Robert Schumann - Kreisleriana; Wieck Variations; Toccata (Vladimir Horowitz)

Information

Composer: Robert Schumann

1. Kreisleriana, Op. 16: 1. Äußerst bewegt
2. Kreisleriana, Op. 16: 2. Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch
3. Kreisleriana, Op. 16: 3. Sehr aufgeregt
4. Kreisleriana, Op. 16: 4. Sehr langsam
5. Kreisleriana, Op. 16: 5. Sehr lebhaft
6. Kreisleriana, Op. 16: 6. Sehr langsam
7. Kreisleriana, Op. 16: 7. Sehr rasch
8. Kreisleriana, Op. 16: 8. Schnell und spielend
9. Variations on a theme by Clara Wieck (from Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14)
10. Arabeske in C major, Op. 18
11. Toccata in C major, Op. 7
12. Blumenstuck in D-flat major, Op. 19
13. Träumerei (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)

Vladimir Horowitz, piano

Date: 1969; 1968; 1962; 1966 / 2003

Label: Sony

-----------------------------------------------------------

Review

Robert Schumann’s mercurial creative voice found an interpretive soulmate in Vladimir Horowitz, whose own high-strung temperament and bel canto lyrical bent are nothing if not, well, Schumann-esque. His 1969 Kreisleriana recording remains a point of reference for superbly delineated and infinitely varied textures, perfectly gauged shifts of mood and pace, and quivering harmonic tension in each movement. Even when Horowitz takes rhythmic liberties, such as slightly rushing certain bass notes in the finale, they always seem to enhance rather than pull focus from Schumann’s intent. The lovely Clara Wieck Variations have a sense of calm and repose that eluded the pianist in his earlier 1951 RCA version, and are less overtly rhetorical than his later readings.

Horowitz’s 1968 Arabesque, recorded live at Carnegie Hall, contains tapered phrasings and coy diminuendos absent from his more flowing, straightforward 1962 studio counterpart. His febrile romp through the Toccata features deft polyphonic manipulations that make the music sound less thick and notey than usual, at the expense of several technical blemishes (smudged chords in the coda, snatched-at broken 10ths at the start of the development section). But the rarely heard Blumentstück and hackneyed Träumerei ideally exemplify the pianist’s gold-spun legato and ravishing use of the sustain pedal. Sony’s remastering yields results that are a little rounder and fuller sounding than the 1993 Complete Masterworks Recordings edition. The differences however are minuscule, and if you already own the earlier reissue there’s no need to replace it.

— Jed Distler

-----------------------------------------------------------

Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era, and left an array of acclaimed music in virtually all the forms then known. Schumann's published compositions were written exclusively for the piano until 1840; he later composed works for piano and orchestra; many Lieder (songs for voice and piano); four symphonies; an opera; and other orchestral, choral, and chamber works. Schumann suffered from a lifelong mental disorder, and died in 1856 without having recovered from his illness.

***

Vladimir Horowitz (October 1 [O.S. September 18] 1903 – November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing. Born in Kiev, Russian Empire, he studied at the Kiev Conservatory with Vladimir Puchalsky, Sergei Tarnowsky, and Felix Blumenfeld. He emigrated to Germany in 1925 and settled in the U.S. in 1939. Horowitz is best known for his performances of the Romantic piano repertoire, especially the Liszt Sonata and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3.

-----------------------------------------------------------