VAN CLIBURN, REMEMBERED

Cliburn, who died in Feb. 2013, at the age of 79, was be remembered in an extraordinary program at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts.

The program featured a film documentary of Van Cliburn by award-winning director Peter Rosen, narrated by Dan Rather, performance footage and never-before–publicly-shown home videos. Richard Rodzinski, President Emeritus of the Van Cliburn Foundation, who for 23 years was in charge of the world-renowned piano competition, and is now serving as General Director of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, talked about his long association with the legendary pianist.

"Among the never-shown home videos is one made in Moscow, where Cliburn was hosted by Gorbachev, then President of the Soviet Union. History was made once again” said Rodzinski, who accompanied Cliburn on the trip, in an interview with The Virginia Gazette.

Rodzinski explained that it was not only Van Cliburn’s talent, as a great pianist, that elevated him into the top-ranks of international classical musicians, but also his ability to tear down cultural barriers among nations, even sworn adversaries. He was known to be able to transcend politics by demonstrating the universality of classical music.

The incentive for the 23–year-long close association between Van Cliburn and Richard Rodzinski has been the pianist’s love for the opera. And Radzinski, who has served as a noted artistic administrator at both the San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, in New York, had all the credentials that a new leader for the Cliburn Competition needed.

Rodzinski was fond of quoting an advertising executive who said, "You people in classical music have no idea how to promote your product. You’re back in the Dark Ages when it comes to knowledge in marketing.” Rodzinski, proved him wrong. After taking over the Cliburn Competition, he made it into a cultural powerhouse, using all facets of the media to publicize and promote the competition, worldwide. He used to say, "One of the dangers we are running into in society, in America and Europe as well, is the marginalization of culture and lack of recognition of how important culture is in creating a better human being. "

Responding to the question of what was it like to work with such an exacting creative artist as Cliburn, Rodzinski said: "There couldn’t have been a more wonderful, genteel, giving, modest human being than he was. He never wanted to interfere with the day-to-day work. The only thing he insisted on was maintaining the high quality of the competition.”

No wonder, it carried his name that was known, worldwide. Van Cliburn performed for every President of the United States since Harry Truman and for royalty and heads of state on every continent .He received the Kennedy Center Honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts. In a Kremlin ceremony he received the Order of Friendship from President Vladimir Putin, of Russia.

The Lake Placid connection between Cliburn and Lake Placid goes back to the time when the Center for Music and Dramatic Arts was established. "Mrs. Alton Johnson, the benefactor of the Center, was able to recruit Van Cliborn, to perform there,” said Rodzinski.. The grand piano he played on remains in use at the Center.

Barbara Ericson, Board President, is quoted saying: "We are excited that a special program devoted exclusively to Van Cliburn was be the entrée to the Lake Placid Sinfonietta summer season of wonderful classical music.”

In Rodzinki’s word, "Classical music has an enormous future if potential audiences are properly exposed to it.”

By Frank Shatz, 

Columnist,