvhfan:
>
> The trivia-page of the valuable site "The Vladimir Horowitz
Website"
> offers a brief but clear information about VH's pianos. See:
> http://web.telia.com/~u85420275/trivia.htm
>
> Regards,
>
> Roberto
>
>
> --- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "henryvhfan"
> <henryvhfan@> wrote:
> >
> > We know that Horowitz has five pianos, and his CD503 is the one
he
> took
> > on tours in his late years (including the Moscow recital, of
> course).
> > I wonder, however, what has happened to his CD186, the one he
hand-
> > picked for his '65 historic return.
> >
> > I read in Plaskin's book that 'Since 1940, he had been playing
the
> same
> > instrument, which he now thought sounded too strident, and he
chose
> in
> > its place the concert gracd CD186---"more mellow, more like the
> human
> > voice."' (p.339)
> >
> > Does anyone have any idea if this piano he had been playing since
> 1940
> > the CD503?  And why he stopped playing CD186 if it is "more
mellow"
> > and "more like the human voice", but instead get a new piano for
> his
> > home use in his late years?
> >
>

CD 186 began having problems in 1972, mostly related to the action.
According to the Plaskin biography, it became so bad that Horowitz
erupted into a temper tantrum during a recording session, rose from
the bench, and swung his fist against the prop stick, causing the lid
to fall down, nearly deafening Columbia's engineers.

CD 186 was retired from Horowitz's use. Steinway's techs repaired it
the best they could. The piano was re-numbered, and then sold.

--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "henryvhfan"
<henryvhfan@...> wrote:
>
> We know that Horowitz has five pianos, and his CD503 is the one he
took
> on tours in his late years (including the Moscow recital, of
course).
> I wonder, however, what has happened to his CD186, the one he hand-
> picked for his '65 historic return.
>
> I read in Plaskin's book that 'Since 1940, he had been playing the
same
> instrument, which he now thought sounded too strident, and he chose
in
> its place the concert gracd CD186---"more mellow, more like the
human
> voice."' (p.339)
>
> Does anyone have any idea if this piano he had been playing since
1940
> the CD503? And why he stopped playing CD186 if it is "more mellow"
> and "more like the human voice", but instead get a new piano for
his
> home use in his late years?
>

--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "virtuosafatale"
<LaVirtuosa@...>
wrote:
>
> Wasn't Lang Lang using one of them?
>
> http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm9-5/Lang-Lang-en.htm
>
> ********Val
>
Curious: I wonder where he got it?

I recall in the mid 1980's that Steinway's in London had on sale the piano
Horowitz played
when he came to the Festival hall in 1951. It had a small metal plate screwed to
the case
with H's signature engraved on it - they wanted £25k for it at the time, I seem
to recall. I
don't know who eventually bought it - I played it and found it to be not
characteristic of
H's brightly toned pianos of the era, and of which i was enamoured at the time.
Rather
lifeless, in fact, and I suspect that it had seen a lot of playing by a lot of
pianists since
1951.

Perhaps this is what LL bought, or does anyone know if Steinway's/USA have sold
off any
of H's more recent American pianos?

Mark

--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "virtuosafatale" <LaVirtuosa@...>
wrote:
>
> Wasn't Lang Lang using one of them?
>
> http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm9-5/Lang-Lang-en.htm
>
> ********Val
>
Curious: I wonder where he got it?

I recall in the mid 1980's that Steinway's in London had on sale the piano Horowitz played
when he came to the Festival hall in 1951. It had a small metal plate screwed to the case
with H's signature engraved on it - they wanted £25k for it at the time, I seem to recall. I
don't know who eventually bought it - I played it and found it to be not characteristic of
H's brightly toned pianos of the era, and of which i was enamoured at the time. Rather
lifeless, in fact, and I suspect that it had seen a lot of playing by a lot of pianists since
1951.

Perhaps this is what LL bought, or does anyone know if Steinway's/USA have sold off any
of H's more recent American pianos?

Mark

I seem to remember reading several years ago that the H piano that Lang Lang had in his place was on loan to him from Steinway.

Mark <mark@thepiano.co.uk> wrote:

--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "virtuosafatale" <LaVirtuosa@...>
wrote:
>
> Wasn't Lang Lang using one of them?
>
> http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm9-5/Lang-Lang-en.htm
>
> ********Val
>
Curious: I wonder where he got it?

I recall in the mid 1980's that Steinway's in London had on sale the piano Horowitz played
when he came to the Festival hall in 1951. It had a small metal plate screwed to the case
with H's signature engraved on it - they wanted ?5k for it at the time, I seem to recall. I
don't know who eventually bought it - I played it and found it to be not characteristic of
H's brightly toned pianos of the era, and of which i was enamoured at the time. Rather
lifeless, in fact, and I suspect that it had seen a lot of playing by a lot of pianists since
1951.

Perhaps this is what LL bought, or does anyone know if Steinway's/USA have sold off any
of H's more recent American pianos?

Mark

---

Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.

http://suezennefordhamchamberjazz.blogspot.com/2008/03/wednesday-march-26-2008-s\
fcjla-to.html

in case anyone is interested...

joe salerno

I was thinking the other day about all the things that shape and
change musicality as one goes through life.  I don't think I've ever
seen anything about this related to VH, but it's pretty common among
older people, especially if they've played piano all their lives, to
suffer some degree of hearing loss.  Does anyone know if VH ever
sustained any occupational and/or age-related reduction of hearing,
and if so, how this may have affected his musical approach, in
particular since he was very concerned with piano voicing and sound?

Why would playing the piano cause a hearing loss?

joe salerno


Tom Stieber wrote:
>
>
> I was thinking the other day about all the things that shape and
> change musicality as one goes through life. I don't think I've ever
> seen anything about this related to VH, but it's pretty common among
> older people, especially if they've played piano all their lives, to
> suffer some degree of hearing loss. Does anyone know if VH ever
> sustained any occupational and/or age-related reduction of hearing,
> and if so, how this may have affected his musical approach, in
> particular since he was very concerned with piano voicing and sound?
>
>

Why would playing the piano cause a hearing loss?

joe salerno

Tom Stieber wrote:
>
>
> I was thinking the other day about all the things that shape and
> change musicality as one goes through life. I don't think I've ever
> seen anything about this related to VH, but it's pretty common among
> older people, especially if they've played piano all their lives, to
> suffer some degree of hearing loss. Does anyone know if VH ever
> sustained any occupational and/or age-related reduction of hearing,
> and if so, how this may have affected his musical approach, in
> particular since he was very concerned with piano voicing and sound?
>
>

--- In the_horowitz_experience@yahoogroups.com, "Tom Stieber" <tomstieber@...>
wrote:
>
> I was thinking the other day about all the things that shape and
> change musicality as one goes through life.  I don't think I've ever
> seen anything about this related to VH, but it's pretty common among
> older people, especially if they've played piano all their lives, to
> suffer some degree of hearing loss.  Does anyone know if VH ever
> sustained any occupational and/or age-related reduction of hearing,
> and if so, how this may have affected his musical approach, in
> particular since he was very concerned with piano voicing and sound?
>

Nothing apparent in H's evolved 'musical approach' could be accounted for by any
form of
hearing loss, in my opinion - his sensitivity to voicing and sound, in
particular,  seem
undiminished right up to his final recordings.... Someone going deaf might be
expected to
play louder (e.g. Beethoven) - which H certainly didn't - and we know that
Richter had to use
the score while playing in his later years due to his particular hearing
problem..

Mark