Early Romantics

Read About This Recording

When you look back at the recorded legacies from the 20th century there are a few names that stand out as absolute legends: Caruso, Toscanini, Schnabel, Reiner, Walter, Karajan, Rubinstein, Heifetz and Vladimir Horowitz. To a great degree these were the artists who carried the classical recording industry to unimaginable heights beginning in the post-World War II years and continuing until the late-1970s.

With the release of this two-CD set of music by Chopin and Schumann played by Vladimir Horowitz, Musical Heritage Society has opened the way to hear some of the most astounding interpretations and performances of solo piano music from the Romantic Era. Horowitz brought elegance and passion to his playing and those qualities come through in these recordings. You will hear why his Chopin became the model for every generation of pianists that have followed him. His playing is at once delicate and powerful and the program assembled on this collection shows a wide range of styles and moods. It is a wonderful way to sample the great variety that is so paramount in Chopin's music.

Accompanying Chopin is music by Robert Schumann, another composer that Horowitz seemed to own on the concert stage. The "Variations on a Theme by Clara Wieck," Schumann's wife, is a fabulous tour through different styles while the concluding piece, "Kreisleriana" was one of Horowitz's signature pieces.

And you don't have to worry that you're going to get some scratchy sounding old recording transferred to CD. All of the performances were recorded during the 1960s and 1970s and have been remastered for this release. This two-CD set is a wonderful introduction to some fabulous solo piano music and to the artistry of one of the true legends of the 20th century: Vladimir Horowitz.

—Jacob Anthony

Contents

Chopin: Mazurkas: A Minor, Op. 17 No. 4; F-sharp Minor, Op. 59 No. 3; C-sharp Minor, Op. 50 No. 3; D-flat Major, Op. 30 No. 3; E Minor, Op. 41 No. 2; D Major, Op. 33 No. 2; F Minor, Op. 7 No. 3; Etudes: G-flat Major, Op. 10 No. 5; C-sharp Minor, Op. 10 No. 4; E Major, Op. 10 No. 3; C Minor, Op. 10 No. 12; E-flat Minor, Op. 10 No. 6; No. 2 in A-flat Major from Trois Nouvelles Etudes; Introduction & Rondo in E-flat Major, Op. 16; Waltzes: A Minor, Op. 53; C-sharp Minor, Op. 64 No. 2; Polonaises: A-flat Major, Op. 53; A Major, Op. 40 No. 1; Preludes: B Minor, Op. 28 No. 6; D-flat Major, Op. 28 No. 15; Schumann: Variations on a Theme by Clara Weick from Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 14; Kreisleriana, Op. 16.

Vladimir Horowitz, Piano.