Horowitz as accompanist and chamber music player

Andy Evans

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Oct 21, 2021, 6:42:52 AM10/21/21

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I was a bit surprised to come across Brahms Sonata 3 with Milstein and find Horowitz was "at the piano" as RCA used to say of Heifetz's accompanist(s). (see https://www.casals-classical.com/products/heifetz-beethoven-violin-sonatas-op-12-1-2-rca-wdm-1254-7-45-rpm-x-4)

I had a cursory peep at Horowitz's discography but couldn't see any more chamber works. Were there more?

Horowitz sounded marvellous with Milstein. Yet another unexplored side to his amazing talent, together with all the unrecorded Debussy masterworks.

JohnGavin

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Oct 21, 2021, 6:47:39 AM10/21/21

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Carnegie Hall 100th Anniversary

Tchaikovsky Trio 1st Mvt with Stern and Rostropovich
Rachmaninov- Cello Sonata (slow mvt.) w Rostropovich

HT

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Oct 21, 2021, 8:15:53 AM10/21/21

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Op donderdag 21 oktober 2021 om 12:47:39 UTC+2 schreef JohnGavin:

Didn't Horowitz also accompany Fischer-Dieskau? He was as great an accompanist as a soloist.

Henk

JohnGavin

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Oct 21, 2021, 9:20:23 AM10/21/21

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Yes Henk - how could I forget that. I think it was Schumann’s Dichterliebe

piano4tay

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Oct 22, 2021, 4:27:52 AM10/22/21

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On Thursday, 21 October 2021 at 14:20:23 UTC+1, JohnGavin wrote:
> On Thursday, October 21, 2021 at 8:15:53 AM UTC-4, hvt...@xs4all.nl wrote:
> > Op donderdag 21 oktober 2021 om 12:47:39 UTC+2 schreef JohnGavin:
> > > On Thursday, October 21, 2021 at 6:42:52 AM UTC-4, Andy Evans wrote:
> > > > I was a bit surprised to come across Brahms Sonata 3 with Milstein and find Horowitz was "at the piano" as RCA used to say of Heifetz's accompanist(s). (see https://www.casals-classical.com/products/heifetz-beethoven-violin-sonatas-op-12-1-2-rca-wdm-1254-7-45-rpm-x-4)
> > > >
> > > > I had a cursory peep at Horowitz's discography but couldn't see any more chamber works. Were there more?
> > > >

There's also a private recording of him playing Mozart's K448 with his friend Gitta Gradova in 1950: https://youtu.be/iyvfTmw6R0s

AMN

Chris from Lafayette

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Oct 22, 2021, 3:58:06 PM10/22/21

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I'm far from an unreserved admirer of Horowitz myself, but I LOVE that Brahms Third Sonata with Milstein!

Mark Obert-Thorn

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Oct 24, 2021, 10:02:43 PM10/24/21

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I recall reading a New York Times interview with Horowitz around the time he signed with Deutsche Grammophon in which he said that he was hoping to record the Franck Sonata with Milstein, who at that time was also with DG. A missed opportunity . . .

Mark O-T

drh8h

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Oct 25, 2021, 8:38:37 AM10/25/21

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Interesting, as I don't recall the Franck being in Milstein's repertory. He tended to stick to a limited number of pieces.

DH

piano4tay

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Oct 26, 2021, 12:18:28 AM10/26/21

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On Monday, 25 October 2021 at 13:38:37 UTC+1, drh8h wrote:

> Interesting, as I don't recall the Franck being in Milstein's repertory. He tended to stick to a limited number of pieces.
>
> DH

According to the Horowitz website, the Franck was part of Horowitz's repertory in the 1920s before he left Russia. As Milstein lived in the Horowitz household then, & he and Milstein toured Russia, it's safe to say Milstein was his accompanist & that it was in his repertory. After all, Horowitz too had a very limited (concert) repertory in his later years. I seem to recall (from Milstein's biography?) that the reason that the later recording project never materialised was because they couldn't agree on repertory: Milstein wanted to play 'serious' music (Beethoven), while Horowitz wanted to play Franck & Saint-Saens.

AMN

Chris from Lafayette

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Oct 26, 2021, 3:37:02 PM10/26/21

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On Monday, October 25, 2021 at 9:18:28 PM UTC-7, piano4tay wrote:

. . . I seem to recall (from Milstein's biography?) that the reason that the later recording project never materialised was because they couldn't agree on repertory: Milstein wanted to play 'serious' music (Beethoven), while Horowitz wanted to play Franck & Saint-Saens.
>
> AMN

I think Horowitz had it right!