After Horowitz’s death Wanda was interviewed for this production. Also included are segments of the 1974 footage including excerpts from Clementi’s Sonata in F-sharp minor and complete performances of Scriabin’s Vers la Flamme, op. 72 and Chopin’s Introduction and Rondo, op. 16) and segments from “The Last Romantic.”
Horowitz: The Last Romantic
After a few years rest and some at-home unofficial rehabilitation Horowitz was ready to begin performing again. Horowitz recorded the material on this production in his own living room. We see a rejuvinated, different Horowitz, somone in much more control than in the 1982 and 1983 recitals. The only thing lacking in Horowitz’s performance from this point on was preparation, Horowitz admittedly did not practice very much and it shows. The film was awarded with two Emmy Awards in the category “Outstanding Classical Program in the Performing Arts”: Peter Gelb (executive producer), Susan Frömke (producer), Vladimir Horowitz (star) and in the category “Outstanding Individual Achievement – Classical Music/Dance Programming Directing”: Albert Maysles, David Maysles. It was nominated for Emmy Award in the category: “Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or a Special”: Lee Dichter (sound mixer), Lawrence Loewinger (sound mixer).Programme: J.S. Bach: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659 – Transcribed for piano Ferruccio Busoni – Mozart: Piano Sonata No.10 in C major, K.330 – Chopin: Mazurka No.13 in A minor Op.17 No.4, Scherzo No.1 in B minor, Op.20 – Schubert: 4 Impromptus, Op.90, D.899: No.4 in A flat – Liszt: 6 Consolations: No. 3 in D flat major (Lento, placido) – Schumann: Noveletten, Op.21: No.1 in F (Markiert und kräftig) – Rachmaninoff: Prélude in G sharp minor, Op.32, No.12 – Scriabin: Etude
Horowitz in Moscow
A recording of Horowitz’s historic recital in Moscow, the program also includes highlights of his return to his native Soviet Union-his first visit in 61 years.On the programme works by Scarlatti, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, Moszowski.
Horowitz in London
Recorded and broadcast in May 1982, Horowitz’s technique was begining to decline, though he retained all the fire of his playing. Introduction: Interview (00:05:30). Programm: Robert Schumann, Kinderszenen op.15, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 36; Frédéric Chopin, Waltz in A-flat major, op. 69 No. 1
Truls Mørk plays Chopin and Dvorák
Truls Mørk was the first Scandinavian ever to win the Moscow Tchaikovsky competition, a triumph that marked the start of his musical career. The film visits the Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk at his Scandinavian holiday home, accompanying him on his boat out at sea and on walks along the coast. The cello concerto by Anton Dvorák with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Chopin interpretations are focal points of the story.
Hayato Sumino at Budokan
Taking the concert world by storm, pianist and composer Hayato Sumino breathes new life into the term virtuoso. He is not just a pianist; he is a real phenomenon. He plays the piano at a world-class level, has a degree in engineering, composes, arranges and improvises and is also a real YouTube star with over 1.3 million followers under the name »Cateen«. His passion and spontaneity draw his fans to the concert hall, he bridges the gap between the social media world and impressive performances on all the world’s major stages like no other. In the summer, an extensive sold-out 24-recital tour of Japan culminated at Budokan (Tokyo), where he performed for more than 13,000 fans. His unique style blends classical virtuoso tradition with an arranger’s ear and breathtaking improvisational skills, allowing Hayato to share not only classical masterworks, but also his original compositions and arrangements with audiences across the globe, including his rendition of Ravel’s Boléro on two pianos.
Bruce Liu Piano Recital
With a highly acclaimed performance, shooting star Bruce Liu thrilled as part of the 2024 Klavier-Festival Ruhr. The Chinese-Canadian pianist excelled in this concert evening with the full range of his stupendous playing technique, which he proved with an impressive performance of a stylistically wide-ranging series of works from Haydn, Chopin, and Beethoven to Prokofiev, touching on the variations of the Ukrainian Nicolai Kapustin, which are infused with a relaxed jazz feeling. Bruce Liu has made a name for himself by winning the Warsaw Chopin Competition in 2021, conquering his place in international music life. PROGRAM Haydn: Sonata No. 32; Chopin: Sonata No. 2, Op. 35; Kapustin: Variations Op. 41; Beethoven: Sonata No. 18, Op. 31/3 “The Hunt”; Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7
Jan Lisiecki plays Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Chopin
Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki has won acclaim for his extraordinary interpretive maturity, distinctive sound, and poetic sensibility. The New York Times has called him “a pianist who makes every note count”. Lisiecki’s insightful interpretations, refined technique, and natural affinity for art give him a musical voice that belies his age. The concert halls in Germany opened their doors during difficult times: Jan Lisiecki played a classic-romantic program on June 9th, 2020 in the Philharmonie Essen at the Ruhr Piano Festival with sensitivity and strength. “Perhaps the most ‘complete’ pianist of his age” BBC Music Magazine
LSO: Gianandrea Noseda & Seong-Jin Cho
Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho and the music of Frederic Chopin – could there be a more instinctive pairing? Well, Cho has developed a special rapport with the London Symphony Orchestra, and his previous performances with the LSO’s principal guest conductor Gianandrea Noseda have been received with little short of rapture. Tonight, they rekindle the flame in Chopin’s impassioned Second Concerto; the luminous centrepiece of a concert that opens with Stravinsky’s colourful tribute to Tchaikovsky and ends with the high romance and epic adventure of Borodin’s Second Symphony – music close to the heart of the St Petersburg-trained Noseda. PROGRAM Stravinsky: Divertimento from ‘The Fairy’s Kiss’; Chopin: Piano Concerto No 2; Borodin: Symphony No 2
Lang Lang in Paris
“Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!” Schumann’s famous words heralding Frédéric Chopin have gone down in history, and the two composers jointly launched a revolution in piano music in the early Romantic era. And works by both men are at the centre of Lang Lang’s recital from the Philharmonie de Paris: Schumann’s fantastical Kreisleriana, and mazurkas and a polonaise by Chopin, in which he distilled the spirit of Poland into music at once haunting, deeply moving and – in the case of the Polonaise – thrillingly rousing. Opening with the original piano version of Fauré’s beautiful Pavane, this programme promises to be a superb showcase of Lang Lang’s passion, virtuosity and sensitivity. PROGRAM Fauré: Pavane; Schumann: Kreisleriana; Chopin: Mazurkas; Polonaise in F-sharp minor