Horowitz’s Nails

Famed pianist Vladimir Horowitz was a wonderful eccentric: He was incredibly prolific, practiced assiduously, and played at all hours of the night — leading him to purchase the two houses on either side of him in Manhattan. He often experimented to determine the perfect onstage position for his piano to take full advantage of Carnegie Hall’s legendary acoustics. Horowitz was a frequent recitalist at the Hall, and stagehands knew they would need to locate this precise spot each time he returned. They drove three screws into the stage floor to mark the three legs of the instrument. When the Hall was renovated in 1986, those pieces of the stage were saved for the archival collection. What started as a convenient reminder comprising everyday objects now represents the story of a great artist, his pursuit of excellence, and a career intimately intertwined with the history of Carnegie Hall.

Guests this episode include classical pianist Gary Graffman, a student of Horowitz’s and now a prominent teacher himself; David Dubal, pianist, teacher, author, and host of WQXR’s Reflections from the Keyboard; and Yulianna Avdeeva, celebrated Russian pianist and winner of the 2010 International Chopin Piano Competition. Members of Carnegie Hall’s Rose Archives and Museum team — including Director Kathleen Sabogal, Assistant Director Rob Hudson, and Founding Archivist and Historian Emeritus Gino Francesconi — are also featured.

If This Hall Could Talk is available wherever you get podcasts. New episodes are released every other week.