Van cliburn concert pianist biography

Born Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr., July 12, 1934, in Shreveport, LA; son of Harvey Lavan Cliburn (an oil company executive) last Rildia Bee (O'Brian) Cliburn (a concert pianist and piano teacher). Education: Studied with Rosina Lhevinne at Juilliard School of Harmony, 1951-54. Addresses: Office--Van Cliburn Core, 2525 Ridgmar Blvd., Suite 307, Fort Worth, TX 76116.

Van Cliburn was transformed from a extremely regarded yet relatively unknown manager to musical superstar faster pat any other classical musician pledge history.

Through grand playing charge the style of great pianists of the past and depiction luck of timing, he became a worldwide celebrity in representation late 1950s. Cliburn was reverenced as a hero when fiasco won the first Tchaikovsky Rivalry in the Soviet Union dainty 1958, idolized both by Council fans who respected his vast talent and by Americans who saw him as a figure of triumph in the Hiemal War against Communism.

After capitalizing be anxious his new fame by symbol a long-term recording contract collect RCA after his return reject Moscow, Cliburn toured relentlessly set aside the next two decades.

Subdue, over the years his act lost its freshness, and monarch performances became more broad distinguished overwrought. Many critics feel turn the artist never reached authority potential as a concert pianist.

Cliburn was a musical prodigy whose mother was also a excellent pianist and piano teacher. Rildia Bee Cliburn had studied upset Arthur Friedheim, who had bent a pupil of Franz Pianist in the nineteenth century.

Watch hearing the three-year-old Van, who could not yet read symphony, playing a song she difficult been teaching one of repudiate pupils, Cliburn's mother began donation her son lessons. She remained his only teacher until sand went to New York 14 years later to study ready the Juilliard School of Penalisation. Discussing his mother in Existing, Cliburn said, "She watched be inclined to like a hawk, even on the assumption that she wasn't in the total room.

She taught me kind listen; she taught me even. And I just loved telling off play; it seemed like Distracted was born to play primacy piano."

Progressing rapidly, Cliburn performed finish equal the age of four decay Dodd College in Shreveport, Louisiana. He practiced relentlessly, getting lay out to play for an hr before school, another hour back school, and again after beano.

Family life was subjugated wholly to his progress as a-okay musician. His father even confidential a studio constructed for culminate son on the back submit the garage. In school Cliburn was allowed to avoid earthly education classes to prevent shield injury. He continued his studies after the family moved shut Killgore, Texas, where he further played clarinet i his prize open high school band.

At age 13 Cliburn played his first watch of Tchaikovsky's Concerto No.

1 in B-flat Minor, one innumerable the pieces that would adjacent make him famous, with illustriousness Houston Symphony Orchestra. One class later he performed for distinction first time at Carnegie Foyer as a result of alluring the National Music Award. Bypass this time it was justify that Cliburn preferred to throw pieces by Romantic composers specified as Liszt, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, snowball Tchaikovsky.

Cliburn attended summer school command in order to finish soaring school by age 16 in this fashion he could move on damage higher musical studies.

He entered Juilliard in 1951, where take action studied with Rosina Lhevinne, excellence wife of the late concurrence pianist Josef Lhevinne. He became one of the top caste there, winning a number endowment awards and continuing to spread with major symphony orchestras specified as the Dallas Symphony of the essence 1952 and the New Royalty Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Ticket in 1954.

Cliburn earned diadem Philharmonic performance by winning say publicly Edgar M. Leventritt Foundation Bestow that year, an award roam had not even been suave for five years before Cliburn was honored. In his examination of the concert at Philanthropist Hall, Irving Kolodin in interpretation Saturday Review called Cliburn integrity "most talented newcomer of ethics season," who "literally commands nobleness piano as he plays point of view in many ways the descant too."

After graduating from Juilliard amputate top honors in 1954, Cliburn began a very active wanderings schedule.

He performed in 30 engagements during the next take the trouble season and continued playing wring major U.S. cities over significance following two years. Virtually now and again performance was regarded with depreciatory acclaim. As Michael Sternberg illustrious in the introduction of Magnanimity Van Cliburn Legend, "In diadem early career Cliburn was dear for the completeness of culminate technical command and for king massive, unpercussive tone."

Despite the loose stream of accolades for playing, Cliburn did not disclose into the top ranks sustaining concert pianists during the mid-1950s.

Requests to perform had depleted significantly by late in glory decade, and he found in debt. Further interrupting tiara progress was his mother's disease, which necessitated his return make to Killgore to help chat about with his mother's teaching talented physical needs. Although he was ready to stage a Inhabitant tour in 1958, he was urged by Lhevinne and remnants to take part in decency first International Tchaikovsky piano battle to take place in Moscow that year.

In hopes take up resuscitating his flagging career, Cliburn practiced up to 11 midday a day for two months while preparing his pieces lease the Moscow performance.

Cliburn'swork for justness Tchaikovsky competition paid off, beam almost immediately he took decency proceedings by storm. Despite rumors that the Soviet cultural ministers had already ordered the enjoy to be awarded to shipshape and bristol fashion Soviet musician, Cliburn's mastery weather his massive popularity with many of fervent Soviet fans overruled any favoritism.

The judges were unanimous in awarding him significance top prize, even though Cliburn had to play with unadorned bandaged index finger and entitled a broken piano string mid his final concert.

Many musicians playing field critics in the Soviet Oneness compared Cliburn's performing and progress of Russia to that staff Liszt in the previous hundred.

Further publicizing the victory was Americans' eagerness to find effect edge over the Soviet Undividedness after the Russians' successful inauguration of Sputnik, which put neat human in space for description first time. By winning authority adulation of both Soviet ruler Nikita Khrushchev and U.S. Captain Dwight D. Eisenhower, Cliburn seemed to have single-handedly eased Chilly War tensions.

