Van Cliburn delves deeply into the music- its structure, its details, its character, its soul - and it is all organic to the music and its meaning. When I was young I never appreciated it, but now in my late 70's it touches an inner chord and makes life worth living, and shows a way to reach out to others, and respect and appreciate their humanity. It is obvious why van Cliburn was able to so move his Russian audiences- it was not only his pianist training from his mother, and Rosina Lhevinne who taught the Russian method and its lyricism, but how he was able to interpret this wonderful music and communicate its - and his - humanity. He more than once said he felt he had two homes, one in the United States, and a second in Russia. Would that our own government (whether led by Democrats or Republicans or others) would put an end to this manufactured Russophobia (and Sinophobia, and Islamophobia) designed to keep us in fear and make us hate, and instead of encouraging, or at least allowing us as peoples and governments share in each other's culture so that we might all prosper in a safe and stable world.
Slower than usual, he liked to breath a lot. I met Cliburn at 18 years of age during his 77th birthday party. He was very gracious. He played the Emperor that night. He had a few memory slips but it didn't take away from the performance. My teacher went to school with him and she studies in the same classes at Julliard. They were friends and she told me many surprising and (embarrassing for Cliburn} stories. I won't tell a soul.
You are a very lucky human. Really, I love this tempo. Is enought for explain and better for run straigh ahead. Since Coda: Restrained, and without alcohol, no like his birthsday.😊 (Whith love wherever you are), Maestro.
I grew up listening to the Romantic masters (my dad attended Rachmaninoff''s last concert) and can detect a change in interpretation over the years. It is the emphasis on technique vs story telling. The high-speed banging of Lang Lang cannot compare to the Romanticism of Rubinstein or Van Cliburn. The best performance of this piece (and I've heard several) was by Van Cliburn. It was a story with verses, chapters, long sweeps, arches of sounds and the decision of what to stress was perfection. The ending is always problematic (often a wild jumble of noise) but Cliburn "solved" this by stressing the first note of the first two triplets (A flat and G) then repeated it an octave higher then paused for an instant right before the run of double notes. It was slightly slower but grander and definitely had structure. Great performance
We all have different tastes and we change as time goes by. When I was younger I didn't care much for Chopin. Then, in college, a talented pianist showed me how Chopin could and should be played. It was a revelation. Now Chopin is one of my most revered composers.
must admit, when i first heard this performance, I thought immediately of someone with more golden tones, someone even more poetic than Van: gotta be Jorge Bolet or Claudio Arrau. Then I remember Van telling me, personally, Border's Books, record and cd signing, early to mid 90's, Ft. Worth: pianists who had greatest effect on him: Claudio, Arthur, Horowtiz.
I actually heard Cliburn play this and it was unbelievable - ultra Romantic and in his own way, he had control of every key like Gould. I'm the first to admit the new pianists are technically brilliant but they are lacking in something.
I love that picture with Van Cliburn towering over Khrushchev. (In one of these videos one can hear the announcer say "Van Cleeburn.") It seems to me that in the Russian cultural tradition classical music is more highly regarded than in this country.
It's a wonderful window to a bygone era (). It may interest you to know that this version has been photoshopped to rid the pic of the interpreter who was perched directly between Van and Khrushchev. Thus began an intriguing bromance between the two, one which captured the attention of both the KGB & the FBI, who each culled together dossiers on poor Van....
In the Philippines Van Cliburn was associated ignominiously with Imelda Marcos. The world knows about Imelda and her shoes- she was a great patroness of the arts and thanks to her, Filipinos have bragging rights to pianist Cecile Licad, the Bolipata Brothers cellist and violinist scholars at Julliard, and yes Lea Salonga. Mahal ka namin, Van and I bet Mrs. Marcos misses you too.
