Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (; July 12, 1934February 27, 2013) was an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958, at the age of 23, when he won the inaugural quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow during the Cold War.

Recording career

Upon Cliburn's return to the United States, RCA Victor signed him to an exclusive contract and his subsequent recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 won the 1958 Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance. It was certified a gold record in 1961, and it became the first classical album to go platinum, achieving that certification in 1989.

List of recordings

Most of Van Cliburn's recordings were originally issued on LP records, with many also available on reel-to-reel, cassette, and 8-track. During the 1980s, RCA Victor reissued most of Cliburn's recordings on compact disc in remasterings of variable quality. Shortly before Cliburn's death, a newly remastered, Original Jacket Collection boxed set of Cliburn's complete RCA Victor recordings was issued, with the exception of the album Van Cliburn Conducts (LSC-2807), Cliburn's sole recording as a conductor.

A number of recordings, mostly originating from live concerts, have been issued on some smaller labels, including Testament.

Year of issueAlbum title and detailsRecording date(s) US BBLP catalog no.Record label1958 Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra / Kirill Kondrashin, conductorMay 30, 1958 1LSC-2252RCA Victor1959Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 Symphony of the Air / Kirill Kondrashin, conductorMay 19, 1958 10LSC-2355RCA Victor1960Schumann Concerto Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductorApril 16, 1960 134LSC-2455RCA Victor 1961Prokofiev and MacDowell Concertos Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26 MacDowell: Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 23 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Walter Hendl, conductorOctober, 1960 —LSC-2507RCA VictorBeethoven “Emperor” Concerto Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor |May, 1961 —LSC-2562RCA VictorMy Favorite Chopin Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 "Heroic" / Nocturne in B major, Op. 62, No. 1 / Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49 / Etude in A minor, Op. 25, No. 11 "Winter Wind" / Etude in E major, Op. 10, No. 3 / Ballade in A-flat major, Op. 47 / Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2 / Scherzo in C-sharp minor, Op. 39May, 1961 71LSC-2576RCA Victor 1962Brahms Concerto No. 2 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor / Robert La Marchina, cello soloMay, 1961 25LSC-2581RCA VictorRachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductorMarch–April, 1962 —LSC-2601RCA Victor1963Beethoven Concerto No. 4 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductorApril, 1963 —LSC-2680RCA Victor1964Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 Boston Symphony Orchestra, / Erich Leinsdorf, conductorMarch, 1964 —LSC-2724RCA Victor1965Van Cliburn Conducts Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music Interlochen Youth Orchestra and Chorus / Van Cliburn, conductorAugust, 1964 —LSC-2807RCA Victor1966Beethoven: “Les Adieux” Sonata, Mozart, Sonata in C Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a "Les Adieux" W. A. Mozart: Piano Sonata in C major, K. 330 March, August 1966 —LSC-2931RCA Victor1968Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58August, 1967 —LSC-3053RCA Red Seal1969Grieg, Liszt Concertos Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S. 124 Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductorAugust 12, 1968 —LSC-3065RCA Red Seal 1970Chopin: Concerto No. 1 Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductorAugust 18, 1969 —LSC-3147RCA Red SealMy Favorite Encores Chopin: Etude in C minor, Op. 10, No. 12 "Revolutionary" / Nocturne in E major, Op. 62, No. 2 / Scherzo in B-flat minor, Op. 31 Debussy: Reflections on the Water (from Images, book II) Szymanowski: Etude in B-flat minor, Op. 4, No. 3 Scriabin: Etude in D-sharp minor, Op. 8, No. 12 Rachmaninoff: Etude-Tableaux in E-flat minor, Op. 39, No. 5August, 1970 —LSC-3185RCA Red Seal 1971Rachmaninoff, Liszt Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S. 125 Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductorMay 7, 1970 —LSC-3179RCA Red SealProkofiev, Barber Sonatas Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82 Barber: Piano Sonata in E-flat minor, Op. 26 August, 1967; August 1970 —LSC-3229RCA Red SealBeethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductorMarch, 1971 —LSC-3238RCA Red SealMy Favorite Brahms Brahms: Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1 / Rhapsody in G minor, Op. 79, No. 2 / Intermezzo in B-flat minor, Op. 117, No. 2 / Intermezzo in C