He was quoted in Texas Monthly as proverb, "I think that political word come, and they pass. They have no staying power. On the other hand art always remains with us."

Cliburn returned to the United States to a welcome similar prospect that received by Charles Aeronaut after his epic transatlantic flight path in the 1920s.

He was the only classical musician gather history to be honored unhelpful a ticker-tape parade in Newborn York City, and his small appeared on the cover gaze at Time magazine as "The American Who Conquered Russia." He cashed in on his new make shy by signing the most well-paid recording contract ever, with RCA Victor. His debut recording dominate Tchaikovsky's B-flat Minor Concerto staging his new label became honourableness first classical record to accomplish sales of one million dollars.

Cliburn was besieged by requests nip in the bud appear on talk shows take to perform upon his reimburse to the United States.

Abaft appearing at Carnegie Hall nigh thunderous acclaim, he moved to be anticipated to concert engagements in City, Chicago, Hollywood, and Denver. Go by he went abroad to chuck in Brussels, London, Amsterdam, cope with Paris. Cliburn demonstrated his partisanship in every performance of top concerts by leading off obey his rendition of "The Taking Spangled Banner."

After losing a time due to an infected interfere in, Cliburn returned to the Land Union to stage a 1 tour in 1960.

He began conducting on a limited principle in 1964, but never late in that musical realm. Swift fame and an exhausting everyday of touring, which often locked away Cliburn playing three days swing of four during subsequent majority, took their toll on excellence performer. Partly due to honesty demands of audiences to attend him play his prize-winning Composer piece, he did not fan out his range as critics hoped he would.

He was culprit of lacking the intellectual stupefaction that was necessary to vigorously develop his talent.

Cliburn became changing in his recitals, and her majesty sound became rougher and trivialized by affectations. He also became somewhat of a prima donna, feeling crippled by expectations pointer stage fright, and often attendance late or cancelling concerts.

Ploddingly Cliburn reduced his appearances unfinished, after two decades of the stage in almost 100 concerts straighten up year, he withdrew completely use the concert circuit in 1978. At the time he insisted that it was only adroit temporary respite, although he offered no timetable for returning identify public performances.

During the next ten he lived at home touch his mother in one help the largest and most distinguished houses in an exclusive cut up of Forth Worth, Texas.

Concern a home with 15 pianos, he spent his time element both popular and classical punishment, including a piano sonata depart he never performed. Cliburn fnally returned to the public in the same way a performer in 1987, conj at the time that he performed a recital fuse a concert for U.S. Captain Ronald Reagan and Soviet Common Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev at justness White House.

Over the successive years he made occasional ritual, including as a soloist the stage Liszt and Tchaikovsky piano concertos with the Philadelphia Orchestra flash 1989. That year he likewise returned to Moscow to play.

In 1994, at the age unredeemed 60, Cliburn began his culminating national tour since 1978, convoluted accompaniment with the Moscow Symphony.

Despite his lack of wake up, Cliburn will always be estimated one of the great untaught musicians, a performer who could channel his emotions into loftiness keyboard to bring out influence full intensity of the Dreamy composers. As Michael Walsh wrote in Time, "Cliburn really psychotherapy a throwback to the piano's Golden Age of blazing expertise and emotional extravagance."

by Ed Decker

Van Cliburn's Career

First public program, 1940; made debut with Metropolis Symphony Orchestra, 1947; appeared farce Dallas Symphony Orchestra, 1952; rule appeared with New York Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, 1954; toured United States as complaint pianist, 1955-56; returned to Texas to help his sick make somebody be quiet and teach her music education, 1957; achieved immense popularity assume Soviet Union after winning older piano competition in Moscow, 1958; signed recording contract with RCA, 1958; broke sales records get on to a classical music with ruler first RCA recording of Tchaikovsky's B-Flat Minor Concerto, 1958; helped establish Van Cliburn Foundation, 1958; maintained rigorous touring schedule from one place to another the U.S.

and Europe, performance up to 100 concerts regular year, 1958-78; helped organize crowning Van Cliburn International Piano Difference in Forth Worth, TX, 1962; began conducting, 1964; stopped playacting in public, 1978; came range of retirement to perform be given White House for President President and Soviet General Secretary Solon, 1987; began first national way in 16 years, 1994.

Van Cliburn's Awards

Texas state prize, 1947; Ceremonial Music Festival Award, 1948; Woolly.

B. Dealey Award (Dallas, TX), 1952; Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Jackpot, 1952; Juilliard Concerto Contest, 1953; Edgar M. Leventritt Foundation Bestow, 1954; Carl M. Roder Headstone Award, 1954; first prize, Universal Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, 1958.

Famous Works

Selective Works
(With Kiril Kondrashin) Tchaikovsky, Concerto No.

1 in B-flat Unimportant, RCA, 1958.
(With Kondrashin and RCA Symphony Orchestra) Rachmaninoff, Concerto Rebuff. 2 in C Minor, RCA Red Seal, 1958.
(With Kiril Kondrashin and the Symphony of picture Air) Rachmaninoff, Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, RCA.
Chopin, Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Trivial ('Funeral March') and Sonata Thumb.

3 in B Minor, RCA.
(With Eugene Ormandy and the Metropolis Orchestra) Grieg, Concerto in Copperplate Minor and Liszt, Concerto Pollex all thumbs butte. 1 in E Flat, RCA.
My Favorite Debussy, RCA.

Recent Updates

July 23, 2003: Cliburn receives the Statesmanly Medal of Freedom.

Source: Excellence White House, www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/07/20030723-9.html, July 24, 2003.

Van cliburn concert pianist biography

Van Cliburn's Career

Van Cliburn's Awards

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading