Van Cliburn | |
|---|---|
 Cliburn in 1966 | |
| Born | Harvey Lavan Cliburn Jr. (1934-07-12)July 12, 1934 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | February 27, 2013(2013-02-27) (aged 78) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Classical pianist |
Harvey Lavan "Van"Cliburn Jr. (July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013)[1] was an American pianist. At the age of 23, Cliburn achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inauguralInternational Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during theCold War.[2]
Cliburn's mother, a piano teacher and an accomplished pianist in her own right, discovered him playing at age three, mimicking one of her students, and arranged for him to start taking lessons.[2] Cliburn developed a rich, round tone and a singing-voice-like phrasing, having been taught from the start to sing each piece.[2] Cliburn toured domestically and overseas. He played for royalty, heads of state, and every US president fromHarry S. Truman toBarack Obama.[3]
Harvey Lavan Cliburn Jr. was born inShreveport, Louisiana, the son of Rildia Bee (née O'Bryan) and Harvey Lavan Cliburn Sr.[4] When he was three, he began taking piano lessons from his mother, who had studied underArthur Friedheim,[5] a pupil ofFranz Liszt.[2] When Cliburn was six, his father, who worked in the oil industry, moved the family toKilgore, Texas.[6]
At 12, Cliburn won a statewide piano competition, which led to his debut with theHouston Symphony Orchestra.[7] He graduated formKilgore High School.[8] He entered theJuilliard School in New York City at 17[7] and studied underRosina Lhévinne,[7] who trained him in the tradition of the great Russianromantics. In 1952, Cliburn won theKosciuszko Foundation's Chopin Piano Competition in New York City. At 20, Cliburn won theLeventritt Award[7] and made his debut atCarnegie Hall.[9]
The firstInternational Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 was an event designed to demonstrate Soviet cultural superiority during theCold War after theUSSR's technological victory with theSputnik launch in October 1957, although the field of pianists in the first edition of the Tchaikovsky competition in 1958 was only of regional significance. Cliburn had already won theLeventritt Competition in 1954, the most prestigious piano competition of the era, and had performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with theNew York Philharmonic Orchestra in the following season,[10] but Cliburn wished to participate in the cultural exchanges with the Soviet Union which emerged following the death of Stalin in 1953. Cliburn's performance at the competition finale ofTchaikovsky'sPiano Concerto No. 1 andRachmaninoff'sPiano Concerto No. 3 on April 13 earned him a standing ovation lasting eight minutes.[11][12] After the ovation, Van Cliburn made a brief speech in Russian and then resumed his seat at the piano and began to play—to the surprise and delight of the Russian musicians visible behind him in the film made of his part in the competition—his own piano arrangement of the much-beloved song "Moscow Nights", which further endeared him to the Russians. When it was time to announce the winner, the judges felt obliged to ask permission of the Soviet leaderNikita Khrushchev to give the first prize to an American. "Is he the best?" Khrushchev asked. "Yes." "Then give him the prize!"[11][13][14] Cliburn was to maintain a lasting relationship with the Soviet leader. Cliburn returned home to aticker-tape parade in New York City, the only time the honor has been accorded a classical musician. He was hailed in the American media as the man who "beat the Russians at their own game" and restored the pride of America.[15] Arriving atCity Hall after the parade, Cliburn told the audience:
I appreciate more than you will ever know that you are honoring me, but the thing that thrills me the most is that you are honoring classical music. Because I'm only one of many. I'm only a witness and a messenger. Because I believe so much in the beauty, the construction, the architecture invisible, the importance for all generations, for young people to come that it will help their minds, develop their attitudes, and give them values. That is why I'm so grateful that you have honored me in that spirit.[16]
A cover story inTime magazine proclaimed him "The Texan Who Conquered Russia".[17] His triumph in Moscow propelled Cliburn to international prominence.[18]
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Upon returning to the United States, Cliburn appeared in a Carnegie Hall concert with theSymphony of the Air, conducted byKirill Kondrashin, who had led theMoscow Philharmonic in the prize-winning performances in Moscow.[7] The performance of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto at this concert was subsequently released byRCA Victor on LP. Cliburn was also invited bySteve Allen to play a solo during Allen's prime timeNBCtelevision series on May 25, 1958.[19] He later went to theWhite House to meet withPresident Eisenhower to discuss relations with theUSSR.
RCA Victor signed him to an exclusive contract, and his subsequent recording,Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 was at the No. 1 position on theBillboard Top 200 albums for much of August and September 1958. And the album won the 1958Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance. It was certified agold record in 1961, and it became the first classical album to goplatinum, achieving that certification in 1989.[20][21] It was the best-selling classical album in the world for more than a decade.[citation needed] It eventually went triple-platinum.[22] In 2004, this recording was re-mastered from the original studio analogue tapes, and released on aSuper Audio CD.
Other standard repertoire Cliburn recorded include theBrahmsPiano Concerto No. 2,SchumannPiano Concerto in A minor,GriegPiano Concerto in A minor,RachmaninoffPiano Concerto No. 2,BeethovenPiano Concerto No. 4 andNo. 5 "Emperor", and theProkofievPiano Concerto No. 3.
In 1958, during a dinner hosted by the National Guild of Piano Teachers,[23] President and Founder Dr. Irl Allison announced a cash prize of $10,000 to be used for a piano competition named in Cliburn's honor. Under the leadership of Grace Ward Lankford and with the dedicated efforts of local music teachers and volunteers, the firstVan Cliburn International Piano Competition was held from September 24 to October 7, 1962, atTexas Christian University inFort Worth.[7] Until his death, Cliburn continued to serve as Director Emeritus for theVan Cliburn Foundation, as host of the quadrennial competition and host of other programs honoring his legacy.
In 1961, he first performed at theInterlochen Center for the Arts during its summer camp. He went on to do so for eighteen more years.[24]
Cliburn returned to the Soviet Union on several occasions.[7] His performances there were usually recorded and even televised. In a 1962 Moscow appearance, Nikita Khrushchev, who met Cliburn again on this visit,[13] andAndrei Gromyko, the Soviet Foreign Minister, were "spotted in the audience applauding enthusiastically".[25] According toThe Wall Street Journal, "Mr. Cliburn's affection for the Soviet people—and theirs for him—was notable in its warmth during a prolonged period of superpower strain."[2] A 1972 concert performance of theBrahmsPiano Concerto No. 2 with Kondrashin and the Moscow orchestra, as well as a studio recording of Rachmaninoff'sRhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, were later issued on CD by RCA Victor.[26]
On May 26, 1972, Cliburn gave a concert atSpaso House, the residence of theUnited States Ambassador to Russia, for an audience that included PresidentRichard Nixon, Secretary of StateWilliam P. Rogers, and Soviet government officials.
Cliburn performed and recorded through the 1970s, but in 1978, after the deaths of his father and of his manager,Sol Hurok, he began a hiatus from public life. In 1987, he was invited to perform at theWhite House for PresidentRonald Reagan and Soviet presidentMikhail Gorbachev[2] and afterward was invited to open the 100th anniversary season ofCarnegie Hall. He embarked on a 16-city tour in 1994, commencing with a performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto at theHollywood Bowl. That same year Cliburn performed the National Anthem along with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at the First Official Opening Day atChoctaw Stadium.[citation needed] Also in 1994, Cliburn made a guest appearance in the cartoonIron Man, playing himself in the episode "Silence My Companion, Death My Destination". In his late seventies, he gave a limited number of performances to critical and popular acclaim.[citation needed] Cliburn appeared as aPennington Great Performers series artist with theBaton Rouge Symphony Orchestra in 2006.
He played for royalty and heads of state from dozens of countries and for every U.S. president from 1958 until his death.[27]
Cliburn received theKennedy Center Honors on December 2, 2001. He was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom on July 23, 2003,[28] by PresidentGeorge W. Bush, and, on September 20, 2004, the RussianOrder of Friendship, the highest civilian awards of the two countries. He was also awarded theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award the same year and played at a surprise 50th birthday party forUnited States Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice. He was a member of the Alpha Chi chapter ofPhi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and was awarded the fraternity'sCharles E. Lutton Man of Music Award in 1962. He was presented a 2010National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama on March 2, 2011.[27][29]
Cliburn's 1958 piano performance in Moscow, when he won the prestigiousTchaikovsky International Piano Competition, has been added to theNational Recording Registry in theLibrary of Congress for long-term preservation.[30]
In 1996, Cliburn was named in a lawsuit by hisdomestic partner of 17 years,mortician Thomas Zaremba.[31] In the suit, Zaremba claimed entitlement to a portion of Cliburn's income and assets and asserted that he might have been exposed to HIV, causing emotional distress. Cliburn denied the allegations, with his attorney, Dee Kelly, stating that "Van Cliburn categorically denies the charges."[32] Cliburn's defense team further maintained that the claims were not only false, but that they amounted to extortion.[33] Zaremba's attorney, Mike McCurley, acknowledged that Zaremba did not have AIDS and further admitted that "he had no reason to believe that Cliburn has HIV."[34] The claims were dismissed by a trial court and rejected by an appellate court,[35] on the basis thatpalimony suits were not permitted in the state of Texas unless the relationship is based on awritten agreement.
Cliburn was known as anight owl. He often practiced the piano until 4:30 or 5:00 am, then slept until around 1:30 pm.[36] "You feel like you're alone and the world's asleep, and it's very inspiring."[37]
On August 27, 2012, Cliburn's publicist announced that the pianist had advancedbone cancer, had undergone treatment and was "resting comfortably at home" in Fort Worth, where he received around-the-clock care.[38][39] Cliburn died on February 27, 2013, at the age of 78.[40]
Cliburn was a member of BroadwayBaptist Church in Fort Worth and attended regularly when he was in town.[41] His services were held on March 3, 2013, at the Broadway Baptist Church, with entombment atGreenwood Memorial Park Mausoleum in Fort Worth.[16] His obituary lists as his only survivor his "friend of longstanding", Thomas L. Smith.[16]
The Wall Street Journal said on his death that Cliburn was a "cultural hero" who "rocketed to unheard-of stardom for a classical musician in the U.S."[2] Calling him "the rare classical musician to enjoy rock star status", theAssociated Press on his death noted the 1958Time cover story that likened him to "Horowitz,Liberace, andPresley all rolled into one".[18]
A year after Cliburn's death, a free anniversary concert was held on February 27, 2014, in his honor in downtown Fort Worth. "It's part of the Cliburn ideology of sharing the music with the larger audience", said Jacques Marquis, the Cliburn Foundation president.[42]
A highlight of Cliburn's legacy was the profoundly positive reception of his person and performances in the Soviet Union during and after the Tchaikovsky competition. The same is true of his reception during and after the Cold War in the Soviet Union. According toLife (1958), the excitement and hype surrounding the news of Cliburn's debut in Moscow was almost too much to bear for some. They became infatuated with him and made no attempt to conceal it. "In the preliminaries, which had enlisted 50 young pianists from 19 different countries, Van was the big crowd-pleaser. Fans called him Vanyusha. Girls trailed him to the hotel. Soviet record companies pleaded with him to wax anything. In the finals, when he crashed out the last chords of the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto, the ecstatic audience in Moscow chanted 'first prize—first prize'."[43]
Mark MacNamara of theSan Francisco Classical Voice wrote: "The 6-foot 4-inch aw-shucks kid from Shreveport was 23, the son of an oil executive and a Juilliard graduate, and by all accounts didn't have a mean bone in his body. Indeed, much of his charm, then and throughout his life, was that he seemed so genuinely unaware of intrigue and enmity. Cliburn's talents were astounding, and he had a heart that loved people and music. This is a legacy that lasts."[44]
As of the lastInternational Tchaikovsky Competition (2023), Van Cliburn is still the only American to win the competition in piano. Five Americans have won medals at theVan Cliburn International Piano Competition in its 63-year history:
Cliburn's contributions to society were many and one of his most notable contributions was theVan Cliburn International Piano Competition. The competition is founded in 1958 and is held every four years since then.[46]
