One of my earliest, and still very vivid, musical memories was a commercial for set of Van Cliburn cassette tapes. I didn’t know I was hearing the opening chords of Tchaikovsky 1 at the time, or who Van Cliburn was, but I was bowled over by the emotion of the music and danced around the house hoping I could hear more.
A few years later I got to hear Van live in person playing this concerto. I was too young to understand that he was past his prime. What I took away was the incredible magnetism and power that saturated the room. For days afterwards I was ecstatic to have been in the presence of a living legend; I’ll never forget the feeling.
Van Cliburn was a musical hero and a great man; the kind of person and inspiration the world needs more of. Goodbye Van. You will be missed.
Want to learn piano but don't know where to start? I've taught hundreds of happy students! Click here for my free beginner lesson course.