Vladimir Horowitz - W.A. Mozart: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 23 in A major, K. 488

This recording is a real treat. It shows Horowitz playing Mozart's famous A-major piano concerto in recording sessions. The playing is top class. As usual, Horowitz seems to somehow stamp his personality on the music and he does some wonderful things with it. The first movement is at a good tempo, not as slow as most other pianists tend to play it. The second movement is beautiful and at a good pace, again not as slow and deathly dull as a lot of pianists make it. Finally, the third movement is exhilirating. Altogether a stupendous performance and, happily, there is plenty of footage of Horowitz's hands at work. Watch that little finger in the right hand curled up and then shooting out to strike a key when needed! What would any piano teacher say if their pupil did that! Yet with him it works! One also gets to see Horowitz in the practice room shortly before the session starts, Horowitz being interviewed by music critics, Horowitz and the conductor Carlo Maria Giulini listening to a playback of the second movement. These are great moments and it shows Horowitz as being very affable but also very fussy! Mind you, at his age and being who he is, he is entitled to be! Throughout Giulini is monumentally calm and does a great job, patiently waiting for Horowitz to "warm de fingers, Maestro" and thankfully not being present to hear Horowitz say that the orchestra is more important than the conductor! It's marvellous to watch the studio hands, the orchetra members and the critics just being delighted to be in Horowitz's presence. Particularly touching is how the critics are polite and business-like with Tom Frost, the producer, but once they get to talk to Horowitz himself they are all enchanted by him and smile delightedly as he talks with them. The whole video is a gem. For some reason it's a feel-good recording. It cheers you up and puts a smile on your face and the playing is unique. It is full of Horowitz moments that only he could bring about (saying poker-faced to the studio hand who is looking after his jacket "watch out, all my money in in there", or waving at and cheekily conducting the bassoonist during the bassoon solo at the start of the third movement). Brilliant. Another Review: In the documentary, "Horowitz Plays Mozart," a recording studio attempts to combine one of Mozart's more popular piano concertos with one of the most popular virtuoso pianists of the modern era. I have studied the film extensively, and in my own opinion, the video showed exactly what I wanted to see. But to be more objective, the video showcases the interaction between the soloist, the conductor, the orchestra, and the studio personnel. In addition, it showed Horowitz answering questions of the media. This offers a behind the scenes view of classical musicians recording an album for production. As you would expect, this film is very low budget, and takes place almost entirely in the recording studio. It offers a look at Horowitz's character while on the set and off the set. The film does not include a narrator, so it requires much attention to understand what each person is saying in the film. Sometimes it may be required to rewind and turn the volume up. Nothing is staged in this video. It gives the feeling of being right there with Horowitz the whole time he is making this recording. The piano concerto is played in its entirety, but only exerpts from the other recordings on the album are played. In summary, the film is perfect for a specific audience: (1) those who like Horowitz and (2) those who want to see how a recording is made.