Sony Music Entertainment presents Vladimir Horowitz Live at
Carnegie Hall, a deluxe CD edition that gathers together the
complete RCA and Columbia recitals that the legendary pianist
recorded live at Carnegie Hall between 1951 and 1978 – including
eight previously unreleased complete concerts, as well as 48
works in previously unreleased s – all on 41 CDs and a
DVD.
The first part of the set (CDs 1–37) consists of entire
programs, including three previously unreleased concerts taken
from the Horowitz Private Collection of his recorded performances
at Carnegie Hall and four previously unreleased complete recitals
from the RCA and Columbia archives, adding the Brahms Rhapsody in
E-flat major, Op. 119 No. 4 and Debussy’s The Little Shepherd to
Horowitz’s discography. Another seven recitals will be presented
here at full length for the very first time, thanks to the
addition of 48 works in previously unreleased s. All of
the recitals have been painstakingly assembled and restored from
the original source materials, and are presented exactly as they
were performed, with all musical selections intact. In
particular, the 1951–53 and 1965–68 concerts, as well as the
November 16 & 23, 1975 recitals, are now all presented musically
unedited. These programs cover almost Horowitz’s entire career at
RCA and Columbia, and include such milestones as the historic
April 25, 1943 Tchaikovsky First Concerto with Toscanini and the
NBC Symphony Orchestra (given in aid of US troops in World War
II), the February 25, 1953 concert marking the 25th anniversary
of his American debut (including three previously unreleased
selections), the May 9, 1965 “Historic Return” marking his first
recital after a 12-year absence, the “Concert of the Century” of
May 18, 1976 marking Carnegie Hall’s 85th anniversary, and the
“Golden Jubilee Concert” of January 8, 1978 celebrating the 50th
anniversary of Horowitz’s American debut with Rachmaninoff’s
Third Concerto.
The second part of the set (CDs 38–41) continues the story of
Horowitz’s “Private Collection.” Starting in 1945, Horowitz
engaged the Carnegie Hall Company to record all his
solo recitals at that venue. He discontinued this practice after
1950, when RCA began his concerts there. In 1986
Horowitz donated these s to Yale University. After his
death in 1989, RCA launched a “Private Collection” series with
individual selections chosen for release by virtue of their
historical significance within the context of Horowitz’s career,
as well as works that he did not commercially record, such as
Chopin’s F minor Fantasy, Liszt’s Légende No.2, Kabelevsky’s
Second Sonata, and Balakirev’s Islamey.
The third part of the set (the DVD) consists of the first ever
release of the famous TV concert “Horowitz on Television”. The
CBS Television Network originally aired this program on Sunday,
September 22, 1968, allowing a worldwide audience to experience
Horowitz’s artistry with their very own eyes for the first time
in decades. It was rebroadcast on Christmas Day that year, after
which it remained unavailable for 45 years, until now. In
addition, the CD version of the broadcast not only contains the
original “soundtrack” but also the full program in alternate
takes.
Since Horowitz accurately cled that he never played any piece
the same way twice, piano-lovers now have the rtunity to hear
multiple performances of certain works, and to compare how
Horowitz responds to different audiences on different days with
variations in nuance, tone color, touch, dynamics, tempo,
phrasing, and pedaling.
This deluxe edition is accompanied by a hardcover book with an
introduction by Jed Distler profiling Horowitz and his special
relationship with Carnegie Hall, a brief history of Carnegie
Hall, an introduction to the previously unreleased s
from Horowitz’s Private Collection, and facsimiles of concert
flyers and tickets, as well as comprehensive track listings and
historic photographs.
Contents: DISC 1 April 25, 1943, Carnegie Hall, (live)
DISC 2/3 January 17, 1949, Carnegie Hall, (live) – includes 11
previously unreleased recorded works
DISC 4/5 February 21, 1949, Carnegie Hall, (live) – previously
unreleased except for 1 work
DISC 6/7 March 20, 1950, Carnegie Hall, (live) – includes 13
previously unreleased recorded works
DISC 8/9 March 5, 1951, Carnegie Hall, (live)
DISC 10/11 April 23, 1951, Carnegie Hall, (live) - includes 4
previously unreleased recorded works
DISC 12 January 12, 1953, Carnegie Hall, (live) – previously
unreleased
DISC 13/14 February 25, 1953, Carnegie Hall, (live) – includes 3
previously unreleased recorded works
DISC 15/16 May 9, 1965, Carnegie Hall, (live)
DISC 17/18 April 17, 1966, Carnegie Hall, (live) – includes 6
previously unreleased recorded works
DISC 19/20 November 27, 1966, Carnegie Hall, (live) – includes 8
previously unreleased recorded works
DISC 21/22 December 10, 1966, Carnegie Hall, (live) – includes 8
previously unreleased recorded works
DISC 23/24 November 26, 1967, Carnegie Hall, (live) – includes
14 previously unreleased recorded works
DISC 25 January 2, 1968, Carnegie Hall, (live, invited audience)
- previously unreleased
DISC 26 February 1, 1968, Carnegie Hall, (live, invited
audience)
DISC 27/28 November 24, 1968, Carnegie Hall, (live) - previously
unreleased
DISC 29/30 December 15, 1968, Carnegie Hall, (live) - includes 5
previously unreleased recorded works
DISC 31/32 November 16, 1975, Carnegie Hall, (live)
DISC 33/34 November 23, 1975, Carnegie Hall, (live) - previously
unreleased except for 1 work
DISC 35/36 May 18, 1976, Carnegie Hall, (live)
DISC 37 January 8, 1978, Carnegie Hall, (live)
DISC 38 Horowitz’ “Private Collection” of Carnegie Hall live
s 1945-1946 – Compilation
DISC 39 Horowitz’ “Private Collection” 1947– Compilation
DISC 40 Horowitz’ “Private Collection” 1948– Compilation
DISC 41 Horowitz’ “Private Collection” 1949-1960– Compilation
DVD January 2 and/or February 1, 1968: Horowitz on Television –
previously unreleased