Vladimir Horowitz was a Russian-born American virtuoso pianist steeped in the Romantic tradition. He was celebrated for his flawless technique and an almost orchestral quality of tone.
Horowitz’s performances of works by Franz Liszt, Sergey Rachmaninoff, Frédéric Chopin, Aleksandr Scriabin, Domenico Scarlatti, and Sergey Prokofiev were admired for their technical precision and dynamic range.
His interpretations of keyboard miniatures, such as Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen (Scenes of Childhood), were noted for their delicacy.
I heard this music by Franz Schubert again today, and I had the sense that it took a lifetime of playing to get the interpretation to this level of perfection.
