Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, op. 30 (Horowitz – 1930)

Vladimir Horowitz (1903 - 1989), piano The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates (1882 - 1953) December 29/30, 1930: Kingsway Hall, London, England 1. “Allegro ma non tanto“ : 0:00 2. Intermezzo “Adagio“ : 14:49 3. Finale “Alla breve“ : 22:52 The recording includes cuts in the score approved by the composer with Horowitz : - at 19:13 (13 bars) - at 21:54 (2 bars) - at 22:08 (13 bars) - at 24:44 (28 bars) - at 26:46 (13 bars) Historical context: This is the first recording ever of Rachmaninoff’s 1909 third piano concerto but also the first official recording of Horowitz of a concerto in his career! Horowitz is twenty-seven years old in this recording and as we can listen he’s in better shape than ever. Let’s also remember it has been two years ago since he met Rachmaninoff for the first time in 1928, when he just arrived in America : « Rachmaninoff, perfectly aware of Vladimir’s success in Paris with his 3rd concerto, and knowing that he was to give it in the coming weeks in New York with the New York Symphony Orchestra (on February 12, 1928), suggested that they work on the score together. Amazing! And so two days after his arrival, on January 8 1928, in the famous Steinway basement, where dozens of pianos are lined up; they have an appointment at 3:55 p.m.. Vladimir Horowitz will remember it forever: “If I was nervous!” I thought I was going to die: thinking that this great man was going to accompany me, a young pianist, in his 3rd Concerto was the most memorable impression of my life. And my real beginning!“ [...] “I could have known him in 1917, you can count. I could have known him there but I met him here. The first day I arrived, Rachmaninoff lived as a recluse, he didn’t much like seeing people. He didn’t see much, and when I arrived here he was my idol, my icon. He called the people at Steinway and said, “I’d like to meet the young guy who’s coming.“ He had heard about me from Kreisler and other musicians and I went to see him. He opened the door for me and I remember it like it was yesterday. And from that second, we became friends in ten minutes. He played me pieces from Medtner’s Fairy Tale. And then as he knew that I was giving his concerto, he played it, it had not had a great success until it was conducted by Gustav Mahler you know.“ [...] Of their two piano rehearsals in the Steinway basement, Volodya exclaimed years later: “Oh my God, I was so happy, I was very happy, terribly and he really loved my playing.” » I would like to conclude this description saying that in an interview with David Dubal ( Horowitz says something quiete surprising about this 1930-recording : (Dubal) : « - You have had three recordings of the Rachmaninoff’s third (concerto). (Horowitz) : - No, the first doesn’t really count - You don’t like that? - No, the first one you know, it was in 27 (obviously, he does not remember the year correctly), and I had to... - That was that one with Albert Coates, right? - Yeah, they gave me only one hour and a half, and I couldn’t... No, this is not a performance. » A few notes about my YouTube video : - The edition I used for this score video is the Gutheil original urtext edition with fingerings of the composer included - Horowitz makes plenty of changes to the scores (cuts, simplifications, adds) that I did not mentioned.