-
“A tightly focused monograph that profits from the fact that its author is himself a pianist…[revealing] why Cliburn played the way he played—and how his distinctive style helped him win.”
— Wall Street Journal
-
“Isacoff compellingly details the various backstage intrigues.”
— Los Angeles Review of Books
-
“More than a history of this historic competition, Isacoff’s book is a testament to the power music has to transcend differences.”
— Durham Herald-Sun
-
“This was a fascinating and important event…A juicy book.”
— National Review
-
“Analyzes Cliburn’s strengths and weaknesses…[and] the particular velvet touch that produced that inimitable Cliburn tone.”
— Dallas Morning News
-
“Isacoff pulls aside the curtain on the competition, from the backroom dealings to the (disgusting and dangerous) contents of the drug cocktail that fueled Cliburn to victory.”
— Book Reporter
-
“Not only is Isacoff’s prose evocative, he is both a pianist and a historian of the piano. His descriptions are often music lessons in themselves.”
— New York Review of Books
-
“Well researched…Assures that [Cliburn] won’t be just a footnote in the annals of piano artistry.
— New York Journal of Books
-
“Isacoff brings both a pianist’s insights and a historian’s rigor to an event that shook the musical world—indeed, the world at large—almost six decades ago.”
— Classical Voice
-
“A page-turner that resonates long after the final sentence.”
— American Music Teacher
-
“The author’s deftly written narrative places Cliburn both in the world of classical music and the larger Cold War conflict.”
— Library Journal
-
“This well-rounded biography will move readers…Essential reading for music lovers.”
— Booklist
-
“Narrator Stefan Rudnicki adds warmth and humor to the story of Cliburn’s achievement.”
— AudioFile
-
“A touching portrait of Cliburn.”
— Kirkus Reviews
-
“An exciting, thorough, and deeply moving reminder of Van Cliburn’s triumph at the Tchaikovsky Competition.”
— Emanuel Ax, musician
-
“Beautifully written…an insider’s report of the onstage and offstage drama around the 1958 triumph of Van Cliburn and the incredible musical events that led to a Cold War ‘thaw.’”
— André Watts, concert pianist
-
“The singular odyssey of the Cold War’s remarkable pianistic icon is recounted in a breathtaking synergy of unprecedented worldwide scholarship, fervent musical insight, and virtuoso storytelling…indispensable.”
— Sara Davis Buechner, pianist
-
“With Van Cliburn’s remarkable victory in the 1958 Tchaikovsky Competition as centerpiece, Stuart Isacoff has given us a sensitive, in-depth portrait of the triumphs and tragedies which plagued Cliburn for the rest of his life.”
— Martin Bookspan, broadcaster
-
“Stuart Isacoff, a stellar researcher, tells a spellbinding, even a startling, adventure story, starring the legendary American pianist: a life of triumph and tragedy.”
— David Dubal, professor, Juilliard School