God of music Vladimir Horowitz destroys the world with his orchestral, cataclysmic sound.

Rachmaninoff Sonata no. 2 (Finale)

Has there ever been a pianist capable of producing such a sound? Maybe Richter or Sokolov, but none with quite as much profundity as this solitary genius.

[barcarolleenjoyer]

I love how he modifies the score and makes the final run down the piano keys an extra octave lower, just so he can show off his ability to produce massive sound.

[sarahsteinhardt]

Hearing him live was a revelation. The recordings never did him justice. Even in the last row in the highest balcony, his pianissimo felt like he was sitting next to me, whispering in my ear. And the fortissimo? Thunder and lightning.

[nassera]

That's his signature piece. No one can play it like him. High & low bells.

[___]

this has the best thumbnail image I've ever seen.

[vc]

When asked why he plays his octaves so fast he said “because he could”, a one of a kind showman

[alhfgsp]

Those staggered seventh chords are legendary. Never lost it in his old age.

[schrysafis]

One of the few pianists show limited body movement and yet producing such a sublime sound. I remember a remarkable quote of Vladimir Horowitz as ''I don't need to show off my emotions through my body, they are inside my soul'' something like that...

[Caocao]

No pianist had the vast range of tonal colors of Horowitz, allowing him to bring out inner voices and contrapuntal melodies with remarkable clarity. His use of rubato was superb, and his clarity and technique were without compare. Fanboys can throw out the names of many fine pianists, but Vladimir Horowitz was the greatest.

[MofosOfMetal]

I LOVE sounds like this. Cataclysmic textures that include 'wrong notes' - but sound 'right' - because they add sonority, colour, and sheer bombast. Nyiregyhazi was the king of it though - check out his Dohnanyi Rhapsody!

[armstrong]

Rachmaninoff gave Horowitz permission to do with his Sonata #2 whatever he wished. The Sony CD won 2 Gramophone Awards. This clip is from London available on an RCA CD.

[gerry]

I went through a Horowitz-phase back in the 80s when he was all the buzz because of his return to health and the Moscow concert. Some really wonderful moments of music he created. I will always admire his playing, but experience has made me appreciate him without fawning. There are simply too many great pianists that could do things Horowitz could not or didn't try. Once I heard Josef Lhevinne and Rachmaninoff and Hoffman I realized there was a whole generation of people before him that appreciated what he brought to the table without being intimidated. And Horowitz himself expressed sorrow that he wasn't able to play the great German repertoire which he considered more serious than the Romantic repertoire he specialized in to the level of Serkin or Arrau. He was also frustrated that he couldn't technically match the power, drive, clarity and spontaneity of Hoffman (who can? the guy was inhuman) And there are criticisms from people that are worth noting. Arrau said that Horowitz created a lot of great excitement with his octaves but he could only do them for a short span. He contrasted that with Teresa Carreno who he said could create as big a sound and go all day. He said he thought the walls of the theater would cave in when she played. And he had his equals among his own super virtuoso generation. Earl Wild had better overall control of sound and Jorge Bolet could polish off a giant piece like the Wagner-Liszt Tannhauser Overture paraphrase in a way I doubt Horowitz would have been able to hold together. And then there's Cziffra. Among the younger men, Marc Andre Hamelin crossed timellines in his career with Horowitz and would have made a young Horowitz take him seriously. Horowitz was exceptional for what he did and he was unique but he did have limitations and he knew how to emphasize what he did the best most of the time.

There are only few chosen ones, Horowitz is one of them.

[天靈靈地靈靈-ld]

I think the piano should extend more keys to accomodate Horowitz.

[goitidanielaser]

Genius title! I laughed so hard when I first read it! Bravo!

[PerfectlyFreedom]

Most powerful seventeen seconds video I have ever seen

[oriraykai]

Impressive. His hands were actually moving too fast to be filmed at one point. Pretty good reflexes for an old guy.

[neiljosephbennett]

To think that Horowitz knew Rachmaninoff during his lifetime, and that my own piano tutor met and engaged with Horowitz in London during the 1980s. He played on Horowitz's Steinway at the Festival Hall. True piano royalty.

[___meja]

verily, what a master of music; Vladimir Horowitz do be destroying the world with his calamitous sound

[LukeFaulkner]

Was almost expecting an explosion meme at the end.

[ronwass]

Yes, I’ve heard that kind of sound a million times.