Van Cliburn - A Portrait (1966) (DVD)

Though Van Cliburn will always be remembered as the winner of the first Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition (and remains the only American ever to have won it), this 1966 documentary from the Bell Telephone Hour highlights his true distinction as a musician of remarkable range and depth. Cliburn himself narrates the film, and offers many personal insights on music. Features a rehearsal of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, Liszt's Piano Sonata, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 and performance of the final movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. As a bonus, Cliburn is seen in two performances from the Bell Telephone Hour in 1960 (Schumann-Liszt: Widmung, Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 - 3rd Movement).
Color, 67 minutes, 4:3, All regions