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Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (/ˈklaɪbɜːrn/; July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013)^[1] 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.^[2]^[3]

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 reissued most of Cliburn's recordings on compact disc in remasterings of variable quality. Shortly before Cliburn's death, RCA Red Seal released a newly remastered, Original Jacket Collection boxed set, including Cliburn's complete RCA Victor recordings, with the exception of LSC 2807, Van Cliburn Conducts, 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 issue	Album title and details	Recording date(s)	LP catalog no.	Record label
1958	Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra / Kirill Kondrashin, conductor	May 30, 1958	LSC-2252	RCA Victor
1959	Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 Symphony of the Air / Kirill Kondrashin, conductor	May 19, 1958	LSC-2355	RCA Victor
1960	Schumann Concerto Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor	April 16, 1960	LSC-2455	RCA Victor
1961	Prokofiev 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, conductor	October, 1960	LSC-2507	RCA Victor
1961	Beethoven “Emperor” Concerto Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor \|	May, 1961	LSC-2562	RCA Victor
1961	My 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. 39	May, 1961	LSC-2576	RCA Victor
1962	Brahms Concerto No. 2 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor / Robert La Marchina, cello solo	May, 1961	LSC-2581	RCA Victor
1962	Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor	March–April, 1962	LSC-2601	RCA Victor
1963	Beethoven Concerto No. 4 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor	April, 1963	LSC-2680	RCA Victor
1964	Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 Boston Symphony Orchestra, / Erich Leinsdorf, conductor	March, 1964	LSC-2724	RCA Victor
1965	Van Cliburn Conducts Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music Interlochen Youth Orchestra and Chorus / Van Cliburn, conductor	August, 1964	LSC-2807	RCA Victor
1966	Beethoven: “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-2931	RCA Victor
1968	Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58	August, 1967	LSC-3053	RCA Victor
1969	Grieg, 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, conductor	August 12, 1968	LSC-3065	RCA Red Seal
1970	Chopin: Concerto No. 1 Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor	August 18, 1969	LSC-3147	RCA Red Seal
1970	My 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. 5	August, 1970	LSC-3185	RCA Red Seal
1971	Rachmaninoff, Liszt Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S. 125 Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor	May 7, 1970	LSC-3179	RCA Red Seal
1971	Prokofiev, 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-3229	RCA Red Seal
1971	Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor	March, 1971	LSC-3238	RCA Red Seal
1971	My 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-3240	RCA Red Seal
1971	Beethoven 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-4013	RCA Red Seal
1972	Chopin'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. 31	May, 1961; August, 1970; August, 1971	LSC-5014	RCA Red Seal
1972	My 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 Joyeuse	January, 1972	LSC-3283	RCA Red Seal
1972	The 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 Sketches	July–August, 1971; January–February, 1972	LSC-3323	RCA Red Seal
1973	Rachmaninoff 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	ARL1-0352	RCA Red Seal
1976	A 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 / Toccata	August, 1971; July–August, 1975	ARL1-1176	RCA Red Seal
1976	Van 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. 514	August, 1973; July, 1975	ARL1-1173	RCA Red Seal
1977	Van 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. 4	August, 1970; August, 1972; August, 1973; July- August, 1975;	ARL1-2280	RCA Red Seal
1994	Van 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, conductor	1972	09026 62695 2	RCA Victor
2008	1958 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, conductor	1958	SBT 1440	Testament
2009	Recital 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. 244	June, 1959	SBT2 1445	Testament