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VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-06-18 Van Cliburn Competition Looks for the Best of the Best

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AS IT IS 2013-06-18 Van Cliburn Competition Looks for the Best of the Best

From VOA Learning English, welcome to AS IT IS!

Hello, I’m Steve Ember.

Today on our program, we make beautiful music. Well, we may not be making it, but we will celebrate some very talented young people who do at a world famous competition – and the memory of the American concert pianist whose belief in young talent made it possible.

Every four years since 1962, musicians gather from all over the world to compete in the Van Cliburn International PianoCompetition. This month, 30 competitors, ages 19 to 30 gathered in Fort Worth, Texas for the event. They played for a group of jurors, experts in the world of piano performance. Many other people watched the performances, either in person or through live video webcasts.

Six finalists were chosen after a series of concerts and chamber1 music performances.

Pianists need years of study and countless2 hours of training to get into the finals of the Van Cliburn competition.  They also need the ability to play their best – even if they are very nervous.

“I’ve done a lot of competitions in the past, starting from when I was just an undergrad at Julliard (school).”

Sean Chen of California was one of the six finalists. He remembered losing out early in his first few international competitions, but he kept trying.

“I started doing international competitions and I’d be, always, you know, first-round knock out, 2nd round knock out, and that happened for a long time…But I kept trying. (At) Leeds, I got to the semifinals…and now I’m at Cliburn, the biggest competition, I’ve gotten to the finals, so I’m like whoo. So it’s pretty exciting.”               

He explained why the Van Cliburn competition is so important.

“Cliburn has one of the largest-reaching kind of influence(s) of any competition, I think… As far as being up to date and with the social media and the broadcasting. Cliburn does a really great job with all that, I mean the web-streaming and they have like a Hollywood camera crew following us all around. All the finalists get management…All the finalists get concerts in the next four years.  That’s most important thing, for any up and coming young artist…”

The judges have a hard job. Every pianist they hear during the early part of the competition is excellent. Each one has great technical skill and gives thoughtful interpretations3 of the music.  The judges say that even to the well-trained ear, the pianists sound outstanding. So the judges look for nuances – differences in shading and expression. John Giordano, the jury chairman of the competition, explains:                          

“It’s not a matter of judging technical prowess.  That’s almost taken for granted…Some aspects are pretty simple.  Do I want to hear this person again?  Sometimes it’s something as simple as goose bumps.  It’s not a matter, did they play right notes or wrong notes.  If they miss notes and the message is there, and it really reaches you, you ignore that, you don’t realize it.  When you hear somebody who really moves you, it’s not difficult.  It’s wonderful, it’s very exciting.”

The event is extremely high pressure with difficult competition. But young pianists, like Beatrice Rana from Italy, say it is worth it.

“(Because it’s) one of the most important piano competitions in the world, and it’s one of the few competitions that provide a stable career for the finalists.. I think a good placement in the Cliburn (competition) can provide a wonderful future for someone that aspires4 to be a concert pianist.”

The judges chose a winner after hearing the pianists perform individually, as part of a small group and with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Excitement was high as the announcement was made:

“And our gold medalist, from the Ukraine, Vadym Kholodenko...” 

And the man who inspired the competition...

This was the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition since the death of the man for whom it was named. Van Cliburn died of bone cancer earlier this year at his home in Fort Worth, Texas. He was 78 years old.

Cliburn once said that the goal of his artistic5 life was bringing pleasure to those who heard him play.

“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 please his audiences he did.

Van Cliburn was 23 years old when he performed in the famous Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, in April of 1958.  This was at the height of the Cold War period between the then Soviet6 Union and the United States. The Soviets7 had, only months earlier, launched the first orbiting earth satellite, Sputnik One. The Tchaikovsky competition was intended to also demonstrate Soviet cultural superiority.

But Cliburn’s performances, including this music, the Tchaikowsky Piano Concerto8 No.1, had the Russian audience chanting “First Prize! First Prize!” 

There was concern about awarding first prize to an American, but when premier9 Nikita Khruschev was approached for his permission, he asked “Was he the Best? Then give it to him.”

His victory launched a career that made him unusually famous for a classical musician.  He also became a hero to music-loving people in the former Soviet Union. 

Following the competition, a ticker tape parade in New York’s Lower Manhattan, with 100,000 people lining10 the streets, welcomed him back to the United States.

His RCA Victor recording11 of the Tchaikovsky Concerto was the first classical recording to gain platinum12 status by selling over a million copies within a year. It is still available on CD.

Throughout his career, he had a great interest in encouraging young people to take up classical music. He established the annual Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in his home town of Fort Worth.

 “It’s been so interesting to see the young people come. 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 camaraderie13 – it carried through all through the years.”

He also encouraged the careers of young performers by creating several scholarship programs.

Cliburn continued to perform concerts and solo recitals14, but in 1978, he walked off the stage, professionally exhausted15. He would play occasionally in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but he mainly lived out his final years outside of the public spotlight16.

A favorite saying of Van Cliburn was his take on a statement by the great 20th century Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff: “Great music is enough for a lifetime. But a lifetime is not enough for great music.”

And that’s “As It Is” from VOA Learning English. A reminder17 – for the latest world news tune18 in VOA News at the top of the hour Universal Time, both on radio and our web site. I’m Steve Ember. Thanks for joining us.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
2 countless 7vqz9L     
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的
参考例句:
  • In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
  • I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。
3 interpretations a61815f6fe8955c9d235d4082e30896b     
n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 );表演;演绎;理解
参考例句:
  • This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
4 aspires e0d3cbcde2a88805b7fd83a70eb48df3     
v.渴望,追求( aspire的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The fame to which he aspires was beyond his reach. 他追求的名誉乃是他所不能及的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand li. 老骥伏枥,志在千里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的
参考例句:
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
6 Soviet Sw9wR     
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。
7 soviets 95fd70e5832647dcf39beb061b21c75e     
苏维埃(Soviet的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
  • The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。
8 concerto JpEzs     
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。
9 premier R19z3     
adj.首要的;n.总理,首相
参考例句:
  • The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
  • He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。
10 lining kpgzTO     
n.衬里,衬料
参考例句:
  • The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
  • Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。
11 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
12 platinum CuOyC     
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。
13 camaraderie EspzQ     
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。
14 recitals 751371ca96789c59fbc162a556dd350a     
n.独唱会( recital的名词复数 );独奏会;小型音乐会、舞蹈表演会等;一系列事件等的详述
参考例句:
  • His recitals have earned him recognition as a talented performer. 他的演奏会使他赢得了天才演奏家的赞誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Her teachers love her playing, and encourage her to recitals. 她的老师欣赏她的演奏,并鼓励她举办独奏会。 来自互联网
15 exhausted 7taz4r     
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的
参考例句:
  • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
  • Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
16 spotlight 6hBzmk     
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。
17 reminder WkzzTb     
n.提醒物,纪念品;暗示,提示
参考例句:
  • I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
  • It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知,她才付应该交的房租。
18 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

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