I just listened to one of his CDs today after a while, and I just noticed how harsh his playing seemed. I listed to some of his Scriabin, but even his Chopin sounded like, ... pounding bass, hard edge on the sound, banging the chords, stuff like that ... I was definitely a bit surprised since that was the first time I noticed.

The recording process is more likely at fault.

never...
the hard edge could be the recording
however horowitz often voices his chords in a particular way, and balances his hands in a way that i think some people construe to be banging ive come to the conclusion this couldnt be farther from the truth, if his playing sounds agressive or nervous as it does in the scriabin for example it is absolutely 100% intentional, horowitz can be the most delicate of players, when it suits the music...the more i listen to horowitz, and i listen a lot to him, the more i prefer his interpretaions of a lot of works to everyone else, next to him many other pianists seem boring and lost in the composition

In some of the larger romantic works, Horowitz pounds the crap out of the piano. Some of it may be the recording quality, but he is definitely banging. Not all of his stuff is thumpy, though; thanks to another forum member, I was introduced to Horowitz' Scarlatti and Mozart, and gained a ton of respect for his playing.

his Scarlatti is not at all banging, and quite a contrary actually and it's really good!

i was recently listening to the Horowitz in Moscow CD -- some absolutely beautiful, lyrical playing. however when he put the pedal to the metal, it does come across as a bit harsh. this might be because, according to a friend of mine (who got to play the master's steinway when it was on tour at certain steinway stores a few years ago), he had had all the felt removed from the strings, which would no doubt contribute to that sucker screaming at full throttle.

In some recordings, he definitely has an unpleasant sound for my years. Like with the Scriabin 5th sonata, sometimes it is too harsh.

Other times, he sound is very nice- like when he plays Moszkoswki etudes or slow, soft movements.

First of all, not all art has to be in soft pastel shades, and neither does all music have to be perfectly even and smooth and inoffensive. I don't mind people who "bang" if it's part of genuine feeling, and if the music demands/allows it. But Horowitz does not just bang because he's a crap musician, no.

N.B. I have heard proabably less than 1/4 of his recordings, so I could be wrong.

YES

Yes, he was. A glorious banger.

*sigh*

koji (STSD)

Haha, so far the only bangy work I've heard from Horowitz is the 1st Chopin scherzo, which I abhor anyway...

I have that recording. It's not the worst I've heard, though it is quite untidy. The finale is way too bangy for my tastes.

My thoughts exactly..

Horowitz's Mephisto Waltz is the first piece that comes to mind when I think of him being bangy. Sometimes I think he did it intentionally though.

Well said.

Horowitz definitely played on a large scale--at least until the last few years of his life. But to me, he was never a banger in the sense that, say, Rudolf Serkin was. Banging implies loss of control. Except for a bad period in the late 1970s, early '80s, Horowitz was in absolute control of the sound he wanted to get out of the piano.

It's also true that a lot of what comes across as banging on CD does not sound that way in the concert hall. I know this from personal experience as I heard Horowitz live and the sound was gorgeous. But his dynamic range was too large for the recordings of the time (some of the records from the 1940s sound like the recording equipment is being overpowered).

By the way, I have heard through the grapevine that the complete video of Horowitz's 1968 Carnegie Hall recital is FINALLY making its way to DVD. The new high definition transfer will include some extras, but I haven't been told exactly what yet.

That would be THIS one, right??

If so, that is my desert island Horowitz disc. I would love to have the video.

In general, I think that Horowitz was certainly not a banger. On occasion, his playing was over the top (delightfully and deliberately so, and that could be mistaken for banging (OK, maybe there was a little banging, too, but with a purpose...). Also, he went through difficult phases in his life (generally shortly before withdrawing from public appearances). In those unfortuanate times, his performances were very nervous and tense, and yes, banging.

From the very few recordings I have of Rudolf Serkin, I like him a lot and he's no banger, either.

Well Serkin raised his hands all the way above his head and slammed them down, Horowitz hardly even moved and played even louder.

Edit: and I don't think Serkin is a bad pianist .