Every pianist has his favorite piano brand. Ludwig van Beethoven especially valued pianos from Streicher's workshop, Fryderyk Chopin loved pianos by Camille Pleyel, Franz Liszt promoted Bösendorfer's instruments, and Claude Debussy said that "piano music should be written only for C. Bechstein".
We recently remembered the 55th anniversary of the memorable recital of Vladimir Horowitz at Carnegie Hall (May 9, 1965), with which the artist returned to the stage after 12 years of absence. What piano did he play then?

Vladimir Horowitz valued Steinway & Sons grand pianos most. In 1934, the company gave Vladimir and Wanda Toscanini-Horowitz the piano STEINWAY Model D, # 279503 as a wedding gift. In the early 1940s, it was replaced by the instrument with serial number # 314503 known to this day as CD 503. On May 9, 1965, Vladimir Horowitz also played the Steinway & Sons piano. It was a concert piano with the number CD 186.

What characterized this piano model? First of all, the powerful sound of bass sounds, perfect regulation and singing tone in high registers. The piano has always been tuned at a = 440 Hz. Its mechanism was extremely light - the pressure on the keys was 45 grams, while typical Steinway pianos have a pressure of 48 - 52 grams. Vladimir Horowitz could best show all the nuances of his interpretations precisely on the piano with a light mechanism. Unlike Artur Rubinstein, who preferred a heavier key press. However, they both agreed that the best pianos are Steinway pianos. Artur Rubinstein emphasized: “A Steinway is a Steinway and there is nothing like it in the world.”