I like it a great deal, although it's not beyond criticism. Beautifully phrased, despite the tone generally being too "solid" and a bit lacking in intensity at the climaxes and in dynamic contrast between the various sections. It's steady, rather serene pace might seem cautious or too tame to some, but it's still far more tasteful and makes much more musical sense than the wild excesses of Cortot, Khatya Buniatishvilli, or myriad other Speed-Demon Possessed Young Turks. I've been listening more and more to Van Cliburn lately, and have come to understand he was far greater than the critics ever gave him credit for. His work with Kondrashin and George Szell is practically non pareil. No one has ever given a better account if the Brahms concerti. His early departure from the concert stage was a tragedy for American Music.
HIs early departure from the concert stage was a tragedy for the whole world! Better to know more about pianists levels and not place in the same sentence the name of the great Cortot and other pianists...
You said, "I like it a great deal, although it's not beyond criticism." With all due respect, is they ANY recording of this piece that is, as you say, literally "beyond criticism"? I'm at a loss for words!
quote lebowski here :) thats just your opinion.....:) I can hear some inperfect places, but this interpretation changed entirely my view on this ballade...and for that, I am very grateful to Cliburn.
While I don't agree with you, we are all entitled to our own opinions. As I said in another comment: that is the nature of art. No two people will agree on everything. We all have different ears, different minds, different souls.
Van Cliburn delves deeply into the music- its structure, its details, its character, its soul - and it is all organic to the music and its meaning.
When I was young I never appreciated it, but now in my late 70's it touches an inner chord and makes life worth living, and shows a way to reach out to others, and respect and appreciate their humanity. It is obvious why van Cliburn was able to so move his Russian audiences- it was not only his pianist training from his mother, and Rosina Lhevinne who taught the Russian method and its lyricism, but how he was able to interpret this wonderful music and communicate its - and his - humanity. He more than once said he felt he had two homes, one in the United States, and a second in Russia.
Would that our own government (whether led by Democrats or Republicans or others) would put an end to this manufactured Russophobia (and Sinophobia, and Islamophobia) designed to keep us in fear and make us hate, and instead of encouraging, or at least allowing us as peoples and governments share in each other's culture so that we might all prosper in a safe and stable world.
No, while the human exists
Gracias mil, verdadera joya del arte musical del siglo xx, Versión modelo, del verdadero orden en el arte.
Si es Van Kliburn. No sale otro nombre. Las. 4. Baladas. cuánta belleza. 🇲🇽. 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶👋👋👋👋👋 😘
Slower than usual, he liked to breath a lot. I met Cliburn at 18 years of age during his 77th birthday party. He was very gracious. He played the Emperor that night. He had a few memory slips but it didn't take away from the performance. My teacher went to school with him and she studies in the same classes at Julliard. They were friends and she told me many surprising and (embarrassing for Cliburn} stories. I won't tell a soul.
You are a very lucky human. Really, I love this tempo. Is enought for explain and better for run straigh ahead. Since Coda: Restrained, and without alcohol, no like his birthsday.😊 (Whith love wherever you are), Maestro.
Dang. I want to hear the surprising and embarrassing stories! lol.
I want to hear this stories too! Come on!
I take all responsibility for hearing these stories! Tell me them!
I grew up listening to the Romantic masters (my dad attended Rachmaninoff''s last concert) and can detect a change in interpretation over the years. It is the emphasis on technique vs story telling. The high-speed banging of Lang Lang cannot compare to the Romanticism of Rubinstein or Van Cliburn.
The best performance of this piece (and I've heard several) was by Van Cliburn. It was a story with verses, chapters, long sweeps, arches of sounds and the decision of what to stress was perfection. The ending is always problematic (often a wild jumble of noise) but Cliburn "solved" this by stressing the first note of the first two triplets (A flat and G) then repeated it an octave higher then paused for an instant right before the run of double notes. It was slightly slower but grander and definitely had structure. Great performance
I listened to this about a year ago and didn't like it; now that I've come back to it, I love it. Go figure.
