CURATED CLASSIC #1: VLADIMIR HOROWITZ HIS COMPLETE RECORDED CONCERTO REPERTOIRE

$

20

Welcome to the launch of this new series of offerings, which I'm calling Curated Classics!

WHAT IS A “CURATED CLASSIC”?

In letting go of my album collection, which I’ve been building for over 50 years, there are certain VERY SPECIAL discs that I am giving one final listen to before I say goodbye and list them here.  Many of these recordings have not been widely available in the digital age.  Some of these performances will probably never be available via “streaming” services, thus, I am creating this special line of premium record offerings.  

Before playing this one last time, each record is cleaned with my Discwasher, and de-static-ed with my Discwasher Zerostat gun.  My Dual 1219 has been recently rejuvenated with a new-old-stock idler wheel and lube job, and its Shure M91-ED has a fresh stylus that has seen very little use since new.  The tonearm is properly balanced and tracking set at exactly 1 gram, which is the exact center-point of the recommended pressure for both the turntable and the cartridge. 

A Curated Classic can come in any genre.  The main criterion being that these will all be historically significant records which have been very well cared for, properly cleaned, and carefully listened to in order to assess levels of surface noise, pops, clicks, etc.  Any of these discs that do not meet the standard I am setting here will not become part of this select group of offerings.   

In these new listings, I will give a bit of the history of the artists as well as the recordings themselves, to illustrate the recording's place in the musical timeline, as well as the timeline of the artist's life. These records need to be treasured and preserved, and so I have decided to do my part in passing them on with care and (hopefully) passing along some knowledge and the inspiration to learn more.  

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I chose this particular boxed set as my first Curated Classic: a four-LP boxed set from RCA, CRM4-0914, Vladimir Horowitz: His Complete Recorded Concerto Repertoire.  This copy is one I purchased brand new back in 1980-81, when I first truly dug into Horowitz' earlier recordings.  This is an excellent set of performances, encompassing the "officially recorded" concertos in his repertoire.  Two of these performances I consider "definitive":  The Brahms Second with Toscanini from the early 1940s, and Beethoven's Emperor, with Fritz Reiner and The Chicago Symphony, from the early 1950s.

The performance of the Brahms Second is revelatory in its taut framework...Toscanini always got whip-crack precision from his players, and they do not disappoint.  Once I heard this performance of the Second, all other performances seemed "flabby and soft", "TOO SLOW!" "Lumbering and sleepy!"  The musical energy, the unified vision and the almost telepathic connection that Horowitz and Toscanini had work to make this the most compelling Brahms Second ever recorded.

The Emperor (with the incredible Fritz Reiner) was also a "revelation".  I had never heard it played with such power and focus.  Again, you hear this, with its very tight framework and pacing, and all the slower and less agile performances seem dull, uninteresting.  This Emperor SPARKLES!

The Tchaikovsky recording is another WWII-era Toscanini/Horowitz collaboration.  I certainly wish they had been able to record more concertos together: their synergy is just breathtaking on these gems we DO have.  It's Horowitz with all the bells and whistles and the pedal to the metal...and Toscanini seems to delight is egging him on to the almost unbelievable ending.

The Reiner Rach 3 is another excellent blending of two magnificent talents.  Sonically, it is far superior to the 1930s recording with Coates, and being from the early '50s, captures Horowitz at a time when his recordings showed the almost supernatural quality that characterized this period: he played as if he had a demon perched upon each of this mighty fingers, driving him on. The span from 1950 until his 25th Anniversary festivities a few years later produced what are (to my mind) some of his greatest recordings.  This Rach 3 with Reiner is no exception; Reiner knew how to conduct Rachmaninoff better than many of his contemporaries, and some of his Rachmaninoff recordings with Van Cliburn I also consider "definitive".  

These four discs are in fine shape.  They are are free of any significant problems.  There are a very few pops and clicks scattered over the eight sides, but truly nothing significant enough to disrupt the enjoyment of the music.  These RCA transfers were always very well done, and for the sound to be as good as it is on the two 1940s recordings is testament to the RCA engineers' skills.

The original booklet is in fine shape, with its blue-tinted photos which match the box.  The original "rice paper lined" inner sleeves are in great shape.  The box itself is solid and unbroken.  All in all, this is a very fine copy of a historically important collection of Horowitz performances.  The Toscanini sides are truly phenomenal, and the Reiner sides stand up nicely in comparison, and Horowitz, of course, shines throughout.  

Will ship properly packaged via USPS Media Mail.  

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NOTE:  I am confident that you will be pleased with these YesterGroove Curated Classics.  If there is an issue once you receive your record, PLEASE MESSAGE ME HERE ON EBAY FIRST!  I am always happy to work with buyers to address any issues they might have.   I cannot, however, afford to accept returns.  This has been my policy from the beginning.  I do my best to make sure that my buyers will be happy with their items, so that "returns" don't enter into the picture.  So, please reach out and communicate with me about any issues, and we will find a resolution.  

THANK YOU!