My Dad brought home the Mono version of this recording (before Living Stereo was introduced) in the Spring of 1958. So I learned the concerto from this recording. I have others including Rubinstein, Horowitz, Matsuev, and Richter...but this is the one I return to. The HDTT transfer is flawless (not sure the source of the master). I'm a Cliburn fan but even in the late 50's life "on the road" is not the one he wanted to live. But there is no denying his mastery. In the 10 or 15 years ago I attended a concert in Ft. Worth of the Ft. Worth Symphony. John Williams was conducting his music that night but Van was there. Early in the concert Williams told the story that when he entered Juliiard he (Williams) entered as a piano major and Van was his roommate. He said, "After I heard Van play a few times...I changed my major to composing." The respect between the two was quite palpable that night. For his limited repertoire, Van was the best we had. He's missed.
