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Renowned among the greatest pianists of all time, Vladimir Horowitz was born on October 1, 1903, in the Ukraine. Despite receiving his first piano lessons from his mother, Sophie, at the age of five, he initially indicated little interest in performing, instead focusing his energies on composing; in 1912, however, he began studying at the Kiev Conservatory under professors Sergei Tarnovsky and Felix Blumenfeld, later performing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 at his 1919 graduation. Horowitz made his solo debut recital in 1920 and within two years was regularly performing throughout Russia; during the 1924-1925 season, he gave some 70 concerts -- 23 in Leningrad alone -- all to capacity audiences. In the autumn of 1925, Horowitz left Russia to perform in Berlin and Hamburg; while in Paris, American concert manager Arthur Judson proposed a tour of the U.S. He accepted the offer, which allowed an escape from the revolution; however, he never saw his family again. In 1928, Horowitz ma...