"I never abandoned the stage, I never left the stage, I only took time," said Van Cliburn, who had not appeared in a public concert or made a recording in nearly eleven years. It was 2:30 a.m., Cliburn's favored hour for interviews, since he usually sleeps from 5 in the morning to 1 in the afternoon. As he talked about his return to the stage that he had never left, he grew increasingly adamant. "I never retired, and I don't think that classical musicians do. It's unthinkable."
The legendary pianist, who became a cold war hero by his spectacular victory at...
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