Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr., better known as Van Cliburn, was an American pianist who became famous all over the world when, in 1958, he became the first American to win the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow. Even more impressive was the fact that he won at the height of the Cold War, when relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union were at their worst. Cliburn’s musical talent was clear from the time he was three years old and began playing the piano on his own. When his mother, who was a good pianist, saw that he was interested, she started to teach him. When he was only 12, he played with the Houston Symphony Orchestra for the first time. The child genius grew up to be a very talented young man who won the very prestigious Leventritt Competition when he was 20 years old. When he won the first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, he became known all over the world. When the young musician got back to New York, he was treated like a hero. He worked with RCA Victor to record Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and the album was the best-selling classical album in the world for more than a decade.
Early years and childhood
Van Cliburn was born in Louisiana to an oil company executive named Harvey Lavan Cliburn and a classical pianist named Rilda Bee O’Bryan Cliburn. At age three, he learned to play the piano on his own.
His mother, who had been a student of the great Arthur Friedheim, started giving him piano lessons. As he learned to sing each piece, he developed a rich vocal tone.
At the age of 12, he won a statewide piano competition. This gave him the chance to play with the Houston Symphony Orchestra for the first time.
At age 17, he went to New York to study at the Juilliard School with Rosina Lhevinne. He learned how to write in the style of the Great Russian Romantics.
Van Cliburn’s Career
Cliburn grew up to be a very talented young man. When he was only 20, he won the very prestigious international Leventritt Award and played his first show at Carnegie Hall.
He took part in the first International Tchaikovsky Competition, which was held in Moscow in 1958. This was a way for the Soviet Union to show its cultural superiority during the cold war. He did an amazing job in the competition, and when he won, it was a big deal all over the world.
When he got back to New York, he played his famous pieces again at Carnegie Hall with the same conductor, Kirill Kondrashin, who had led the performances that won him the prize in Moscow.
After seeing how well he did, RCA Victor gave him an exclusive contract. The Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, which he recorded with conductor Kirill Kondrashin for his first album with them, went on to sell more than three million copies.
Between 1960 and 1972, Cliburn went all over the Soviet Union and played in international concert halls. He also made many recordings of major piano concerts, which were often shown on TV. People in the Soviet Union loved him back just as much as he loved them.
During the Cold War, he was an unofficial goodwill ambassador because he was a popular star in both the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
He did his first show at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan in 1961, and he did 18 more shows there over the next 18 years. In 2006, he went back to play there for the last time.
During the 1970s, he stopped performing in public because of problems in his own life. In 1987, as part of his comeback, he played at the White House for U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
Works of note
His biggest accomplishment was winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958. This was during the height of the cold war when relations between the USSR and the US were tense. His win broke the ice and helped people from different cultures get along better.
His recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was the first classical album to go platinum. Eventually, it sold more than three million copies and became a multi-platinum album. He won the 1958 Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance for the recording.
Awards & Achievements
Cliburn was only 23 years old when he won the first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958.
In 2003, George Bush, who was president at the time, gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom for “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other important public or private endeavors.”
In 2004, the Russian government gave him an award called the Russian Order of Friendship. The award is given to foreigners whose “work, deeds, and efforts were aimed at improving relations with the Russian Federation and its people.”
Personal History and Legacies
Van Cliburn was gay, and he lived with Thomas Zaremba for a long time. Zaremba once tried to get a share of Cliburn’s huge income and assets by filing a palimony suit against him. However, the case was thrown out.
In his later years, he had advanced bone cancer. He died on February 27, 2013, at the age of 78.
The National Guild of Piano Teachers made the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition to honor the great artist after he won. The first competition was held in 1962. Every four years, the competition takes place.
Estimated Net worth
Van is one of the wealthiest musicians and is on the list of the most popular musicians. Based on what we’ve learned from Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, Van Cliburn is worth about $1.5 million.
Trivia
He was asked to be in two Hollywood movies, but he turned them down.
In the Soviet Union, his picture was used as an advertisement on a box of chocolates.
He was the only classical musician in New York to get a ticker-tape parade.
The first Russian conductor to come to the U.S. since the end of the Cold War was Kirill Kondrashin, who led his award-winning performances in Moscow.