major, Op. 119, No. 3 / Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 39, No. 15 / Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 118, No. 1 / Ballade in G minor, Op. 118, No. 3 / Intermezzo in E-flat minor, Op. 118, No. 6 / Intermezzo in E major, Op. 116, No 6 / Capriccio in G minor, Op. 116, No. 3 August, 1970; July–August, 1971 —LSC-3240RCA Red SealBeethoven Sonatas Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 “Moonlight” Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 “Pathétique” Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”August, 1970 —LSC-4013RCA Red Seal 1972Chopin's Greatest Hits Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 "Heroic" / Mazurka in B-flat major, Op. 7, No 1 / Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2 / Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1 "Minute" / Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 / Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2 / Etude in C minor, Op. 10 No. 12 "Revolutionary" / Etude in E major, Op. 10, No. 3 / Prelude in A major, Op. 28, No. 7 / Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No. 15 "Raindrop" / Scherzo in B-flat minor, Op. 31May, 1961; August, 1970; August, 1971 —LSC-5014RCA Red SealMy Favorite Debussy Debussy: Etude pour lex octaves (from Etudes, Book I) / La Terasse des audiences du clair de lune (from Preludes, Book II) / Claire de Lune (from Suite Bergamasque) / La plus que lente / Jardins sous la pluie (from Estampes) / Reverie / Reflets dand l'eau / Feax d'artifice (from Preludes, Book II) / La Fille aux cheveaux de lin (from Preludes, Book I) / La Soiree dans Grenade (from Estampes) / L'Isle JoyeuseJanuary, 1972 —LSC-3283RCA Red SealThe World's Favorite Piano Music Liszt: Liebestraum No. 3, S. 541 Chopin: Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No, 1 "Minute" / Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 Beethoven: Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59 "Fur Elise" W. A. Mozart: Turkish March, from Sonata, K. 331 Debussy: Reverie / Claire de lune Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2 Brahms: Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 39, No. 15 Schubert: Moment Musical in F minor, D. 780, No. 3 Schumann: Traumerai, from Kinderszenen, Op. 15 Tchaikovsky: Barcarolle, Op. 37a, No. 6, from The Seasons MacDowell: To a Wild Rose, Op 51, No. 1, from Woodland SketchesJuly–August, 1971; January–February, 1972 —LSC-3323RCA Red Seal1973Rachmaninoff Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36 (original version) / Etude-Tableaux in E-flat minor, Op. 39, No. 5 / Prelude in D major, Op. 23, No. 4 / Prelude in G major, Op. 32, No. 5 / Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5 / Prelude in E-flat major, Op. 23, No. 7 / Prelude in C minor, Op. 23, No. 7 June, 1960; August, 1970; August, 1971; August, 1972 —ARL1-0352RCA Red Seal 1976A Romantic Collection Schumann: Romance in F-sharp major, Op. 28, No. 2 Chopin: Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60 Granados: The Maiden and the Nightingale, from Goyescas Debussy: L'Isle Joyeuse Liszt: Consolation No. 3 in D-flat major, S. 172 Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12 / Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5 Tchaikovsky: Song of the Lark, from the Seasons, Op. 37a Ravel: Pavanne for a Dead Princess / ToccataAugust, 1971; July–August, 1975 —ARL1-1176RCA Red SealVan Cliburn plays Liszt Liszt: Sonata in B minor, S. 178 / Un sospiro in D-flat major, S. 144, No. 3 / Sonetto 123 del Petrarca, S. 158, No. 3 / Consolation No. 5 in E major, S. 172, No. 5 / Mephisto Waltz, S. 514August, 1973; July, 1975 —ARL1-1173RCA Red Seal1977Van Cliburn plays Brahms Brahms: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 / Intermezzo in E-flat major, Op. 117, No. 1 / Intermezzo in B-flat minor, Op. 117, No. 2 / Intermezzo in C-sharp minor, Op. 117, No. 3 / Intermezzo in B minor, Op. 119, No. 1 / Intermezzo in E minor, Op. 119, No. 2 / Intermezzo in C major, Op. 119, No. 3 / Rhapsody in E-flat major, Op. 119, No. 4August, 1970; August, 1972; August, 1973; July- August, 1975; —ARL1-2280RCA Red Seal1994Van Cliburn in Moscow Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra / Kirill Kondrashin, conductor1972 —09026 62695 2RCA Victor20081958 Tchaikovsky Competition Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 Kabalevsky: Rondo in A minor, Op. 59 Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra / Kirill Kondrashin, conductor1958 —SBT 1440Testament2009Recital W. A. Mozart: Piano Sonata in C major, K. 330 Chopin: Scherzo in C-sharp minor, Op. 39 / Ballade in A-flat major, Op. 47 / Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata" Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82 Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-sharp minor, S. 244June, 1959 —SBT2 1445Testament

References