Sony Classical Releases Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966-1983

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- After the overwhelming success of Vladimir Horowitz Live at Carnegie Hall, Sony Classical presents Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966–1983. Available October 23, this 50-CD edition takes you on tour with the legendary pianist from his home town of New York to the great halls of the USA, from New Haven to Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston and beyond. This special collector's set features 13 programs recorded at 25 solo recitals in 14 different concert halls. It comprises the complete live recordings made by Columbia Masterworks between 1966 and 1968, as well as the live recordings made by RCA Red Seal between 1975 and 1983. While a few extracts from these live recordings were selected for release as award-winning albums, the vast majority rested untouched in secure storage and has remained unreleased for more than 30 years – until today. This new edition presents Vladimir Horowitz's musical artistry, live and unedited in state-of-the-art mastering.

The set contains an essay by Horowitz collector and scholar Bernard Horowitz (Horowitz: The Penultimate Chapter) and an interview with Horowitz's longtime producer Thomas Frost (both also in German and French translations), a selection of original program notes, reproductions of rare documents (for example, the standard checklist issued to promoters of a Horowitz recital), and complete recording data.

The repertoire also includes works new to Horowitz's discography by composers for whom he had a strong affinity and understanding: Schumann's Carnaval op. 9, Chopin's Étude op. 25 no. 10 ("Octave") and Scriabin's Prélude for the Left Hand Alone op. 9 no. 1.

2015 marks a half-century since Vladimir Horowitz's return to the concert stage on May 9, 1965 after a twelve-year absence, reaffirming his status as an iconic pianist who mesmerized audiences and fellow musicians alike throughout his long and turbulent career.

Every time Horowitz walked on stage, a palpable sense of anticipation and excitement filled the air. His singular virtuosity, bottomless palette of colors and nuances, and ability to gauge the acoustics of a hall for maximum impact created a communicative bond between himself and his public that made every performance unique from moment to moment, and he never played a piece the same way twice. Whenever possible, Columbia and RCA taped Horowitz in concert. The recordings provided the basis for commercial releases approved by the pianist during his lifetime. These recitals have now been painstakingly restored to their complete, unedited state from the best possible source material. Most of the original tapes were stored, untouched in Sony's Iron Mountain archives, and sound as vibrant and lifelike as they did to those lucky audience members fortunate enough to be present.

The collection commences with nine 1966–1968 recitals recorded by Columbia in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C. and on the Yale University, Queens College and Brooklyn College campuses.

Horowitz returned to RCA in 1975, and began his most extensive touring since the early 1950s. Between 1975 and 1983 RCA's recording team followed the pianist across the United States and to the UK.

For the price of a highly coveted Horowitz recital ticket, one can travel back in time to follow the pianist on tour through some of the best concert venues in the United States and experience his constantly evolving interpretations in spontaneous flight, without a safety net, and always played from the heart.

Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait, Masterworks Broadway and Flying Buddha imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com. 

Media Contacts:
Angela Barkan / Larissa Slezak – Sony Music Masterworks         
[email protected] [email protected] 212-833-8575 / 6075

Christina Jensen, Christina Jensen PR
P: 646.536.7864 x1 | [email protected]

SOURCE Sony Classical