Evenings with Horowitz: A Personal Portrait

Concert pianist Vladimir Horowitz (1904-1990), known for his inaccessibility to the public, lived with his imperious wife, Wanda (Arturo Toscanini's daughter), in the isolated splendor of their New York City townhouse. In 1979, Dubal ( Conversations with Menuhin ) was admitted to that inner sanctum to record a series of interviews with the pianist for the New York radio station WNCN, and the insecure and secretive Horowitz took a liking to him. From 1985 to 1988 they met weekly at Horowitz's home, occasionally with Juilliard piano students Dubal brought along. While the conversation, as Dubal reports it in this account, is sometimes stilted, it is always engrossing; for Horowitz--childish, narcissistic and unpredictable--could be both charming and abrasive. Dubal presents a candid portrait of Horowitz, whose vulgarity and lack of tact often startled his visitors, as well as a sensitive appraisal of his playing. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)