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Van Cliburn, Moscow - 1958
photographer unknown
Last Friday, July 12, was the birthday of Van Cliburn, the American pianist who, at the age of 23, achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958 (link below).
Although it's been over sixty years, I remember the event as if it was just a short time ago and especially the terrific feeling of being proud to be an American; something I haven't felt for a while.
Although it's been over sixty years, I remember the event as if it was just a short time ago and especially the terrific feeling of being proud to be an American; something I haven't felt for a while.
The first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 was an event designed to demonstrate Soviet cultural superiority during the Cold War, after the technological victory of the USSR with the Sputnik launch in October 1957. Cliburn's performance at the competition finale of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 on April 13 earned him a standing ovation lasting eight minutes.
The jury included an astonishing team composed of Dmitri Shostakovich, Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter, Dmitry Kabalevsky, and Lev Oborin. When it was time to announce the winner, the judges were obliged to ask permission of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to give first prize to an American. "Is he the best?" Khrushchev asked. "Then give him the prize!"
Cliburn returned home to a ticker-tape parade in New York City, the only time the honor has been accorded a classical musician. A cover story in Time magazine proclaimed him "The Texan Who Conquered Russia".
Upon Cliburn's return to the United States, RCA Victor signed him to an exclusive contract and his subsequent recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 won the 1958 Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance. It was certified a gold record in 1961, and it became the first classical album to go platinum, achieving that certification in 1989.
The jury included an astonishing team composed of Dmitri Shostakovich, Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter, Dmitry Kabalevsky, and Lev Oborin. When it was time to announce the winner, the judges were obliged to ask permission of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to give first prize to an American. "Is he the best?" Khrushchev asked. "Then give him the prize!"
Cliburn returned home to a ticker-tape parade in New York City, the only time the honor has been accorded a classical musician. A cover story in Time magazine proclaimed him "The Texan Who Conquered Russia".
Time magazine ~ "The Texan Who Conquered Russia"
Upon Cliburn's return to the United States, RCA Victor signed him to an exclusive contract and his subsequent recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 won the 1958 Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance. It was certified a gold record in 1961, and it became the first classical album to go platinum, achieving that certification in 1989.
Van Cliburn died of bone cancer on February 27, 2013 (link below), in Fort Worth, Texas. He was 78 years old. His obituary lists as his only survivor his "friend of longstanding", Thomas J. Smith (link below).
Viewfinder links:
Van Cliburn
Van Cliburn & Tchaikovsky 50 years on
Van Cliburn & Sputnik ~ 1958
Gay Gaze 'n Daze
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Net links:
Discography
Dallas News ~ Cliburn's strange career and my strange relationship with him
Interlochen.org ~ Van Cliburn memorial program booklet
McClatchy Washington Bureau ~ Friends, dignitaries farewell to Van Cliburn
Playbill ~ Looking Back at the Pianist Who Conquered Russia
Steinway ~ Van Cliburn: An Unforeseen Ambassador
YouTube links: (apologies for the ads)
Van Cliburn ~
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, B-flat minor Moscow 1962
Концерт Вана Клиберна. (Van Cliburn Moscow) (1 hr., 40 min.)
'Russians Conquered My Heart' Van Cliburn Reflects on 50 Years
Styrous® ~ Thursday, July 18, 2019
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