Van Cliburn inspired his family for two generations. Now he’s the first to perform
The big black Steinway concert piano sat waiting in lilac light as an audience trickled in like metal to a magnet.
And in the wings at stage right stood the first man to greet it Thursday in the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition’s first of three days of preliminaries: 27-year-old Georgijs Osokins of Latvia, who was preparing to begin his great translation.
To perform first in what’s known widely as the piano Olympics at TCU’s Van Cliburn concert hall comes with a stigma that can only be explained by the performers themselves. It’s a position no one wants. But someone has to do it, and this year, Osokins’ name was the last one pulled to pick a performance slot.
But this is a moment time has intricately woven. Van Cliburn, the Fort Worth pianist for whom the hall and competition are named, was the one who inspired Osokins’ parents to begin piano, who in turn inspired Osokins himself. Now, he’s one of 30 performers in the competition in which 388 applied in an effort to win the gold.
That spirit today is on his side. The environment, the acoustics, the piano are set. Now, it comes down only to Osokins to follow through.
As 10 a.m. neared, the lights dimmed and slowly zipped the crowd noise shut. And onto the stage Osokins loped assuredly, arms swinging loose as he took his seat and played the competition’s first notes.
In this moment, in these 40 minutes of undivided attention on one of classical music’s biggest stages, he’s in a trance. It’s a time he says isn’t about him, but about being a part of a bigger picture.
The music from Scriabin’s Black Mass, Hough’s Fanfar Toccata and Chopin’s Sonata No. 3 soars from dark to lively to whimsical as Osokins stands and bows modestly between the pieces. He was joined by a partner and sheet music only once, and together they worked in tandem in a dance to flip the pages with a nod from Osokins.
Nerves this day come not from going first, but from doing the composers who’s music he’s playing justice. This isn’t about the competition, but rather, the imagination and fantasy.
And when he’ finished, a shout from the distance: “Bravo!” There were more bows and an exit, and when the applause didn’t stop, a return center stage.
The preliminary round of recitals continue through Saturday evening, when 18 quarterfinalists will be announced. Quarterfinalist recitals are June 5-6, followed by 12 semifinalist performances June 8-12 that include a recital plus a Mozart piano concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at Bass Performance Hall.
The six finalists will take the stage June 14-18 for two concertos with the orchestra and conductor Marin Alsop. The medalists are announced at a 7 p.m. awards ceremony on June 18.
[MORE: How to watch the Cliburn performances]
[MORE: When each of the competitors takes the stage in preliminary rounds]
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 4:04 PM.
