Memories of Auntie
Van Cliburn died yesterday and there is not one in 100 people on this island who would recognize his name, let alone know who he was: one of the first 20th Century classical pianists to have rock star cult status.
I only know who he was because Auntie lived with us for her last ten years and she had one Cliburn ‘record’ that she loved and played over and over and over. And then played some more.
But Auntie called the album “My favourite choppin” as in chopping onions, not listening to ‘show-pan’.
We never had the heart to tell her.
When I read that Van Cliburn died I thought of Auntie and it made me sad and happy at the same time. I hope you don’t mind I shared that with you.
Robert
Barbados Free Press 
Yeah, Van could really tear it up on the Rach 3!
Oh wow, had no idea he was so long lived! Didn’t he appear in a film with Gene Kelly?
Long Lived? He was 79 years old.
Lived with his mother until she died, never discussed his sexuality.