Editing Vladimir Horowitz (section)

==Last years==
In 1985, Horowitz, no longer taking medication or drinking alcohol, returned to performing and recording. His first post-retirement appearance was not on stage, but in the documentary film ''[[The Last Romantic|Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic]]''. In many of his later performances, although still capable of remarkable technical feats he substituted finesse and coloration for bravura.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} Many critics, including [[Harold C. Schonberg]] and Richard Dyer, felt that his post-1985 performances and recordings were the best of his later years.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

In 1986, Horowitz announced that he would return to the Soviet Union for the first time since 1925 to give recitals in Moscow and [[Leningrad]]. In the new atmosphere of communication and understanding between the USSR and the US, these concerts were seen as events of political, as well as musical, significance.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/21/arts/for-horowitz-in-moscow-bravos-and-tears.html |title=for Horowitz in Moscow, Bravos and Tears |last=Taubman |first=Philip |date=April 21, 1986 |website=The New York Times |access-date=March 31, 2021 |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124105933/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/21/arts/for-horowitz-in-moscow-bravos-and-tears.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of the tickets for the Moscow concert were reserved for the Soviet elite and few sold to the general public. This resulted in a number of Moscow Conservatory students crashing the concert,<ref>[[Charles Kuralt]] liner notes for ''Horowitz in Moscow'' CD</ref> which was audible to viewers of the internationally televised recital. The Moscow concert was released on a compact disc titled ''Horowitz in Moscow'', which reigned at the top of Billboard's Classical music charts for over a year. It was also released on VHS and, eventually, DVD. The concert was also widely seen on a Special Edition of ''[[CBS News Sunday Morning]]'' with [[Charles Kuralt]] reporting from Moscow.
{{Gallery
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|File:Vladimir Horowitz C37292-1.jpg
 |Horowitz in 1986
|File:Vladimir Horowitz 1986.jpg
 |Horowitz in 1986 at the [[Concertgebouw, Amsterdam|Concertgebouw]] in [[Amsterdam]]
|File:President Reagan and Nancy Reagan present Pianist Vladimir Horowitz with the Medal of Freedom in the Roosevelt room.jpg
 |Horowitz, accompanied by his wife [[Wanda Toscanini]], receives the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] from President [[Ronald Reagan]] and First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] (presenting it to him)
}}
Following the Russian concerts, Horowitz toured several European cities, including Berlin, Amsterdam, and London. In June, Horowitz redeemed himself to the Japanese with a trio of well-received performances in Tokyo. Later that year he was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States, by President [[Ronald Reagan]].

Horowitz's final tour took place in Europe in the spring of 1987. A video recording of his penultimate public recital, ''Horowitz in Vienna'', was released in 1991. His final recital, at the [[Musikhalle Hamburg]], Germany, took place on June 21, 1987. The concert was recorded, but not released until 2008.<ref>Leonard, James. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/horowitz-in-hamburg-the-last-concert-mw0001857907 ''Horowitz in Hamburg: The Last Concert''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202230853/https://www.allmusic.com/album/horowitz-in-hamburg-the-last-concert-mw0001857907 |date=2019-12-02 }}, [Review], [[AllMusic]]. (n.d.). Retrieved 2021-03-06.</ref> He continued to record for the remainder of his life.

[[File:Tomb_of_Horowitz_20220717.jpg|thumb|Vladimir Horowitz is buried in the [[Toscanini]] family tomb in Cimitero Monumentale, Milan, Italy. Photo taken on 2022-07-17.]]