Horowitz in Moscow
by Brian Large
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Vladimir Horowitz, Wanda Toscanini HorowitzDirector: Brian Large
Brand: Sony Music
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-04-05
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony
Movie Reviews of Horowitz in Moscow
Movie Review: Moscow does not believe in tears.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a marvelous insight into a concert of the greatest pianist of our time at the age of 83. It is remarkable how well he plays in the beginning, and everything he plays is from memory.
Yet with all my admiration, I assign this performance more a sentimental value than the true virtuoso one; in a way, it is a sad recording, because it is noticeable of how tired maestro becomes towards the end, not able to hide the mistakes; it is somewhat disheartening to see him making a tremendous effort, yet the keys seem not to obey him as they did 20 years before. I think he was unhappy that he could not play flawlessly and could not control his own inability. It must have been deeply frustrating for Horowitz to play with clearly heard errors.
I suspected that many would assign people's tears during Schumann's "Traumerei" to the artistry of Horowitz playing. The truth is that whenever someone important in USSR died, the radio would endlessly play this music. It has become so closely associated with death; and during the concert those shedding tears were probably recalling the losses of someones dear to them, reacting as Pavlov's dog to this tune. Of course, Horowitz plays it masterfully, but this is not why people in the audience were crying.
It is actually quite interesting to see the attendees of the performance; the tickets were definitely distributed by unions, given as rewards to exemplary workers, as to USSR Army officers that one can see in the sala, party bosses, young communist leaders, etc, - in short, to all those who had never attended a classical music concert before in their entire life. Moscow Conservatory concerts were normally half-empty, but Horowitz was so exotic and notorious - a former emigrant, a suspect, in a way. Viewers should not take what they see by face value and imagine that everyone in USSR knew and loved Horowitz; those who defected to the West were never viewed favorably from within mother Russia.
But for this visit Horowitz was ordered to be celebrated and loved. I am sure he felt some falseness in all that.
To anyone who is familiar with his life story, and who had similar experiences in life, this video is full of nostalgic moments. It is hard to say what Horowitz really experienced during this visit. Stravinsky years before cut his visit short. For a Russian emigrant who left because he could not stay it is never so easy and pleasant to be back, and I think Maestro's anguish after his sixty one years of absence shows - not when he is playing, but in the off-stage settings.
This is somewhat a very emotional film; more than a concerto. Recommended with care.
Summary of Horowitz in Moscow
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