The Horowitz recordings gathered on these two CDs come from the last years of his career beginning in 1985, when he was recorded at his New York residence in April, then in September and October at sessions held in RCA Studio A in New York.

From his “at home” recordings of that year comes the Bach Chorale-Prelude. Although Horowitz did occasionally perform Bach’s original keyboard works, he generally preferred transcriptions such as this one by Ferruccio Busoni. The three Chopin works [Tracks 9-11, CD 1], Schubert’s Impromptu in A-flat [Track 4, CD 2] and Liszt’s Consolation No. 3 [Track 8, CD 1] were all made at the same time.

Horowitz’s studio recordings of that autumn included Schumann’s Kreisleriana [Tracks 5-12, CD 2], Schubert’s Marche Militaire in D, as transcribed by Carl Tausig [Track 1, CD 2] and the Impromptu in B-flat [Track 3, CD 2]. The Liszt transcription of Schubert’s Ständchen was also made there the following year.

In 1986, Horowitz revisited Russia for the first time in over sixty years. From his Moscow recitals come the Scarlatti Sonata [Track 2, CD 1], and the Scriabin and Rachmaninoff works on CD 2. So too does Moszkowski’s Etincelles, which is preceded on the CD by a “home” recording of that composer’s Etude in F [Tracks 14 and 15, CD 1].

The 1987 recordings of Mozart’s Sonata, K. 333 [Tracks 4-6, CD 1] and Schubert’s Moment musical in F minor [Track 7, CD 1] were made in Milan and Vienna, respectively. The latest recording, Mozart’s Rondo in D, K. 485, was made at home in 1988. Horowitz continued to record there until four days before his death on November 5, 1989.