We all have different tastes and we change as time goes by. When I was younger I didn't care much for Chopin. Then, in college, a talented pianist showed me how Chopin could and should be played. It was a revelation. Now Chopin is one of my most revered composers.
Grañ hombre!¡
must admit, when i first heard this performance, I thought immediately of someone with more golden tones, someone even more poetic than Van: gotta be Jorge Bolet or Claudio Arrau. Then I remember Van telling me, personally, Border's Books, record and cd signing, early to mid 90's, Ft. Worth: pianists who had greatest effect on him: Claudio, Arthur, Horowtiz.
I actually heard Cliburn play this and it was unbelievable - ultra Romantic and in his own way, he had control of every key like Gould. I'm the first to admit the new pianists are technically brilliant but they are lacking in something.
I love that picture with Van Cliburn towering over Khrushchev. (In one of these videos one can hear the announcer say "Van Cleeburn.") It seems to me that in the Russian cultural tradition classical music is more highly regarded than in this country.
Anyway the photo is Van, with Nikita, great picture, is it not?
It's a wonderful window to a bygone era (). It may interest you to know that this version has been photoshopped to rid the pic of the interpreter who was perched directly between Van and Khrushchev. Thus began an intriguing bromance between the two, one which captured the attention of both the KGB & the FBI, who each culled together dossiers on poor Van....
I don't think so. Finally these Russian communist hate us.
In the Philippines Van Cliburn was associated ignominiously with Imelda Marcos. The world knows about Imelda and her shoes- she was a great patroness of the arts and thanks to her, Filipinos have bragging rights to pianist Cecile Licad, the Bolipata Brothers cellist and violinist scholars at Julliard, and yes Lea Salonga. Mahal ka namin, Van and I bet Mrs. Marcos misses you too.
This is Van Cliburn...not sure what all the controversy is.
was the man who hugs cliburn Khruchev?
Yes. As you can see Van Cliburn towers over Kruschev. It's a great picture IMO.
How do you know it wasn't Cliburn's playing? Did you attend the concert Mr. Stoller? Was it Mr. Horowitz, or Rubinstein then? Ha, Ha!!
Sounds like Van Cliburn to me.
Yes to me too
I like it a great deal, although it's not beyond criticism. Beautifully phrased, despite the tone generally being too "solid" and a bit lacking in intensity at the climaxes and in dynamic contrast between the various sections. It's steady, rather serene pace might seem cautious or too tame to some, but it's still far more tasteful and makes much more musical sense than the wild excesses of Cortot, Khatya Buniatishvilli, or myriad other Speed-Demon Possessed Young Turks. I've been listening more and more to Van Cliburn lately, and have come to understand he was far greater than the critics ever gave him credit for. His work with Kondrashin and George Szell is practically non pareil. No one has ever given a better account if the Brahms concerti. His early departure from the concert stage was a tragedy for American Music.
HIs early departure from the concert stage was a tragedy for the whole world!
Better to know more about pianists levels and not place in the same sentence the name of the great Cortot and other pianists...
You said, "I like it a great deal, although it's not beyond criticism."
With all due respect, is they ANY recording of this piece that is, as you say, literally "beyond criticism"? I'm at a loss for words!
No he recibido SM,A.
No me gustan las listas que hacen esas personas.
This is not Cliburn's playing
And I'm sure you believe the Pope infallible-
prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Melodiya/MELCD1001627
Sorry, this is just bad
quote lebowski here :) thats just your opinion.....:) I can hear some inperfect places, but this interpretation changed entirely my view on this ballade...and for that, I am very grateful to Cliburn.
@@AdamPage18 Mine too, and I can say that of practically any music I hear him play.
While I don't agree with you, we are all entitled to our own opinions. As I said in another comment: that is the nature of art. No two people will agree on everything. We all have different ears, different minds, different souls.
We are all entitled to our opinion, and it is important we can express it. However these "ipse dixit" statements without any explanation are bizarre.