Pianist Vladimir Horowitz was born on October 1, 1903, in Kiev, Ukraine. His mother, a pianist herself, provided him with piano lessons at an early age—marking the start of his lifelong love of the piano.
Horowitz enrolled at the Kiev Conservatory in 1912. He studied there until 1919, and upon graduation, performed the Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 by Sergei Rachmaninov.
Many years later Horowitz left the Soviet Union, and he ultimately came to the US. After a distinguished performance career, what followed was an extensive period where Horowitz did not perform at all.
Vladimir Horowitz ended a twelve-year absence from the concert stage in May, 1965, with a Carnegie Hall recital that included Schumann’s Fantasy and various works by Scriabin and Chopin. The performance earned great acclaim, and the subsequent recording of that concert proved immensely successful.
Horowitz died on November 5, 1989, in New York City. He was 86 years old.
Here is Mr. Horowitz playing Chopin in Vienna:
