5.6 Exceptional LPs

 From around 1970 various labels have released old recordings including the 25th anniversary of Horowitz’s American debut concert conducted by George Szell in 1953. In the U.S., some societies including the Bruno Walter Society and Arturo Toscanini Society distributed LPs containing Horowitz’s piano sonatas to their members, and in Japan so did the two societies. In Denmark, radio recordings were released on LP in the first half of the 1930s, as explained in the following paragraphs. 

 

5.6.1 Official Italian LPs that contain unreleased recordings 

In Italy the copyright period was relatively short compared to the U.S. in those days. So, LPs that contained unreleased piano concertos came out officially in Italy.

The following four piano conertos were released on seven LPs by three labels: Melodram, CLS, and Movimento Musica:

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1

     Apr 19, 1941       NBC Symphony Orchestra under A. Toscanini

     Aug 2, 1949         Hollywood Bowl Orchestra under W. Steinberg

     Jan 12, 1953       New York Philharmonic Orchestra under G. Szell

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2

     May 6, 1940        NBC Symphony Orchestra under A. Toscanin 

Melodram released , , and (release dates unknown), CLS released three times in a row with different LP jackets (twice, release dates unknown), and Movimento Musica released in 1987. The performance dates noted on some records are unreliable except for LPs released by Melodram. The LP jackets are shown here. All these recordings have been reproduced on CD.

 

 

5.6.2 Underground LPs, LPs released by the Bruno Walter Society and the Arturo Toscanini Society, and by Danish radio 

 There are probably many more underground LPs besides the following. Only the LPs I obtained in the U.S. are l below. 

 

5.6.2.1 Underground LPs in U.S.

     Ÿ   Jan 12, 1953       New York Philharmonic Orchestra under G. Szell

Tchaikovsky        Piano Concerto No. 1        Record Numbers P100, PR-17

                                                                                    PENZANCE RECORDS #17

Ÿ   Mar 17, 1935       New York Philharmonic Orchestra under A. Toscanini

Brahms               Piano Concerto No. 1        Record Number GAP 5004

Ÿ   Feb 20, 1936       Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under B. Walter

Brahms               Piano Concerto No. 1        Record Number GAP 5004 

 

        5 LPs

 

5.6.2.2 LPs distributed to the members of the Bruno Walter Society.

     Ÿ   Feb 20, 1936       Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under B. Walter 

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1

Record Numbers BWS-728, BWS-1014, OZ-7546-BS(J)

Ÿ   Apr 11, 1948       New York Philharmonic Orchestra under B. Walter

Tchaikovsky        Piano Concerto No. 1

Record Numbers BWS-M-19-B, BWS-1016-B, OZ-7546-BS(J) 

 The Bruno Walter Society in Japan officially released OZ-7546-BS for 2,000 yen in 1978. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto was a live recording made in 1948. The LP notes “Philharmonia Orchestra”; however, it was the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. BWS-728 was released for the first time so this is included in the supplement, “The photographic collection of important and fundamental LPs.”

 

        B. Walter Society 5 LPs

 

5.6.2.3 LPs distributed to the members of the Arturo Toscanini Soci 

Ÿ   March 17, 1935   New York Philharmonic Orchestra under A. Toscanini

            Brahms               Piano Concerto No. 1       Record Number ATS 113

Ÿ   May 9, 1940                      NBC Symphony Orchestra under A. Toscanini

Brahms               Piano Concerto No. 2       Record Number AX 

 The Victor Company of Japan established a buyer’s club for Toscanini fans and distributed LPs, which include Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 played by Horowitz. The LPs are placed in a fine-quality box. LPs related to Toscanini are included in the following photographs.

 

              Toscanini       4 LPs

  

5.6.2.4 LPs recorded by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation

  In 1983 Danacord Records released live radio recordings made between 1931 and 1935 as s five-LP set titled “Great Musicians in Copenhagen” (DACO134-138). The LPs contain live performances given by many musicians including Piatigorsky, Rudolf Serkin, Joseph Szigeti, and Wanda Landowska. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 Third Movement played by Horowitz and conducted by Malko in October 1934 is included in the LP set. These radio recordings were released also on CD (DACOCD303) in 1987. In addition, a six-CD set that includes the contents of this LP set was released in 2010 (DACOCD691-696; Horowitz is on 693). 

 

                             Demark  1 LP

 

5.6.3.1 Released LPs from 78s

5.6.3.1 LPs reproduced from 78s (except for B* 

A. V. Horowitz Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 Bellaphon 654/24/003 (Germany)

B. V. Horowitz Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2            Bellaphon 654/24/002 (Germany)

C. V. Horowitz Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1     Bellaphon 654/24/001 (Germany)

D. Horowitz/Toscanini Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2             RMD1007 (Italy)

E. Horowitz/Toscanini Ciai[A1] kovsky Piano Concerto No. 1   RMD1009 (Italy)

*Item B above is the first pressing of a performance given on May 6, 1940. 


 

                   5 LPs

 

5.6.3.2 LPs released in Russia (the Soviet Union) and China

  Although it is uncertain whether the LPs of Horowitz were released officially in the Soviet Union, Russia, and China, there are many such LPs. I myself own more than ten different LPs released in the Soviet Union and Russia. One of them is a two-LP set—a double album released by Melodiya to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Scriabin’s birth—that contains two pieces: Scriabin’s Etudes No. 2-1 and No. 8-12, performed by Horowitz on April 15, 1986 in Moscow. They had never been released in any format before this album.

 I have only two Chinese LPs, one of which was already cited in the paragraph on CBS Sony. The other LP was released by Steinway. There are many CDs and DVDs (see Chapters 6 and 7). 

 


10 inch  5 Photos + 12 inch LP  

 

The Chinese LP shown below was released by Steinway in 2007. It has liner notes in Chinese as well as English and comes with a CD (manufactured in Canton). The LP says it was made in Germany.

 

              China 1 LP 

 

5.6.4 Compilation albums with other musicians

 Although Horowitz normally released records as a solo performer, compilation albums with other musicians were also produced in response to strong requests from record companies and buyers’ groups. These include records with popular singers of the time such as Caruso and Pavarotti as well as with other pianists. There are also other kinds of recording including a free record for sales promotion and a record in an encyclopedia-like record set that covers various composers and various pieces of music. 

 

   4 LPs

 

LPs that include one or more performances by Horowitz:

 RCA(B) RB16207 Caruso, Horowitz, Kreisler, Paderewski, Heifetz, Rachmaninov[A1] 

 ZDF GEM(D) 66.28323-02-1 Pavarotti, Horowitz, Jochum

 COL LSC-5010 F. Reiner/Chicago Sym. Horowitz, E. Leinsdorf/Boston Sym.

 SHZE 144 Cherkassky, Lipatti, Arrau, Gieseking, Cortot, Rubinstein, Horowitz

 EMIJ EAC-1004 Schweitzer, Cortot, Long, Landowska, Schnabel, Fischer, Horowitz

 EMIJ BRC-8014-5 Paderewski, Hofmann, Backhaus, Michelangeli, Horowitz

 COL DS-66 Ormandy/Philadelphia, Horowitz, Kostelanetz, Bernstein, Entremont

 CBS Sony(J) NO# (Not For Sale) Stern, Gould, Horowitz, Walter, Bernstein, Szell

 FMR 11/12 The 100 Greatest Recordings of All Time, Horowitz Plays Piano Milestones

 FMR 45/46 The 100 Greatest Recordings of All Time, Legendary Virtuoso Performances

 The Smithsonian Collect. of Rec. LGR-9265 Casals, Szigeti, Lipatti, Horowitz

 PARNASS 62824 2LP Unlergessener Klang [Die Grosen[A2]  Pianisten]

 Time Life Records [A3] STL P06-3LP Vladimir Horowitz

  I finally obtained the three LPs cited above that were released by Franklin Mint Recordings (FMR) and by Time Life Record (TLR). They are in the Robert McAlear Discography and are not easily available. Surprisingly, the LP box sets were released in Japan by FMR and even had liner notes in Japan.


 

                 6  LPs

     

5.6.5 LPs that contain performances played by musicians imitating Horowitz and LPs with print deviations

 I have come across some uncommon LPs such as those with print deviations. Two of them are shown below. The other two photographs show an LP that features performances by a musician imitating Horowitz and an LP released by another Horowitz, Norman Horowitz.

 


    4 LPs


  To Chapter 5.7       Bach to Chapter 5.5