Van Cliburn, Classical Pianist, Dies At 78

Van Cliburn, classical pianist, died on Wednesday morning at his home in Fort Worth, Tex., after a battle with bone cancer, according to his publicist, Mary Lou Falcone. He was 78.

Cliburn, a Julliard-trained pianist, made a name for himself in 1958 when he achieved an unprecedented victory at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. It was this win, during the years of the Cold War, that shot the then 23-year-old Cliburn to fame and recognition. Politics infused the competition in which Cliburn excelled and outmatched the Soviets in their own musical game, playing concertos by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

When Cliburn returned home after his feat, he was welcomed with a ticker-tape parade in New York City. He also received lavish attention by the press, including a cover of Time magazine, which dubbed him “The Texan Who Conquered Russia." Those seeking to cash in on his talents and newfound fame offered the young Cliburn recording contracts and touring engagements. The recording of his performance of "Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto" for RCA sold over a million copies.

After thriving as a concert pianist throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s he retired, sensing that his limited tonal palette and relatively small repertoire had left him peaking at an early age. Although he occasionally returned to the concert stage, he never seemed to reach the level of success that seemed preordained as a young pianist.

Despite a premature end to Cliburn’s professional career, his early victory in Moscow lives on in his influence. In 1962, a quadrennial event called the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was founded. Through this competition, pianists such as Radu Lupa, Olga Kern and Jon Nakamatsu have been discovered.

He is survived by Thomas L. Smith, whom he had lived with for many years.