A Final Encore: The Life, Music, and Tragedy of Alexei Sultanov, Winner of the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Final Encore unveils the life of the young Soviet piano prodigy, Alexei Sultanov—his upbringing behind the Iron Curtain, studying at the Moscow Conservatory, and his wild romance to his beloved, Dace Abele. When nineteen-year-old Alexei found his opportunity to leave the Soviet Union for the United States to compete in the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, he shocked the world and won. The ensuing chaos of Alexei’s instant fame coupled with his immaturit...