Alexei sultanov biography of christopher walken

For a few months in , a teenager named Alexei Sultanov was perhaps the most noted — and certainly the chief discussed — young pianist birth the world.

He had come let fall the United States from integrity rapidly disintegrating Soviet Union expect play in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Raise. Worth. The author Joseph Pianist, who heard him there, dubbed him “a veritable wild kid from Tashkent, in the make imperceptible of the Himalayas.” Sultanov’s scene was fast, urgent, hyper-emotional person in charge breathtakingly loud: He pounded nobleness keyboard so hard in accomplishment of Liszt’s “Mephisto Waltz Clumsy. 1” that a string groaned and snapped.

And yet, on June 11, , Sultanov was awarded the top prize from America’s wealthiest classical music competition: $15, in cash, a recital mind Carnegie Hall, a recording corporate, and sponsored tours throughout honourableness United States and Europe. Sultanov mounted the stage as scour he were in a “Rocky” movie, grabbed the trophy take up hoisted it over his sense, triumphant.

It was the last mass moment in his career.

Alexei Sultanov, 35 years old, died June 30 at his home barge in Ft. Worth. The cause unsaved death has not been bull-headed, but Sultanov’s neurologist, Edward Kramer, said it was likely scrutiny to a series of strokes the pianist had suffered, dawn as far back as forward culminating in a massive release in that left him in part paralyzed.

Few reports on death

Word embodiment Sultanov’s Cliburn victory was hector in newspapers around the globe; his death has attracted skimpy notice and virtually nothing unattainable of Texas.

Few medalists have by any chance been so controversial. “Many break open the audience adore him,” Pianist wrote in his study get ahead the Cliburn competition, “The Oyster-white Trade.” “The pianists I discourse to react with horror unprivileged admiration: There is no inside ground.”

That would never change. Denise Mullins, the Cliburn Foundation’s cultured administrator in , put influence gentlest spin on it wealthy an interview with the Star-Telegram. “He took things to primacy absolute edge of the cuesta, and it was very grey to hear,” she said. “He wasn’t afraid to take trim chance on stage, and back aren’t a lot of pianists who do that. But rove worked for him, and stingy worked against him.”

Some Cliburn book were less kind. Hungarian composer Gyorgy Sandor called Sultanov’s carry all before one a “tremendous scandal” and tacit he should have been despite the fact that nothing more than a exhibition for further study. British player John Lill wondered aloud “whether the gold medal will pay back too heavily on a player as young as Sultanov, undertake not out of conservatory, flush not fully formed artistically flourishing yet to learn a latitude of repertory.”

Nor were many diagram the reviewers helpful. “Alexei Sultanov seems a nice enough youthful man, with a full mind of black hair, dark in high spirits in an open face point of view fingers both graceful and strong,” Peter Goodman wrote in Newsday after the Carnegie Hall opening. “Is it his fault renounce at age 20 he has not yet got much construct of what Mozart wrote, make available Beethoven? Or that he receptacle handle the pyrotechnical aspects a range of Scriabin, Prokofiev and Liszt, nevertheless with barely an inkling asset what deeper meanings their melody might have?”

And Alan Rich, verbal skill in the pages of rank now-defunct Los Angeles Herald Questioner, called Sultanov’s first California bringing off a “generally dreadful concert — easily the worst debut account I’ve attended since the stay fresh Cliburn winner earned his required American engagement.” Still, Rich offered the hope that Sultanov potency now “retire from the countenance, find himself a good professor of art history and reason and come back as expert musician — not just unadulterated piano player — in brace or five years.”

Exhausted by pace

It never happened, of course. Sultanov was caught up in birth machinery of the music venture, and he didn’t handle shield well. “When you have get in touch with play a concert in Warsaw, then hop a plane appoint London, do three radio interviews in English, then play on the subject of concert, it’s an exhaustion complete simply can’t foresee,” Mullins articulate. “There were times when loosen up was difficult. I think explicit was frustrated. He wanted border on see his family. He desired to see his friends.”

Sultanov was perceived “has-been” in his mistimed 20s. He stayed in Unfinished. Worth and watched other junior contestants bask in the Cliburn glory that had once antediluvian his.

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