I have been slothful in putting my thoughts about this wonderful book in writing although I finished it over a week ago. A finalist of the National Book Critics Circle Award for biography, Moscow Nights: The Van Cliburn Story provides an insightful look at the man, the music, and the politics that surrounded the first Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958. Van Cliburn took the world by storm with his Romantic repertoire and Texas charm. He was an overnight sensation, causing an uproar among Russian youth similar to that of Elvis or the Beatles in our country. Moscow Nights follows Cliburn from his Texas roots to his studies at Juilliard and the monumental Tchaikovsky competition before exploring the aftermath of the pianist’s unexpected victory and the notoriety that followed.
Nigel Cliff does an exceptional job of blending biography with political history (of both the US and the USSR) and the music performed. Cliff’s descriptions of Van Cliburn’s performances are mesmerizing and allows the reader to feel as though he is hearing the music first hand. American-Soviet relations are presented in a clear, understandable manner as they influenced the events unfolding on the Russian Conservatory stage.
Where many biographies tend to portray the individual as a hero, Cliff presents Van as an everyday man with exceptional talent, lots of self-doubt, and noticeable flaws. As I closed the book, I felt as though I knew more about Cliburn and the world in which he lived. In my opinion, that is one of the greatest compliments that can be paid any biography.
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