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Praise for "When the World Stopped to Listen"

"A great book about a great American musician who, in the tensions of Cold War, helped move our world from war to peace."
— Sergei Khrushchev


"Exciting, thorough, and deeply moving... a most satisfying experience."
— Emanuel Ax


"...Marvelously researched and written. I couldn't put the book down."
— Yefim Bronfman


"Beautifully written, this is an insider's report of the onstage and offstage drama around the 1958 triumph of Van Cliburn and the incredible musical events that led to a Cold War 'thaw'..."
— André Watts


"A spellbinding, even a startling, adventure story, starring the legendary American pianist: a life of triumph and tragedy."
— David Dubal


"[Cliburn's] triumph and subsequent career can be understood only in the context of Cold War political, social, and musical tensions, a heady mix that Stuart Isacoff examines with unusual skill."
— Garrick Ohlsson

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LISTEN & WATCH

Stuart Isacoff is a guest on "Watching the Hawks," RT America: Part 1 (May 12, 2017)


Stuart Isacoff is a guest on "Watching the Hawks," RT America: Part 2 (May 12, 2017)


"The Leonard Lopate Show" (Monday, May 1, 2017)
WNYC Radio
Stuart tells the story of Van Cliburn, a young pianist from Texas, who in 1958 caused a major upset by winning the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War.


Stuart Isacoff interviews András Schiff about J.S. Bach's "Das Wohltemperierte Clavier" at Lincoln Center (November 2014)


"Fishko Files: Bumblebee" (Thursday, May 8, 2014)
WNYC Radio
In this edition of Fishko Files, an extreme close-up of a piece of music that everyone seems to know


Music@Menlo (July 26, 2013)
Watch Stuart's lecture/recital, "Keyboard Evolution: How Bach's Instruments Became the Modern Piano"


The Greene Space: Take a Look Back at the Landmark Cultural Year of 1913 with Sara Fishko. Fishko's guests include author/pianist Stuart Isacoff, who plays music of that year. (November 15, 2012)


NPR: All Things Considered (November 11, 2011)
The Subspecies Of Pianists, Or, What Jerry Lee Lewis And Beethoven Share
Stuart Isacoff speaks to "All Things Considered" host Robert Siegel about what he means by a "natural history."


Joseph Bloch Tribute: Stuart Isacoff, Part I (2009)


Joseph Bloch Tribute: Stuart Isacoff, Part II (2009)


Stuart Isacoff: Notes from the Piano Underground Interview, Part I (2009)


Stuart Isacoff: Notes from the Piano Underground Interview, Part II (2009)


Stuart Isacoff: Notes from the Piano Underground Interview, Part III (2009)


NPR: The Fishko Files (September 26, 2008)
Playing Five Beats To The Measure
Stuart Isacoff discusses the breadth of music written in 5/4 time signature with "The Fishko Files" host Sara Fishko.

© Stuart Isacoff