THE PHENOMENON OF VAN CLIBURN ON THE PIANISTIC HORIZON OF THE ERA

In 2024, the entire musical world celebrated the 90th anniversary of Van Cliburn’s birth. The article focuses on the American pianist’s brilliant ascent to the pianistic Olympus after his triumph at the First International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. It highlights the pianist’s affinity to the traditions of the Russian piano school. Despite Cliburn’s immense popularity after the publication of books in 1959 by the Leningrad musicologist S. Khentova, as well as American authors A. Chasins and W. Stiles, no fundamental works have been devoted to his performance style and the peculiarities of his extraordinary creative path. After a period of success, the pianist’s playing was subjected to rather harsh criticism by foreign and Russian musicians, which is the subject of this article. Cliburn’s approach to performance is examined in comparison with the creative attitudes of his contemporaries and representatives of subsequent generations. We analyse the pianist’s repertoire preferences, which were mainly limited to works of the Romantic repertoire. It is noted that Cliburn was exceptionally close to the music of S. Rachmaninoff, with whose playing his listeners saw much in common. Particular attention is paid to the comparison of the creative positions of Van Cliburn and G. Gould. The reasons why both pianists decided to leave the great concert stage are analysed. The conclusion is drawn on the great significance of Cliburn’s art for the development of Russian and world piano art of the epoch.