Van Cliburn discography


Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. was an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958, at the age of 23, when he won the inaugural quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow during the Cold War.

Recording career

Upon Cliburn's return to the United States, RCA Victor signed him to an exclusive contract and his subsequent recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 won the 1958 Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance. It was certified a gold record in 1961, and it became the first classical album to go platinum, achieving that certification in 1989.

List of recordings

Most of Van Cliburn's recordings were originally issued on LP records, with many also available on reel-to-reel, cassette, and 8-track. During the 1980s, RCA Victor reissued most of Cliburn's recordings on compact disc in remasterings of variable quality. Shortly before Cliburn's death, a newly remastered, Original Jacket Collection boxed set of Cliburn's complete RCA Victor recordings was issued, with the exception of the album Van Cliburn Conducts, Cliburn's sole recording as a conductor.
A number of recordings, mostly originating from live concerts, have been issued on some smaller labels, including Testament.
Year of issueAlbum title and detailsRecording dateUS BB
LP catalog no.Record label
1958Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1
May 30, 19581LSC-2252RCA Victor
1959Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3
  • Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
  • *Symphony of the Air / Kirill Kondrashin, conductor
    		• May 19, 195810LSC-2355RCA Victor
    1960Schumann Concerto
  • Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
  • *Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor
    		• April 16, 1960134LSC-2455RCA Victor
    1961Prokofiev and MacDowell Concertos
  • Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26
  • MacDowell: Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 23
  • * Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Walter Hendl, conductor
    		• October, 1960—LSC-2507RCA Victor
    1961Beethoven “Emperor” Concerto
  • Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73
  • *Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor |
    		• May, 1961—LSC-2562RCA Victor
    1961My Favorite Chopin
  • Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 "Heroic" / Nocturne in B major, Op. 62, No. 1 / Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49 / Etude in A minor, Op. 25, No. 11 "Winter Wind" / Etude in E major, Op. 10, No. 3 / Ballade in A-flat major, Op. 47 / Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2 / Scherzo in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
    		• May, 196171LSC-2576RCA Victor
    1962Brahms Concerto No. 2
  • Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83
  • *Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor / Robert La Marchina, cello solo
    		• May, 196125LSC-2581RCA Victor
    1962Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2
  • Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
  • *Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor
    		• March–April, 1962—LSC-2601RCA Victor
    1963Beethoven Concerto No. 4
  • Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
  • *Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor
    		• April, 1963—LSC-2680RCA Victor
    1964Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1
  • Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15
  • *Boston Symphony Orchestra, / Erich Leinsdorf, conductor
    		• March, 1964—LSC-2724RCA Victor
    1965Van Cliburn Conducts
  • Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music
  • *Interlochen Youth Orchestra and Chorus / Van Cliburn, conductor
    		• August, 1964—LSC-2807RCA Victor
    1966Beethoven: “Les Adieux” Sonata, Mozart, Sonata in C
  • Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a "Les Adieux"
  • W. A. Mozart: Piano Sonata in C major, K. 330
    		• March, August 1966—LSC-2931RCA Victor
    1968Chopin
  • Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35
  • Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
    		• August, 1967—LSC-3053RCA Red Seal
    1969Grieg, Liszt Concertos
  • Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
  • Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S. 124
  • *Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor
    		• August 12, 1968—LSC-3065RCA Red Seal
    1970Chopin: Concerto No. 1
  • Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
  • *Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor
    		• August 18, 1969—LSC-3147RCA Red Seal
    1970My Favorite Encores
  • Chopin: Etude in C minor, Op. 10, No. 12 "Revolutionary" / Nocturne in E major, Op. 62, No. 2 / Scherzo in B-flat minor, Op. 31
  • Debussy: Reflections on the Water
  • Szymanowski: Etude in B-flat minor, Op. 4, No. 3
  • Scriabin: Etude in D-sharp minor, Op. 8, No. 12
  • Rachmaninoff: Etude-Tableaux in E-flat minor, Op. 39, No. 5
    		• August, 1970—LSC-3185RCA Red Seal
    1971Rachmaninoff, Liszt
  • Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
  • Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S. 125
  • *Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor
    		• May 7, 1970—LSC-3179RCA Red Seal
    1971Prokofiev, Barber Sonatas
  • Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82
  • Barber: Piano Sonata in E-flat minor, Op. 26
    		• August, 1967; August 1970—LSC-3229RCA Red Seal
    1971Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3
  • Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
  • *Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor
    		• March, 1971—LSC-3238RCA Red Seal
    1971My Favorite Brahms
  • Brahms: Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1 / Rhapsody in G minor, Op. 79, No. 2 / Intermezzo in B-flat minor, Op. 117, No. 2 / Intermezzo in C major, Op. 119, No. 3 / Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 39, No. 15 / Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 118, No. 1 / Ballade in G minor, Op. 118, No. 3 / Intermezzo in E-flat minor, Op. 118, No. 6 / Intermezzo in E major, Op. 116, No 6 / Capriccio in G minor, Op. 116, No. 3
    		• August, 1970; July–August, 1971—LSC-3240RCA Red Seal
    1971Beethoven Sonatas
  • Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 “Moonlight”
  • Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 “Pathétique”
  • Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”
    		• August, 1970—LSC-4013RCA Red Seal
    1972Chopin's Greatest Hits
  • Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 "Heroic" / Mazurka in B-flat major, Op. 7, No 1 / Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2 / Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1 "Minute" / Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 / Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2 / Etude in C minor, Op. 10 No. 12 "Revolutionary" / Etude in E major, Op. 10, No. 3 / Prelude in A major, Op. 28, No. 7 / Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No. 15 "Raindrop" / Scherzo in B-flat minor, Op. 31
    		• May, 1961; August, 1970; August, 1971—LSC-5014RCA Red Seal
    1972My Favorite Debussy
  • Debussy: Etude pour lex octaves / La Terasse des audiences du clair de lune / Claire de Lune / La plus que lente / Jardins sous la pluie / Reverie / Reflets dand l'eau / Feax d'artifice / La Fille aux cheveaux de lin / La Soiree dans Grenade / L'Isle Joyeuse
    		• January, 1972—LSC-3283RCA Red Seal
    1972The World's Favorite Piano Music
  • Liszt: Liebestraum No. 3, S. 541
  • Chopin: Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No, 1 "Minute" / Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66
  • Beethoven: Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59 "Fur Elise"
  • W. A. Mozart: Turkish March, from Sonata, K. 331
  • Debussy: Reverie / Claire de lune
  • Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2
  • Brahms: Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 39, No. 15
  • Schubert: Moment Musical in F minor, D. 780, No. 3
  • Schumann: Traumerai, from Kinderszenen, Op. 15
  • Tchaikovsky: Barcarolle, Op. 37a, No. 6, from The Seasons
  • MacDowell: To a Wild Rose, Op 51, No. 1, from Woodland Sketches
    		• July–August, 1971; January–February, 1972—LSC-3323RCA Red Seal
    1973Rachmaninoff
  • Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36 / Etude-Tableaux in E-flat minor, Op. 39, No. 5 / Prelude in D major, Op. 23, No. 4 / Prelude in G major, Op. 32, No. 5 / Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5 / Prelude in E-flat major, Op. 23, No. 7 / Prelude in C minor, Op. 23, No. 7
    		• June, 1960; August, 1970; August, 1971; August, 1972—ARL1-0352RCA Red Seal
    1976A Romantic Collection
  • Schumann: Romance in F-sharp major, Op. 28, No. 2
  • Chopin: Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60
  • Granados: The Maiden and the Nightingale, from Goyescas
  • Debussy: L'Isle Joyeuse
  • Liszt: Consolation No. 3 in D-flat major, S. 172
  • Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12 / Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5
  • Tchaikovsky: Song of the Lark, from the Seasons, Op. 37a
  • Ravel: Pavanne for a Dead Princess / Toccata
    		• August, 1971; July–August, 1975—ARL1-1176RCA Red Seal
    1976Van Cliburn plays Liszt
  • Liszt: Sonata in B minor, S. 178 / Un sospiro in D-flat major, S. 144, No. 3 / Sonetto 123 del Petrarca, S. 158, No. 3 / Consolation No. 5 in E major, S. 172, No. 5 / Mephisto Waltz, S. 514
    		• August, 1973; July, 1975—ARL1-1173RCA Red Seal
    1977Van Cliburn plays Brahms
  • Brahms: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 / Intermezzo in E-flat major, Op. 117, No. 1 / Intermezzo in B-flat minor, Op. 117, No. 2 / Intermezzo in C-sharp minor, Op. 117, No. 3 / Intermezzo in B minor, Op. 119, No. 1 / Intermezzo in E minor, Op. 119, No. 2 / Intermezzo in C major, Op. 119, No. 3 / Rhapsody in E-flat major, Op. 119, No. 4
    		• August, 1970; August, 1972; August, 1973; July- August, 1975;—ARL1-2280RCA Red Seal
    1994Van Cliburn in Moscow
  • Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
  • Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83
  • *Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra / Kirill Kondrashin, conductor
    		• 1972—09026 62695 2RCA Victor
    20081958 Tchaikovsky Competition
  • Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23
  • Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
  • Kabalevsky: Rondo in A minor, Op. 59
  • *Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra / Kirill Kondrashin, conductor
    		• 1958—SBT 1440Testament
    2009Recital
  • W. A. Mozart: Piano Sonata in C major, K. 330
  • Chopin: Scherzo in C-sharp minor, Op. 39 / Ballade in A-flat major, Op. 47 / Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49
  • Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata"
  • Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82
  • Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-sharp minor, S. 244
    		• June, 1959—SBT2 1445Testament