Piano Sonatas Nos. 14 'Moonlight' No. 21 'Waldstein' & No. 23 'Appassionata'

Russian-born Vladimir Horowitz (1904-1989) was one of the most acclaimed pianists of the modern age, a formidable virtuoso whose inimitable artistry and technique were rooted in the grand Romantic tradition. Horowitz's flamboyant personality and charisma only added to the mystique created by his performances. His long career, which began in the West with his departure from the Soviet Union in 1925, lasted right up to his death in New York in the fall of 1989.

Horowitz enjoyed one of the longest and most distinguished recording careers in classical music during the 20th century, winning a total of 25 Grammy Awards. Between 1962 and 1975, he recorded exclusively for Columbia Masterworks, the forerunner of Sony Classical, a period in which he made definitive stereo recordings of the solo literature most closely associated with him - most notably, the music of Chopin, Schumann, Scriabin, Scarlatti and Rachmaninoff. (The pianist returned to the label, after it became Sony Classical, shortly before his death.)