Vladimir Horowitz - Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3

Where does one begin to discuss the magic that Horowitz brings to this daring work. Well perhaps the first movement is a good place to start. In no other recording of this work by Horowitz did he play the first theme so passionately and tenderly as he does here. It was as though Rachmaninoff, his dear friend, was standing right behind him with his arm around Horowitz's shoulders, both sharing a moment of awe and respect for one another. This is the picture I get. Metah does a splendid job of allowing Horowitz, truely an expert on the work and perhaps the foremost expert, lead him instead of forcing him into uncomfortable situations. There are some parts where Metah pushes Horowitz a bit, but these are for the better. By the time Horowitz gets to the exciting section a few pages before the Cadenza, he is sufficiently warmed up and really plays the chords with so much clarity and it's not too fast. So many people play it too fast! It is much better slower because then you can hear the accents and have time to really hear the melodic qualities of the passage. Then he comes to the cadenza. Overall, pretty good. There are some sloppy parts such as the transition in the middle from the first section to the second section, but the rest of the cadenza is quite memorable. Then there is the restatment of the first theme. This is the most emotional one of all, perhaps it's because we know it was the last time we would hear Horowitz play that beautifully haunting and yet gorgeous melody. Or more possibly because Horowitz himself knew that as well. By time we get to the second movement we are still in store for some of the most special parts of the Concerto. Horowitz was really on the ball that day in September, 1978. So much unlike the recording with Ormandy the previous January that was cut and put together like a jigsaw puzzle, a very impressive finished product, lots of skill involved, but there are always those lines of inconsistency that are so distracting. With the video performance we know what we see is real and spontaneous. The third statement of the theme (the one that starts on the three lowest Bb's on the keyboard and with the wild left hand chords incorporated in the the sixteenth notes) is really amazing. We hear such exultant and meloncholy pianistic grandeur that surely Rachmaninoff had to have had in mind when writing the piece. The third movement is spectacular altogether! He has a faster tempo to deal with here that he did in January and he handles it splendidly. I know you may have read this on my Horowitz page, but here it is again. That marchlike section is so great! He gets the piano's volume far above that of the orchestra on the accents, and the way that he brings the left hand rhythm out over the right hand melody and chords is great. NOBODY ELSE HAD DONE IT BEFORE! That is the kind of originality that Horowitz brings to the piece. So full of fresh ideas and the ability to express them effectively. I would like to find someone else with enough guts to try something a little bit risky, and maybe surprise an audience for once. (I'm not talking about Martha Argerich here, she already does this!) One of my favorite parts of this recording has nothing to do with the music or even the sound at all. There is a part in the the third movement where Metah is conducting with his hands but is watching Horowitz with his eyes and Horowitz looks up to him and they share a smile because of the fantastic job they know that they are both doing. The homestretch, the last 5 or so minutes, are again brilliant. I would be willing to bet that the third movement was Horowitz's favorite. He seems to be having such a good time, even in all of his audio recordings this is evident. There are a couple of missed chords when the fast jumps from the low D ocatave up to the D chords that evoke some harsh looks from a particular member of the orchestra that seemed to be a bit annoyed. He should be thanking his god he had the opportunity to play the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto with Horowitz! The end was amazing as one would expect. This performance kept the audience at their feet cheering and screaming for 20 minutes! Pretty impressive, altogether, a superlative performance.