Van Cliburn
Pianist Van Cliburn was arguably the most celebrated classical performer of the modern era, renowned for his flawless technical prowess and unparalleled romantic sensibility. Born Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr. in Shreveport, Louisiana, on July 12, 1934, he first took up piano at the age of three, learning the instrument from his mother, Rildia Bee O'Bryan Cliburn, herself an accomplished performer; in 1938 the family relocated to Kilgore, Texas, and there the young boy gave his first public recital, immediately establishing himself as a prodigy of astonishing skill. Cliburn continued studying under his mother, going on to win the Texas State Prize in 1947 and later appearing in concert with the Houston Symphony Orchestra. He entered the Juilliard School in 1951 to study with Mme. Rosina Lhevinne, and remained there until 1954, the year he won the Roeder Award and the Levintritt Competition, soon making his debut appearance as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic.
Earning critical comparison to the likes of Rubinstein, Horowitz, and Paderewski, Cliburn became something of a phenomenon. In 1958 he journeyed to Moscow to compete in the First International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition; even at the peak of Cold War tensions, he performed so brilliantly that, with the approval of Premier Nikita Khrushchev, the judges proclaimed him the gold medalist. Cliburn's victory was the stuff of international headlines, and he returned to the U.S. to the welcome of a New York City ticker-tape parade -- the first and only time a classical musician has been so honored. He became a media figure on a par with the era's biggest pop stars and Hollywood idols -- in Philadelphia, fans even ripped off the door to his limousine. Within days of his return, Cliburn performed at a sold-out Carnegie Hall; his recitations of Tchaikovsky's First and Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concertos were recorded by RCA, and issued to enormous success.
Cliburn's international fame continued to grow over the next two decades -- he made thousands of concert appearances all over the world and released a vast repertoire of recordings. In 1978, he announced an extended break from the concert stage, and over the next decade performed only once, appearing at the White House to play for President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. By 1989, Cliburn was again performing with some regularity, and in 1994, he mounted a 16-city national tour, allowing a new generation of fans to experience him in the live arena for the first time. That same year, he also issued his first new recordings in close to 20 years -- Van Cliburn in Moscow, a collection of performances with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kiril Kondrashin, originally recorded during the early '70s. In August 2012 it was announced that Cliburn was suffering from advanced bone cancer, and he passed away at home in Fort Worth, Texas in February 2013 at the age of 78.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
Similar artists
-
The Van Cliburn Collection: Chopin Concerto No. 1/Rachmaninoff Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini
Classical - Released by RCA Gold Seal on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Favorite Chopin
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 22 Oct 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos
Arthur Rubinstein, Glenn Gould, Van Cliburn
Concertos - Released by Past Classics on 6 May 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 11 Nov 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann: Piano Concerto in a Minor, Op. 54 - Violin Concerto in D Minor - Cello Concerto in D Minor (Recordings of 1960)
Pop - Released by Ginkgo Classical on 30 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Favorite Chopin (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
My Favorite Brahms
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 1 Nov 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Favorite Debussy
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 1 Nov 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Van Cliburn In Moscow
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 23 Jun 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 And Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
Van Cliburn, Kiril Kondrashin, Fritz Reiner, RCA Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Mangora Classical on 8 Jul 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16 - Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 11 Nov 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kondrashin: The Soviet Years. Van Cliburn & Kirill Kondrashin - Tchaikovsky, Grieg
Classical - Released by Music Online on 5 May 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin / Van Cliburn spielen: Peter Tschaikowski: Concerto pour piano No 1
Van Cliburn, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Concertos - Released by Classico Ivano on 5 Dec 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No.3 (1958)
Van Cliburn, Moscow Philharmony Orchestra, Kiryl Kondrashin
Classical - Released by Classical Moments on 27 Nov 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 83
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Van Cliburn plays Tchaikovsky and Schumann
Classical - Released by Regis Records on 1 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms, Beethoven, Barber & Chopin: Piano Works (Live)
Classical - Released by Orfeo on 2 Aug 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor
Serge Rachmaninoff, Van Cliburn
Classical - Released by Classical Moments on 29 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky & Prokofiev: Piano Concertos
Van Cliburn, Moscow Philarmonic Orchestra, All Union Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Classical - Released by Russian Compact Disc on 7 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 23
Van Cliburn, Kirill Kondrashin
Classical - Released by Music Manager on 23 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Van Cliburn in Moscow Conservatory, 1960
Van Cliburn, All Union Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Classical - Released by Moscow Conservatory Records on 21 Feb 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo