WASHINGTON/FORT, WORTH TEXAS – Van Cliburn, the U.S. pianist whose triumph at a 1958 Moscow competition helped thaw the Cold War and launched a spectacular career that made him the rare classical musician to enjoy rock star status, has died at age 78.
Cliburn died early Wednesday at his Texas home surrounded by loved ones following a battle with bone cancer, said his publicist and longtime friend Mary Lou Falcone.
The Grammy winner made what would be his last public appearance in September at the 50th anniversary of the prestigious piano competition named for him. To a roaring standing ovation, Cliburn said, “Never forget: I love you all from the bottom of my heart, forever.”
Cliburn skyrocketed to fame when he won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at age 23 in 1958, six months after the Soviets’ launch of Sputnik embarrassed the U.S. and propelled the world into the space age. He returned to a New York City ticker-tape parade — the first ever for a classical musician — and a Time magazine cover proclaimed him “The Texan who conquered Russia.”
The win proved the power of the arts, bringing unity in the midst of strong rivalry.
Cliburn’s performance — the crystalline touch, the welling songfulness — prompted an eight-minute standing ovation. But such were the political tensions of the time, the judges of the competition checked with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev before announcing their decision to give the prize to a non-Soviet musician.
“Is he the best?” Khrushchev is said to have replied. “Then give him the prize.”
In the years that followed, Cliburn’s popularity soared, and the young man sold out concerts, caused riots when spotted in public and even prompted an Elvis Presley fan club to change its name to his. His recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with Russian conductor Kirill Kondrashin became the first classical album to reach platinum status.
Time magazine’s 1958 cover story quoted a friend as saying Cliburn could become “the first man in history to be a Horowitz, Liberace and Presley all rolled into one.”
Cliburn performed for royalty, heads of state in Europe, Asia and South America, and every U.S. president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama.
“Since we know that classical music is timeless and everlasting, it is precisely the eternal verities inherent in classical music that remain a spiritual beacon for people all over the world,” Cliburn once said.
But he also used his skill and fame to help other young musicians through the Van Cliburn International Music Competition. Created in 1962, the competition, held every four years, remains a pre-eminent showcase for the world’s top pianists.
The 13th Cliburn competition, held in 2009, made history when a blind pianist from Japan, Nobuyuki Tsujii, and a teenager from China, Haochen Zhang, both won gold medals. They were the first winners from any Asian country, and Tsujii was the first blind pianist to win. And it was only the second time there were dual first place winners.
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