Suid-Afrikaanse konsertpianis Steven DeGroote, die 1977 Van Cliburn Internasionale Klavierkompetisie en die Koue Oorlog

Abstract

Steven DeGroote is one of the most successful pianists to have emerged from South Africa. His international reputation rests largely on the fact that he won first prize in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (in 1977); the only South African to date to have achieved this feat. As such he is an important figure in the music history of South Africa. His untimely death at the age of 36, however, brought an unexpected end to a developing career. Consequently he is still unknown to many South African music lovers. Nearly no literature exists to keep the memory of DeGroote’s achievements alive and the available material regarding his Van Cliburn win constitutes only bare facts and no deeper insights. The aim of this article is, therefore, to examine Steven DeGroote’s participation and win in the 1977 Van Cliburn Competition and the consequent development of his career; all within the context of the Cold War. The research design can be described as a qualitative and historical approach to the compilation of a chronological timeline regarding the political atmosphere before and during the 1964 First Tchaikofsky International Competition for violinists and pianists; Lavan Cliburn’s participation and triumph at the Tchaikofsky Competition; the founding of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth; DeGroote’s participation and win at the 1977 Van Cliburn Competition; as well as his subsequent career (Leedy and Ormrod 2010:164; Mouton 2001:170). The research data exhibited recurring patterns (Leedy and Ormrod 2010:164; Mouton 2001:170), namely those of the Cold War and its undercurrents of nationalistic agendas that could be the connecting factor between the divergent Van Cliburn events and also an explanation for them. Since the historian’s objective is not only to describe historical events, but also to give credible reasons for their occurrence, the aim of this research is to establish whether the Cold War between the West and the East in fact had an influence on DeGroote’s participation and win in the 1977 Van Cliburn Competition, as well as on the development of his subsequent career. The data used is obtained from interviews with DeGroote’s family, friends, colleagues and other eyewitnesses; archival material, which includes letters, articles from magazines, newspapers and academic journals; as well as documentary programmes (Leedy and Ormrod 2010:165; Babbie and Mouton 2001:283). It emerged that Cold War agendas, consummated through preferences regarding nationalistic musical stereotypes as embodied by the Russian participants Alexander Toradze and Youri Egorof as well as the American Jeffrey Swann, together with the political situations prevailing in these countries, played a determining role in the moulding of public sentiment regarding these artists. It is clear, however, that the South African DeGroote’s distinctive Mozart interpretation and versatility impressed the Van Cliburn judges to such an extent that he was named the winner; in contrast to previous Van Cliburn competitions, where either an American or a Russian pianist won. Although prevalent in the 1977 Van Cliburn Competition, Cold War agendas had no influence on the outcome of this event. There are a number of extra-musical factors which contributed to the negativities DeGroote experienced during the first few years after his Van Cliburn win: the difficulties surrounding the arrangements for his Carnegie Hall debut could not be adequately addressed; his taste in repertoire was too intellectual for the general public; the influential music critic John Ardoin cast a doubtful light on DeGroote’s Van Cliburn win, since he did not satisfy the public’s demand for a superstar-pianist; and furthermore, DeGroote alienated the music critic community through an ill-considered remark regarding Ardoin. It also became apparent that DeGroote’s South African citizenship in the apartheid era caused a number of influential music industry figures and institutes to withdraw their support from DeGroote as the then Van Cliburn winner. It is, however, impossible to determine the extent to which this negativity towards South Africa and its citizens in the international community due to apartheid influenced the development of DeGroote’s career.

Steven DeGroote is een van die suksesvolste pianiste wat Suid-Afrika nog opgelewer het. Hy is die enigste Suid-Afrikaner wat tot op hede daarin kon slaag om die Van Cliburn Internasionale Klavierkompetisie se gesogte eerste prys te verower. As sodanig is hy ’n belangrike figuur in die Suid-Afrikaanse musiekgeskiedenis. DeGroote se onverwagte afsterwe op die jeugdige ouderdom van 36 jaar het egter ’n voortydige einde aan ’n ontwikkelende loopbaan gebring. Gevolglik is hy steeds vir vele Suid-Afrikaanse musiekliefhebbers onbekend. Die doel van hierdie artikel is om Steven DeGroote se deelname aan en sege in die 1977 Van Cliburn Internasionale Klavierkompetisie en die ontwikkeling van sy loopbaan in die lig van die Koue Oorlog tussen die Weste en die Ooste van naderby te beskou. Die navorsingsontwerp van hierdie ondersoek kan beskryf word as ’n kwalitatiewe historiese benadering tot die daarstelling van ’n chronologiese tydlyn en die verskaffing van ’n moontlike verklaring vir hierdie gebeure (Leedy en Ormrod 2010:164; Mouton 2001:170). Dit het na vore gekom dat alhoewel Koue Oorlog-agendas nie ’n wesenlike invloed op die uitslag van die 1977-Van Cliburn-kompetisie en DeGroote se loopbaan daarná gehad het nie, dit wel teenwoordig was in voorkeure aangaande nasionalistiese musikale stereotipes – soos verpersoonlik deur die Russiese Aleksander Toradze en Joeri Egorof, en die Amerikaanse Jeffrey Swann – onder die Van Cliburn-stigting-organiseerders en -beoordelaars en die publiek. Daar is verder verskeie buitemusikale faktore geïdentifiseer wat die oorsaak was vir die negatiwiteite wat DeGroote gedurende die vroeë jare van sy loopbaan ervaar het. Die belangrikste hiervan is DeGroote se Suid- Afrikanerskap in die apartheidsera wat veroorsaak het dat talle invloedryke musiekbedryffigure en -instansies hul steun aan hom onttrek het.