A Surprise in Texas

A SURPRISE IN TEXAS: THE THIRTEENTH VAN CLIBURN INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION literally brings the viewer backstage during a rigorous three-week competition schedule in May and June 2009, and offers insight into the daily lives of the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition finalists while they were in Fort Worth, Texas. Hailing from 14 countries, competitors were welcomed with Texas-sized hospitality by their host families and immersed in a city best characterized by the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureaus advertising slogan, Cowboys and Culture.

Camera crews under the direction of Emmy Award® winning director/producer Peter Rosen were there to capture their experience every step of the way. Rare behind-the-scene performance footage at Bass Performance Hall includes off-stage exchanges between the musicians and dedicated volunteers. Moments of the pianists daily lives were also recorded. Whether it is seeing Yeol Eum Son release tension by jumping rope, or Haochen Zhang aggressively playing ping-pong to let go of some of his competitive energy, viewers become enchanted by the non-concert activities of the competitors. During the course of the 84-minute film we also join the winner of the audience online vote, Mariangela Vacatello, in her host familys kitchen. There she uses her passion and talent as a chef to entertain her fellow competitor, Evgeni Bozhanov, who was the recipient of the Stephen DeGroote Memorial Award for the Best Performance of Chamber Music.

Perhaps the most compelling human journey captured in the documentary is the story of 20-year-old Nobuyuki Tsujii. Blind since birth, Mr. Tsujii feels that there are no barriers in the field of music, and his award-winning performances affirm his philosophy. He also won the Beverley Taylor Smith Award for the Best Performance of a New Work for his performance of John Mustos composition Improvisation & Fugue. His tie for First Place stirred the emotions of the audience and jury alike, and has launched the frenzy that Time Magazine has coined Nobu Fever in Japan.

With the performances of Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff and other piano masterpieces setting the impassioned tone, this film is an inspiration to all people who overcome disabilities, hurdles, or obstacles in life.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• ASIT
• Trailer
• compressed

[rui04]

My friend said this film is a great documentary (much better than money making academy awarded dolphin film he said), watching a blind pianist is like almost seeing a god. He was so moved by the performers and he made me want to watch this film! er...don't know where I can watch it now though...

[JCW80]

I saw this Film at the 2010 Dallas International Film Festival. It is wonderful! If you liked this trailer, you will love the film!

[februaryz]

Can anyone tell me please, there was a movie like this where there happens to be a piano battle and a piano player plays it so fast that piano gets heated and gets burnt please i want to know the name of that movie

[mlliu2006]

Attention: U.S. fans of Nobuyuki Tsujii - On October 2, 2010: Nobuyuki starts the second year of his Van Cliburn tour with a performance in Poughkeepsie, New York, with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. He will play Chopin's Concerto #1, which you hear in this documentary in the scene where three ladies stand crying back stage while Nobuyuki performs this piece on stage: lots of people in the audience also cry when they heard this in the Bass Hall.

[damonmah]

Watch the film on PBS free public TV nationwide in the US on September 1, 2010. It can be purchased on DVD from cliburn.org starting September 2.

[cairnhowff]

I knew Stephen DeGroote very well....seeing him at the time he won the Van Cliburn. Sad to die so young....I didn't know they created a memorial award in his name. Makes me kinda weepy.