by Paul Craig Roberts, Paul Craig Roberts:

Dear Friends,
I am as tired of challenging and distressing news as you. Today there is a treat instead. The treat is “the Tall Texan,” the American pianist Van Cliburn playing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto at the first Soviet international competition in Moscow in 1958, which Van Cliburn won. Khrushchev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, was present as was Mikoyan. You will see them applauding.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=van+cliban+first+piano+concerto&t=osx&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D6qROema2MDI
After the performances, the judges approached Khrushchev, the ruling General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and asked if they might give the prize to Van Cliburn. Khrushchev asked the judges, “Was he the best?” The judges said, “yes.” “Then give him the prize.” The Soviet conductor could easily have ruined Van Cliburn’s performance, but he did not and the two went on together to make recordings. Today the sanctions would prevent both Van Cliburn’s performance and the subsequent recordings.