Horowitz

[Kristinn Leifsson]

Hi,

We once had the Horowitz grand in our store, and I got to play it for 8 days.
I didn´t tune it or meddle around with it  (no microwaving parts etc.) 
because this was before my piano tech days.

Well, at the same time the grand was here András Schiff held a concert in 
Reykjavík.  My father tuned for that and I went with him (to meet 
Schiff).  After I forced him to autograph my "Trout Quintet" CD I told him 
that the Horowitz grand was in our store.  I asked him whether he knew that 
instrument and if so, how he liked it.

His reply:  (with a thick Hungarian accent) "Yes, it was ugly"

What I didn´t know was that he went often to visit Horowitz and play for him.

I found the grand was quite comfortable to play, but it had been impossible 
for other pianists to perform on it before, so they changed it.
Stupid, that WAS the attraction.

Kristinn

P.S. If you ever see the crate (big sturdy custom made thing), perhaps you 
can find my name there and a heart and a former girlfriend´s name.  And 
HUNDREDS of other names.  I couldn´t resist, not any more than when I 
played one E on Chopin´s piano in  Valldemosa... freaked out all the German 
tourists... but who wouldn´t?

At 13:38 8.2.2001 -0800, you wrote:


>John, et al,
>
>At 12:05 PM 2/8/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>>> >>What did you think of the Horowitz Grand ??
>>
>>I thought it was a travesty to put a new action in it. Horowitz would 
>>have been horrified. They might just as well have put a Pianodisk in it 
>>so the Maestro could still be playing it for them too.
>
>On the other hand, had they left it as he liked it, virtually no one else 
>would have been able to play it...plus, "they" (who includes many others 
>besides S&S), did not want anyone being able to "play like the Maestro" 
>(as if they could, to begin with).  Massive hubris.
>
>>They gave me a nice certificate saying I'd played it for my wall, though...
>
>Gee - I never got one...Oh! Sadness and Woe!
>
>Best to all.
>
>Horace
>
>
>
>