Van Cliburn in Ft. Worth

by Administrator

The preliminary rounds are over and the field has been narrowed to twelve.  The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition takes place every four years and this time you can listen live on streaming audio.

Here is the official site  where you can read the contestant biographies, read up-to-the-minute criticism and the duelling comments on the competition blog, and check the schedule for the live performances.  Friday through Sunday are the chamber music recitals and solo recitals.  Six will be chosen to play with orchestra for the final round next week.

Competitions have a decidedly mixed record for rewarding true artistry, but for a piano fanatic in a society where the solo recital is on the decline, an event like the Cliburn is an olympics of sorts — a multi-week festival that allows the indulging of an obsession.  I still remember fondly the hours I spent at the Gina Bachauer competition in Salt Lake City when I was working for the radio station KBYU in 1994.

If you’re unfamiliar with the legend of Van Cliburn, here’s an account of his triumph at the Tchaikovsky competition at the height of the cold war in 1957.  The account of the chicanery among the judges, but the honorable behavior of such luminaries as Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels, is very enlightening.

7 Comments

  1. You are a pianist yourself, Bill?

    I was an assistant on the Gina Bachauer when it was at BYU in (1980?) I picked up Roselyn Tureck and Alicia delaRocha at the airport.

    Comment by D. Fletcher — May 27, 2005 @ 1:42 pm

  2. I just imagined an American Idol for classical pianists and giggled.

    Comment by Bryce I — May 27, 2005 @ 2:49 pm

  3. Yes, D.

    You’ve probably even heard me play before, since I’m the Bill formerly of the Manhattan 3rd ward.

    Comment by Bill — May 27, 2005 @ 4:08 pm

  4. The only famous musician I ever picked up from the airport is the late Igor Kipnis, whom I drove to a harpsichord masterclass at the University of Utah.

    Comment by Bill — May 27, 2005 @ 4:12 pm

  5. Bill Atkinson?

    Comment by D. Fletcher — May 27, 2005 @ 5:02 pm

  6. Yes

    Comment by Bill — May 27, 2005 @ 5:09 pm

  7. hehe

    Comment by D. Fletcher — May 27, 2005 @ 5:10 pm