The Winner of the First Chaikovsky Competition: Van Cliburn

1958

Ref. # 018-132

indian ink on paper
45x40 cm

1958

indian ink on paper
45x40 cm

It was Van Cliburn's recognition in Moscow which propelled him to international fame. The First International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in 1958 was an event designed to demonstrate Soviet cultural superiority during the Cold War, on the heels of their technological victory with the Sputnik launch in October 1957. Cliburn's luminous virtuosity in his competition finale performances of the Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 earned him a standing ovation that lasted a full eight minutes. The Soviet judges were compelled to ask Premier Nikita Khrushchev for permission to give the first prize to an American. "Is he the best?" Khrushchev asked them. "Then give him the prize!" Cliburn returned home to a ticker-tape parade in New York City, the only time that honor has been accorded a classical musician. Time put him on its cover, proclaiming him as "The Texan Who Conquered Russia." RCA Victor signed him to an exclusive contract, and his subsequent recording of the Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 became the first classical album to sell a million copies. It was the best-selling classical album in the world for more than a decade, eventually going triple-platinum. Cliburn won the 1958 Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance for this recording.

Ref. # 018-132

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