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Van Cliburn—Moscow

Birth

Van Cliburn (born July 12 , 1934 ) is an United States pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 when, at the age of 23, he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow , at the height of the Cold War .

Van Cliburn was born Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr. on July 12, 1934, in Shreveport... more

Education

Van Cliburn attended a Richter recital in 1958 in the Soviet Union.

Fame

He gave his New York debut recital on November 8, 1977 at the 92nd Street Y. His Van Cliburn Prize Carnegie Hall debut recital was held on December 12, 1977.

When he was not chosen as a finalist, some disappointed and angry listeners formed a committee led by American impresario Maxim Gershunoff, to raise money for Egorov equal to the Van Cliburn top prize of $10,000.

Work

Van Cliburn so liked CD-79, a piano he discovered during a late-night practice session before a concert in Philadelphia some years ago, that he offered to buy it then and there.

Van Cliburn plays the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Florida Orchestra, Stefan Sanderling conducting, at 8 p.m. Monday at Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg.

Van Cliburn's history-making gold medal at the first Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the height of the cold war helped his Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 to become classical music's first platinum record. Cliburn is joined on this classic Living Stereo recording by Kiril Kondrashin and the RCA - Victor Orchestra.

Van Cliburn wins the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in the USSR, breaking cold war tensions.

Van Cliburn won the First International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1957 with this piece, much to the astonishment of people worldwide, as he was an American competing in Moscow at the height of the Cold War.

Van Cliburn International Piano Competition requires all semifinalists to perform one of the new American works selected especially for the competition for the American Composers Invitational.

Not since Texan pianist Van Cliburn's historic win in 1958 has any Tchaikovsky Competition,whose name will endure, said one of the jurors, daniel pollack.