My Three Favorite Piano Concertos

My interest in Piano Concertos was first aroused when Van Cliburn won the first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, Russia in 1958.  Before I gave you my list allow me to quote the following write up from Wikipedia. 

Cliburn with his mother in the Netherlands in 1966

Harvey "Van" Cliburn Jr. (( July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013) was an American pianist who, at the age of 23, achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 (during the Cold War). Cliburn's mother, a piano teacher and an accomplished pianist in her own right, discovered him playing at age three, mimicking one of her students and arranged for him to start taking lessons. Cliburn developed a rich, round tone and a singing-voice-like phrasing, having been taught from the start to sing each piece.

Cliburn toured domestically and overseas. He played for royalty, heads of state, and every US president from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama. He was my idol!

The first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 was an event designed to demonstrate Soviet cultural superiority during the Cold War, after the USSR's technological victory with the Sputnik launch in October 1957. Cliburn's performance at the competition finale of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 on April 13 earned him a standing ovation lasting eight minutes.

After the ovation, Van Cliburn made a brief speech in Russian, and then resumed his seat at the piano and began to play—to the surprise and delight of the Russian musicians visible behind him in the film made of his part in the competition—his own piano arrangement of the much-beloved song "Moscow Nights," which, as the response shows, further endeared him to the Russians. 

When it was time to announce the winner, the judges were obliged to ask permission of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to give the first prize to an American. "Is he the best?" Khrushchev asked. "Then give him the prize!" Cliburn returned home to a ticker-tape parade in New York City, the only time the honor has been accorded a classical musician. Arriving at City Hall after the parade, Cliburn told the audience:

RUSSIANS CONQUERED MY HEART 

I appreciate more than you will ever know that you are honoring me, but the thing that thrills me the most is that you are honoring classical music. Because I'm only one of many. I'm only a witness and a messenger. Because I believe so much in the beauty, the construction, the architecture invisible, the importance for all generations, for young people to come that it will help their minds, develop their attitudes, and give them values. That is why I'm so grateful that you have honored me in that spirit.

A cover story in Time magazine proclaimed him "The Texan Who Conquered Russia". His triumph in Moscow propelled Cliburn to international prominence. 

 1. Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1 ( Excerpts)( Van Cliburn-5.5 minutes)-Click the Watch on You-Tube!

This concerto was my first 33 LP record that I purchased. It sold more than a Million copies.

2. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2 ( Excerpts) )

*Cecil Licad playing Rachmaninoff Concerto #2 Movement #1

Movement #3 -Full Moon and Empty Arms- Yuja Wang

My wife (Macrine, RIP) knows very well Cecile's Aunt Gloria Licad Lanot in the mid 1950's. My wife at that time was employed by Mr. Serafin Lanot( RIP) in his(Printing Press).   Gloria Licad Lanot was married to poet-essayist-journalist-astrologer, Serafin Lanot. He was a former director of the Bureau of Printing and head of Tamaraw Publishing House, Inc. I also have the honor meeting Mr. Lanot once in his office when I visited Macrine. 

Gloria Licad was the sister of Dr. Jesus Licad, M.D( father of Cecile). Gloria(RIP) was also a pianist and a retired music teacher from the University of the Philippines College of Music. She finished Music, major in Piano at the St. Scholastica’s College, and was praised by her professors at Chicago Musical College, where she obtained her M.A. in Piano.

3. Chopin Piano Concerto #1 in E-minor, Op11-2

 

The second movement above is featured at the climax of Don Hertzfeldt's 2012 film "It's Such a Beautiful Day". This movement is also featured in the 1998 movie, The Truman Show, as well as in the soundtrack for the movie.

Here are excerpts from other piano concertos

 Meanwhile enjoy this photo from my album

Macrine and I, Washington DC, 1994 and 1996