When the world stopped to listen: Van Cliburn's Cold War triumph and its aftermath

Description

Prologue : Crowds in the streets -- Van -- From Juilliard to the big time -- The big decision -- A tale of two nations -- The great convergence -- The land of snow and spies -- Some wins, some losses -- The storm before the calm -- Hurt feelings -- Red, white, and blues -- The Van effect -- Van, continued -- The end of the road -- Epilogue : The other competitors -- Appendix. Jurors and pianists ; Total second-round socres with and without Richter's vote ; Second-round scorecard in English.;From the acclaimed author of A Natural History of the Piano, the captivating story of the 1958 international piano competition in Moscow, where, at the height of Cold War tensions, an American musician showed the potential of art to change the world. April of 1958--the Iron Curtain was at its heaviest, and the outcome of the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition seemed preordained. Nonetheless, as star musicians from across the globe descended on Moscow, an unlikely favorite emerged: Van Cliburn, a polite, lanky Texan whose passionate virtuosity captured the Russian spirit. This is the story of what unfolded that spring--for Cliburn and the other competitors, jurors, party officials, and citizens of the world who were touched by the outcome. It is a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most remarkable events in musical history, filled with political intrigue and personal struggle as artists strove for self-expression and governments jockeyed for prestige. And, at the core of it all: the value of artistic achievement, the supremacy of the heart, and the transcendent freedom that can be found, through music, even in the darkest moments of human history [Publisher description]. Prologue : Crowds in the streets -- Van -- From Juilliard to the big time -- The big decision -- A tale of two nations -- The great convergence -- The land of snow and spies -- Some wins, some losses -- The storm before the calm -- Hurt feelings -- Red, white, and blues -- The Van effect -- Van, continued -- The end of the road -- Epilogue : The other competitors -- Appendix. Jurors and pianists Total second-round socres with and without Richter's vote Second-round scorecard in English.