Hello!
My name is Michael Levine, and I've been playing "gigs" for over 30 years, mostly here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm very pleased to have encountered this "Tribe", and would like to share an unforgettable musical experience I had, back in 1993, when the folks at Sherman Clay decided to send Vladimir Horowitz's own Steinway (modestly named CD 503, the 314,503rd piano made by Steinway -- "CD" an abbreviation for Concert Department) on a "concert tour" of its own. This was only the second time in Steinway's illustrious history they had done this for a Steinway Artist (the first being Paderewski)!
The Sherman Clay personnel were extremely gracious and generous to me, and allowed me two 2-hour time slots alone with this legendary instrument, to both play and record on it!
Was this piano noticeably different from others? Yes! The action was relatively light, and extremely touch-sensitive, with a crashing, thunderous bass that was a hallmark of Volodya's playing, and characteristic of Steinway in general. The gossimer transparency of the treble, and the evenness of the action from top to bottom, made CD 503 a joy to play! However, I was cognizant from the beginning that neither I nor anyone else I heard playing it, could draw from this great instrument the kind of color, timbre, sonority and glistening coruscation that ONLY the immortal Vladimir Horowitz was capable of producing! It was Volodya's ability to see horizontally through the architecture of a piece, be it Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin or a host of other composers,
while differentiating each note from that which preceded and succeeded it, that made for such fascinating listening. One was as awestruck by his ethereal pianissimos, which radiated to the last row, as by his elemental, virtually superhuman power, velocity, and overwhelming emotional force! I was fortunate enough to have heard the Maestro live on four occasions, after one of which I actually met him. The man was strong! His firm handclasp, broad, winning smile, and the charismatic warmth he radiated (along with his incomparable genius) suffuse, in my opinion, virtually every measure of his vast recorded output. You can see a photo of me at that very special instrument on this site, and I invite anyone else with a Horowitz story to contribute as well. God Bless You, Volodya!!
My name is Michael Levine, and I've been playing "gigs" for over 30 years, mostly here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm very pleased to have encountered this "Tribe", and would like to share an unforgettable musical experience I had, back in 1993, when the folks at Sherman Clay decided to send Vladimir Horowitz's own Steinway (modestly named CD 503, the 314,503rd piano made by Steinway -- "CD" an abbreviation for Concert Department) on a "concert tour" of its own. This was only the second time in Steinway's illustrious history they had done this for a Steinway Artist (the first being Paderewski)!
The Sherman Clay personnel were extremely gracious and generous to me, and allowed me two 2-hour time slots alone with this legendary instrument, to both play and record on it!
Was this piano noticeably different from others? Yes! The action was relatively light, and extremely touch-sensitive, with a crashing, thunderous bass that was a hallmark of Volodya's playing, and characteristic of Steinway in general. The gossimer transparency of the treble, and the evenness of the action from top to bottom, made CD 503 a joy to play! However, I was cognizant from the beginning that neither I nor anyone else I heard playing it, could draw from this great instrument the kind of color, timbre, sonority and glistening coruscation that ONLY the immortal Vladimir Horowitz was capable of producing! It was Volodya's ability to see horizontally through the architecture of a piece, be it Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin or a host of other composers,
while differentiating each note from that which preceded and succeeded it, that made for such fascinating listening. One was as awestruck by his ethereal pianissimos, which radiated to the last row, as by his elemental, virtually superhuman power, velocity, and overwhelming emotional force! I was fortunate enough to have heard the Maestro live on four occasions, after one of which I actually met him. The man was strong! His firm handclasp, broad, winning smile, and the charismatic warmth he radiated (along with his incomparable genius) suffuse, in my opinion, virtually every measure of his vast recorded output. You can see a photo of me at that very special instrument on this site, and I invite anyone else with a Horowitz story to contribute as well. God Bless You, Volodya!!
