When I was in college, Vladimir Horowitz announced that he would give a concert in Philadelphia, where I lived. I rushed out and bought tickets. Alas, Horowitz, as he often did, cancelled at the last minute. So I never saw him perform live.
But on April 20, 1986, the program CBS Sunday Morning was to show Horowitz performing in Moscow. It was to be his first appearance in Russia since leaving the country in 1925.
The love of my life (at the time) and I settled ourselves in front of the television that morning. And Horowitz performed. It was magnificent. Now, I am not claiming that he gave a perfect concert. By then, Horowitz was in his eighties; his best days were behind him.
But there was no doubt how special the occasion was, for him, for the audience, and for those of us watching a native son return home after six decades. For me, the defining moment of the concert was Horowitz's encore performance of Schumann's Traumerei. I wept. And I was not alone. Watch the video.
I wonder, sometimes, who the people in the audience were. Chances are that they were party apparachiks, privileged beyond the masses to enjoy this performance. But you never know.
Nowadays, in my opinion, we are undergoing a renaissance in classical piano. There are so many wonderful pianists today. But in 1986, it was possible to think that we were seeing greatness recede from the stage, perhaps forever. Thank goodness that is not the case.