VOA标准英语2013--Classical Pianist Van Cliburn Dies

 

Classical Pianist Van Cliburn Dies

In 1958, Van Cliburn became an instant celebrity¹ when he won the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow. It caused a sensation for an American to win a Russian competition during the tense standoff between the United States and the Soviet² Union known as the Cold War. Van Cliburn’s triumph in the competition was celebrated³ not only by Americans, but by Russians. New York Times Moscow correspondent Max Frankel covered the competition and later wrote that “The Soviet public celebrated Cliburn not only for his artistry but for his nationality; affection for him was a safe expression of affection for America.”

Van Cliburn won the competition on the strength of his performance of the Tchaikovsky's "Concerto⁴ No. 1." 

When he returned to the U.S., RCA Records released Van Cliburn’s debut⁵ album containing the prize-winning work. The LP won a Grammy Award and sold more than one million copies, making Cliburn the first American artist to achieve platinum⁶ status with a debut release. Van Cliburn demonstrated his profound love of the music he performed, but felt its popularity went beyond his technical abilities.

"If you take a great piece of music into your heart, you take it for its great spiritual value," said Van Cliburn. "And when you look at a wonderful piece of music, even though it may enjoy popularity, if you examine its pages very carefully, you will find the reason. And it will always be a very good reason why it is popular.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana on July 12, 1934, Van Cliburn began studying piano at age three with his mother, herself a talented pianist. Cliburn made his orchestral debut at age 12 with the Houston Symphony and five years later earned a scholarship to New York's prestigious⁷ Juilliard School. Following graduation, he spent several years performing with various major symphony orchestras, which led to his participation⁸ in Moscow's First International Tchaikovsky Competition. Cliburn brought to his performance not only great musicianship and tremendous technical skill, but a determination to please his audience.

"You always want to play well," he said. "You're always hoping to play well. And if you don't play well, YOU are the unhappiest person. So, you want to please your audience and you hope that you're being true to the music and also true to those who want to hear you."

Van Cliburn dedicated⁹ many years of his life to helping¹⁰ aspiring¹¹ young artists by creating scholarship programs at schools and universities throughout the world. In 1962, he established the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Over the years, the competition has enhanced the careers of numerous developing musicians.

"It's been so interesting to see the young people come," said Van Cliburn. "They meet each other and have friendships and musical correspondences. It's really very exciting. And it's like the same feeling I had when I went to Russia in 1958. The warmth and camaraderie¹² - it carried through all through the years."

Critics praised Cliburn throughout his long career for his outstanding technical prowess and sense of lyrical romanticism. The humble¹³ virtuoso¹⁴ offered much of the credit for his success to his peers.

"One of the things that has always been an inspiration to me is to go to a concert and be thrilled,"he said. "And to be inspired by another person's successful concert. We're all so dependent on another person's success."

Van Cliburn found it difficult to balance his personal life with the demands of constant touring. In the mid-1970s, he abandoned the spotlight¹⁵. But after 11 years off the stage, Cliburn began performing rare concert appearances, and toured extensively in the 1990s.

He was the recipient¹⁶ of some of the nation’s highest honors, including a Kennedy Center Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts, and a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Cliburn’s last appearance was in September at the 50th anniversary of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Van Cliburn died Wednesday morning in Fort Worth, Texas. He was 78.

1 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 concerto   

n.协奏曲

参考例句：

• The piano concerto was well rendered.钢琴协奏曲演奏得很好。
• The concert ended with a Mozart violin concerto.音乐会在莫扎特的小提琴协奏曲中结束。

5 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

6 platinum   

n.白金

参考例句：

• I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。
• Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。

7 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

8 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

9 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

12 camaraderie   

n.同志之爱，友情

参考例句：

• The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable.同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。
• Some bosses are formal and have occasional interactions,while others prefer continual camaraderie.有些老板很刻板，偶尔才和下属互动一下；有些则喜欢和下属打成一片。

13 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

14 virtuoso   

n.精于某种艺术或乐器的专家，行家里手

参考例句：

• He was gaining a reputation as a remarkable virtuoso.作为一位技艺非凡的大师，他声誉日隆。
• His father was a virtuoso horn player who belonged to the court orchestra.他的父亲是宫廷乐队中一个技巧精湛的圆号演奏家。

15 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

16 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。