Van Cliburn and the Cold War

Van Cliburn has played for every American president since Truman. This clip shows his performance in the Reagan White House for the Soviet head of state Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife Raisa in the audience. The concert was part of a summit meeting between the two leaders who eventually ended the Cold War.

Credit: "Van Cliburn Concert Pianist", a Sony/BMG documentary directed by Peter Rosen.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• van
• cliburn
• piano
• tchaikovsky
• competition
• classical
• concert
• artist
• pianist
• Mikhail
• Gorbachev
• Cold
• War

[kevin120857]

What a warm and lovely human being. Thank you Van. You are a grace and an inspiration.

[Cmey2k]

Reagan single handidly brought down the Iron Curtain, how can you not love him?

[dsfddsgh]

@Cmey2k Reagan didn't do it all by himself. The Soviet Union was decaying by the 1970's and it was only a matter of time before the rot took them down. The Pope had a huge part it it too.

[markmarshall39]

@calcner he eased the tension didnt he:)

[LordSamuelDespotKing]

HAHA wow lookit em fuckin hands hes got!! giant. giant

[calcner]

this a bit of a stretch....but Van Cliburn might have saved the world.....

[ilikehaku1100]

Rick Astley

[JoanWasQuizzical1]

Van Cliburn played in Moscow in the late fifites, too... nice touch by Ronald Reagan.

I think Benny Goodman played in Moscow around that same time in the late fifties.

[asdfhuliashduflasihf]

@Cmey2k LOL NO HE DID NOT

Reagan actually made things worse before he made a reversal of policy due to populace pressure.

[seanmcnally]

cliburns hands are giant

[LLPorduction]

not really ... it just colapsed on its own...