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1958
             
In Russia, the year 1958 ushered in the First Tchaikovsky International Music Competition…
Russian musicians had been winning top awards at the most prestigious international competitions for a whole 30 years with nearly a thousand performers gaining worldwide recognition. So, they finally decided to hold a major competition in Moscow too and named it after the great 19th century Russian classic Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Heading the jury was the 20th century Russian classic Dmitry Shostakovich whose formidable reputation in the world guaranteed the high professionalism of the contestants.
On March 18, Shostakovich walked out on the stage of the Conservatory Big Hall in Moscow inaugurating the First Tchaikovsky Music Competition.
61 pianists and violinists from 22 countries vied for the contest's top awards under the watchful eye of a star-studded jury that included violinists David Oistrakh and Yefrem Tsimbalist, pianists Emil Gilels and Svyatoslav Richter, composers Aram Khachaturian and Pancho Vladigerov and conductor Carlo Zechhi.
The Soviet authorities were pinning much hope on the Russian contestants and this hope was fully justified with the 26-year-old Moscow Conservatory graduate Valery Klimov, the proud winner of two previous competitions, turning in a commanding performance and topping the list in the violin department…
Meanwhile, the 23 year old American Van Cliburn was creating a big stir among the pianists forcing the Soviet head of the jury, Emil Gilels and the organizing committee chairman, Dmitry Shostakovich, to ask the then President Nikita Khruzhchev to let them give the first prize to the American…
On April 14, Van Cliburn received the gold medal from Dmitry Shostakovich and, suddenly switching to Russian, expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the people thronging the Conservatory Big Hall:
My dear friends! It's a real privilege for me to be here today and I'm very grateful to the members of the jury and the audience for the inspiration they've given me…"
It was the beginning of the Russian people's lifetime affection for the outstanding American pianist whom they showered with flowers, sweets, toys and even the most prized family possessions…
Van Cliburn's triumph boosted international interest in the Tchaikovsky competition which has since been one of the most prestigious in the world.
The year 1958 was one of the happiest in the life of Dmitry Shostakovich who won a wealth of international awards and distinctions…
On April 22 he was also awarded the Lenin Prize - the highest such award in the Soviet Union...
On May 12 he was already in Italy receiving the honorary membership of the Santa Cecilia Academy…
On May 20 Shostakovich was solemnly proclaimed Knight Commander of the Order of Arts and Literature…
On June 25 he was elected a member of Britain's Royal Music Academy and an honorary member of Oxford University.
On September 9 Shostakovich picked up the much touted Jan Sibelius international award in Helsinki, Finland.
His newly written 11th Symphony was being played around the world with the formidable American conductor Leopold Stokowski being the first foreigner to take it on.
"This symphony brings back the best musical traditions Russia has ever had," he said. "Going through the score, I was really stunned by the sheer power of this music which delves so deep into the Slavic soul…"
The 11th Symphony was part of the program of Leopold Stokowsky's 1958 tour of the USSR…
"I'm happy to be here in Russia and I'm really grateful to the Russian people for the very warm welcome they accorded me," Stokowsky said after a triumphal performance before a 11,000 audience gathered in Moscow's giant Palace of Sport.
Stokowsky reserved much praise for the Moscow Radio's Big Symphony orchestra he conducted through a vast repertoire of Russian music, including pieces written by his favorite composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
The Russian conductor Abram Stasevich unveiled his Ivan the Terrible oratorio which he had compiled from Sergei Prokofyev's music written expressly for Sergei Eisenstein's 1945 masterpiece. Stasevich made use of the most stirring fragments which, combined with the recital, produces a very strong impression on the listeners.
The oratorio quickly took root both in Russia and in the West. They later threw in footage from the film to strengthen the overall impression.
Conductor Alexander Yurlov took over the Russian Republican Choir which had just celebrated its 40th birthday. An exceptionally gifted musician and a brilliant organizer, he not only upheld the choir's glorious traditions, but virtually created a new choir without a parallel in Russia. The 100-strong outfit now took just a few days to prepare new programs whose sheer scope, beauty and cohesion literally boggled the mind of their listeners…
In just a few years Alexander Yurlov emerged as a leading music authority with young and seasoned choirmasters alike seeking his advice, the country's best composers making musical dedications and even the authorities allowing him to play compositions which had for decades been kept under wraps…
In Moscow they opened a new concert hall with 476 seats designed by architect Grigory Nepriyenko. A small-size stalls segues to a steeply rising circle crowned by a small balcony. The hall, part of the Gnessin Music Institute, has also been used as the venue for countless philharmonic concerts…
The State Symphony Orchestra was making its first tour of Western Europe which caused a real sensation…
"The orchestra is absolutely wonderful," enthused a Belgian critic, "the beauty and fullness of its sound is really hard to excel…"
Meanwhile, the symphony orchestra of the Leningrad Philharmonic was winning kudos in Japan with listeners cheering the new works by Shostakovich while reserving their warmest welcome for the music of their beloved Pyotr Tchaikovsky…
Moscow Conservatory graduate Alexander Vedernikov joined the Bolshoi Opera. His beautiful bass fitted into the theater's stellar lineup just fine and graced the Bolshoi performances for more than 30 years…
Composer Andrei Eshpai took a break from serious music to try his hand in songs. In one of them, called Muscovites, he, a former scout with the First Belorussian Front, sings about his friends who perished during World War Two ...
 
THE RUSSIAN MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY is prepared for you by Olga Fyodorova.


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