Pianist Vladimir Horowitz Died On This Day in 1989

Known for his performances of the Romantic piano repertoire and his numerous recordings, he is remembered as one of the greatest piano virtuosi of all time.

Classical pianist Vladimir Horowitz died on this day in 1989 - aged 86.

A graduate of the Kiev Conservatory, Horowitz displayed such remarkable talent at a young age that he was invited to play for Alexander Scriabin in 1915, shortly before the composer-pianist’s untimely death.

As a student, Horowitz favored composing over performing, but he made his concert debut in 1922 in what is now Kharkiv, only after his family was left impoverished by World War I and the Russian Revolution. His reputation in the Soviet Union was established at age 20 when he played an extraordinary series of 23 recitals in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg, Russia) without repeating any pieces– he showcased over 200 works. This achievement led to spectacular successes on European and American tours.

His renown expanded after he left for Germany in 1925, where he rapidly gained recognition as an extraordinary new talent, leading to performances in England and France.

Horowitz earned titles such as the "Liszt of our age" and a "virtuoso without limits" partly due to his prolific recording career, which began in the 1920s. Several of his recorded performances, including the 1930 rendition of Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto and the 1932 recording of Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, are now considered landmarks in classical music history.

His American debut came in 1928, and in 1945 he became a naturalized citizen. Every concert he gave was a momentous occasion.

In 1928, Horowitz made his American debut at Carnegie Hall, performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Carnegie Hall would go on to become his home venue and the setting for many of his recordings.

In 1953, Horowitz stepped back from the intense public scrutiny surrounding him and largely avoided the spotlight. Instead, over the next 12 years, he recorded music and focused on studying new compositions.

His comeback was in 1965 at Carnegie Hall, this marked the beginning of a limited number of public recitals in the following years, primarily on Sunday afternoons at Carnegie. In the 1980s, he began to accept short trips outside the United States, traveling to Europe and Japan.

Dying of a heart attack in 1989, in New York City, he is buried in the Toscanini family tomb in Milan, alongside his wife Wanda Toscanini, the daughter of Arturo Toscanini. He is remembered as one of the greatest piano virtuosi of all time.

VLADIMIR HOROWITZ | SCHUBERT | FOUR IMPROMPTUS, OP. 90, D. 899 | NO. 3 IN G FLAT MAJOR, ANDANTE | 1987