horowitz

The one, the only Vladimir Horowitz.




~0:49 what a beautiful ritardando. At ~1:18, who would've thought to play the first set of rolled chords in the right hand w/o pedal? ~2:28, same thing with the top chords. He had the worst technique known to man, but for some reason none of that comes out in his sound and genius.

I basically stole his interpretation for my Chopin Ballade #1. He makes me ashamed to be a musician. If God was a pianist, he would be Horowitz.

the good old days

Chopin's Ballade #1 at a recital. One of my last performances before hanging up the tuxedo tails in exchange for brains and a basketball jersey. I have to admit it's classic me - wrong notes everywhere but still all about the performance. This piece was my haymaker, my Yamato cannon, my Death Star; I hold it close to my heart. If you get bored, skip to 7:40 for the finale.