5/5 a perfected production
  by Fernando Acevedo (Bayamon, Puerto Rico)
I have purchased allmost all previous issues and they have improved over previous ones.Of course, I will prefer a longer rendition of the music starting with next issue.

3/5 Decent, but very flawed
  by Kevin P. Costello (Atlanta, GA)
This seems to have garnered quite a few reviews by now, including both some dubious 5 star reviews, and the 1 star reviews people have given to try and counteract them. In actuality, this film is too good for the latter and not good enough for the former.

First and foremost, this is a documentary on the personalities on a few select competitors. The filmmakers have a surprising amount of access into those competitors' home lives, and there are many good moments where we hear the insights of both competitors and jurors. Unfortunately, most of what could have been the best moments are missing.

My first complaint is that the focus on the competitors comes at the expense of the music itself. Far too much time is spent on interviews and the daily life of a few select competitors, and the music we here comes only in snippets. I'd rather have heard more of Cabassi's Debussy and less on how he considers a piano to be like a beautiful woman.

I would have had the same problems with the last documentary, except for a brilliant decision on the part of the Cliburn Foundation to include a bonus feature giving a complete performance of concertos from the gold medal winning competitors. Unfortunately, no such performance is included this time around, and the documentary is much the worse for it.

In the original awards ceremony, the six finalists were lined up, and called up one by one onto the stage until only the gold medalist remained, sitting all alone in the front row with his emotions exposed to the world. This moment, and the interplay between the gold and silver medalists immediately before, were to me among the most revealing of the entire competition. Unfortunately, they apparently weren't suspenseful enough for the filmmakers, who decided to make up their own ceremony by overlaying the voice of the announcer over footage from other ceremonies throughout the competition.

That scene pretty much summarizes how I saw the film: suspense and excitement first, music much further down the list, and truth thrown by the wayside somewhere in-between. If you're looking for a video to give you an introduction to the Cliburn, I suggest you go to the 2001 Documentary instead.

I hope the 2009 version turns out better than this.

5/5 A Very Good DVD, but need to hear/view more piano playing -- less interactions w/teachers, host families, and jurors
  by Dr. Ervin Nieves
My apologies to Veda Kablinsky and Joyce Yang. In a previous review, I tried to make the point that although I really loved Joyce Yang's playing (the little I saw) and respect Veda Kablinsky and Menahem Pressler immensely as jurors and teachers, I wished the DVD had focused less on the aforementioned individuals (however wonderful they were/are) and instead presented a genuine coverage of the Van Cliburn competition. I did not wish to imply that I think the competition was fixed towards anyone by anyone. I simply wished to argue that someone might think the competition is suspect, because there's unequal coverage of all the semifinalists and finalists, and there's not enough piano playing provided to allow viewers to judge for ourselves who "we think" really deserved the prizes. Two Chinese finalists were scarcely covered, as was one of the Italian finalists. To make room for more piano playing, minimize greatly the coverage of host families' kitchens, shopping and swimming pool scenes, scenes of other pianists from the eyes of a fellow contestant, etc. Instead of trying to make the coverage "artsy" make the DVD a fairer sampling of the competition itself, so there's enough piano playing going on that viewers can say, "Yes, Cobrin defintely deserved the gold...OR "Wow, I really loved Joyce Yang and thought she should have won...." or "God, that Chinese pianist from Curtis (the one we never got to hear enough of but won the third prize) really was the best...." Sadly, viewers will never really know who should have won at the Van Cliburn, and I would expect any competent DVD to do Van Cliburn's competition justice. Van Cliburn is truly a wonderful ambassador of piano music, as are Veda Kablinsky, Menahem Pressler, and the other jurors. So please don't misinterpret my advice. It's meant to be a respectful and constructive critic of the DVD -- not the competition. I actually don't know what went on in the competition itself, because I didn't see enough of it on the DVD. That's basically my point. Please don't shoot the messenger of bad news. I still enjoyed the DVD and still gave it a "5" rating because I know making DVDs about such a large competition must be a hard job. Mr. Sommer must be commended for his hard work, and much of the coverage was beautiful. Perhaps now that he has feedback from customers about our need for more piano playing coverage, he can storm back and create the most wonderful piano DVD of the next Van Cliburn. That is an opportunity for a director who is obviously tremendously gifted. My apologies to Mr. Sommer. Again, I offer my criticisms with the best possible intentions, and then, it is only my opinion. Perhaps you feel I'm wrong, and perhaps you may be right. I hope my comments help the Van Cliburn DVDs reflect the competition in a better way. (By the way, I will buy tickets to see Joyce Yang play in Chicago next February. I'm sure I will be treated to wonderful playing. At 21, she's a remarkable young pianist. Kudos to her for her vivacious personality and wonderful silver prize.)

