Van Cliburn was a talented pianist who is most well known for a singular accomplishment: being concurrently beloved by citizens of the United States and the Soviet Union in the midst of the Cold War. Winning the First International Tchaikovsky Competition on Soviet soil, against an array of premier Soviet and international pianists, Cliburn won over the enthusiasm of the Soviet public while still remaining a popular musician back home. Despite the corrupt USSR competition firstly having a pre-selected winner, the response from the enlivened Soviet populace was so overwhelming that Nikita Khrushchev was eventually pressured to walk to the judges, demanding, “Give him the prize!”

"Nigel Cliff effectively veers back and forth between the American and Soviet consciousness, portraying the difficult conundrum in which many individuals were placed because of the dire and mixed-up realities of the Cold War."

It cannot be understated just how much admiration the people of the Soviet Union showed the tall yet shy Texan. They sobbed, screamed and unleashed a torrent of emotion that had long been absent, or kept far from sight of the public eye. Cliburn was a romantic figure both tender and thrillingly gifted, which splintered through the cold, routinized nature of the USSR’s past. Some say he had an intrinsic understanding of Russian music grander than many Russians themselves, and easily all of his competitors. Significantly, he portrayed a Russia in his music that was not harsh, but rather radiant and beautiful, transmitting to Moscow hope for a future sincerely better than the one that had befallen them, and a renewed sense of actual pride.

MOSCOW NIGHTS is heavy on the history of the Soviet Union and somewhat less so on the performances of the piano that make the book unique. Perhaps the Van Cliburn story should have remained front and center throughout its entirety, because there are a multitude of books available where one can access information about the history of the USSR on a fuller scale. It does, however, offer readers an understanding of the context of the Van Cliburn story for those who have no familiarity with Soviet history. There is a fair share of American history in there too, as understandably Cliburn was a man who impacted both countries. Author Nigel Cliff effectively veers back and forth between the American and Soviet consciousness, portraying the difficult conundrum in which many individuals were placed because of the dire and mixed-up realities of the Cold War.

Political and military tensions ran high between the two adversaries, though Cliburn diminished these tensions by emitting musical brilliance not in a flash, but with a thoughtful, brilliant humility. He won over the Russian people with the goodness of his musical feeling and the purity of his intentions. MOSCOW NIGHTS, at its height, interprets how the arts and humanities are a valid means of bringing people together. It cuts through the political and military talk that pervades the common narrative of the Cold War. If only for a moment in time, the world could walk back from the brink to appreciate a musical expression that transcended nations and cultures.

In the end, the Van Cliburn story represents how artistic and intellectual freedom impacts the hearts and minds of people globally. Although it did not come close to ending the war, it made a difference that many will personally remember forever.