Horowitz the great

In the letter “Who’s a Genius?” (Oct. 19), Sam Woods disagrees with the statement that Vladimir Horowitz is “ ... arguably the greatest concert pianist of all time.” I cannot agree more that such a statement is an exaggeration. To the names of great pianists that Mr. Woods provided some others of no less importance can be added: Vladimir de Pachmann, Anton Rubinstein, Ignace Paderewski and Sergei Rachmaninoff. However, the fact remains that Vladimir Horowitz was the last in the line of great pianists who had the skill to draw from the piano the beautiful sound that would leave audiences ecstatic.

As for the definition of a genius, it seems much less confusing if one makes a distinction between a genius performer and a genius composer/performer. The two belong to different categories. Although very much interrelated, they are nevertheless not directly comparable.

Inessa Niks

Redlands