2016 · Harper · Moscow, April
Moscow Nights
The Van Cliburn Story — How One Man and His Piano Transformed the Cold War
- Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award
- Winner of Nautilus Gold and Silver Awards
- A Boston Globe Best Book of 2016
- A New York Post Must-Read Book
In 1958, a twenty-three-year-old piano prodigy from Texas named Van Cliburn traveled to Moscow to compete in the First International Tchaikovsky Competition. The Soviets had no intention of bestowing their coveted prize on an unknown American; a Soviet pianist had already been chosen to win.
Yet when the gangly Texan with the shy grin took the stage and began to play, he instantly captivated an entire nation. Nigel Cliff recreates the drama and tension of the Cold War era, and brings into focus the gifted musician and deeply compelling figure whose music would temporarily bridge the divide between two dangerously hostile powers.
“This story is to the Cold War what ping-pong diplomacy was to President Nixon’s opening to China. It is both entertaining and illuminating, and Cliff tells it beautifully.”
“A beautifully done biography of one of the Cold War’s most famous and unlikely characters.”
Moscow, 1958
★ Starred reviews — Publishers Weekly · Library Journal · Booklist · Kirkus Reviews
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“With his gold-medal performance in Moscow, Van Cliburn added a human face to the Cold War… A nuanced account.”
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“Cliff portrays Cliburn as a musical savant, full of contradictions… and successfully evokes Cliburn’s intuitive musicianship.”
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“A freshly sourced account of these momentous Moscow nights.”
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“Gripping, fast-moving, novel-like… a narrative that is by turns tense and tender.”