5/5 a great documentary
  by music lover (huntsville, AL)
This DVD offers a rare glimpse of the live of the few dedicated classical pianists. I feel the director made a judicious choice of just a few, and go into it with certain depth. You just can't do this more than just a few. So if you like the choice, you will really like the movie, otherwise I guess you hate it. That explains why there are both strongly negative and positive ratings. In my case, I really like the choices, Yang, Kobrin, Cabassi and Mazo. It shows Yang to be extremely charming and unique in her expression of music. Now two years after the competition, she has grown to be very popular and successful concert pianist. Her technique is superb and she connects to the audience in a very genuine way.

5/5 The Good, the Bad ... and the arguably Ugly ....
  by Anthony J. Lomenzo (Fort Ann, New York)
A few matters on this one [although my favorite still remains the 1989 8th Van Cliburn competition, "Here to Make Music"] -- it is true that this production [not by Peter Rosen by the way ... and it showed .. not as a slight by any means to director Andy Sommer but in terms of competitor focus as the field was de facto narrowed to the six finalists. On the other hand, by so doing, more pieces were available by the finalists versus previous DVD's where an attempt was made to get many pieces into the DVD and, as a result, you get 30 second mixed bag sound-bytes.

So too, let the soothsayers weep who predicted that the media and various wag dubbed "the Undertaker" [sic] and/or "the Iceman" [sic] labels were the proverbial kiss of death for the so-termed "far too serious and overly intellectual in demeanor" [sic] Alexander Kobrin because, hey, was it not the then 25 year old Kobrin who had the last 'dig', as it were, by bringing home the gold!

I also liked the charismatic demeanor of Davide Cabassi but then, as one can see, being charismatic and popular [and he was and is!] guarantees nothing! I liked his rendition of the 2nd movement "Appassionata" [I love playing that piece although trying to explain away my missed notes and/or clinkers as a sort of ad hoc improv goes no-where fast with those in the know!] although I must say that the Lang Lang like facial muggings should have their limits! I don't know, perhaps that's just a thing with me but when pianists go into a sort of facial amalgam of Stevie Wonder, Lang Lang or a TAH-TAH-TAH-TAH gone meshuggah bad 'chair' day [presently reposing under glass at the GG museum in Canada] of our old friend "GG" [Glenn Gould] or whatever which could set GG off and running, well, as I said, there are limits! I can almost hear the echo as I peck this out, to wit, "Hrrrrumph! Obviously an ultra staid Claudio Arrau fan!" How did you guess but with due qualification: Claudio Arrau, decidedly, but facially ultra somber a la mode as if Chopin's B-Flat minor "Funeral March" was the entire recital, no-no, although a happy medium is much preferred! ;-)

The DVD was good and if you want a real treat in terms of viewer opinions, check out the Van Cliburn website cited 2005 competition blog which only proves that opinions, my own well inclusive of course, are like you-know-what in the sense that everyone has one, true enough, but then, hey, who is to say which view becomes the "Burning Bush" or definitive take-it-to-the-bank view, yes?

And there is not a competition going be that the Van Cliburn or the Leeds or what-have-you around the globe where one will 'always' see the words, "He/She was robbed! HOW could the jury EVER have picked [fill in the name of choice], I mean what were they thinking?" but then too when Alexei Sultanov won in '89 and I liked his playing and interpretations and felt he 'earned' his gold medal, need I mention jury member Gyorgy Sandor doing his great stone-face impression and declaring Sultanov's win, and I quote, a "tremendous scandal" [sic] with John Lill concurring albeit with more diplomatic language. Talk about noshing on lemons! Whew! And at least the facial reaction of Mr. Sandor caught on film to boot!

But then Joyce Yang was herself only 19 for the silver win in 2005! What difference the age when the play/interpretation over 'various' pieces is the thing! Not to mention the matter of the required pieces or the usual Van Cliburn competition 'written for the occasion' commissioned piece where the lead time to learn and dissect the new piece is not that long! Add to everything else the "goldfish bowl" aspect of the thing because I think it's reasonably fair to say that a good percentage of players become more prone to those missed notes or clinkers when the many eyes and ears of the crowd [not to mention the red eye of the camera itself] are upon you and, certainly, the competition one faces being equally formidable! Recall Yang, "Well, I was nervous not so much when I got there but when I heard the 'others' [emphasis mine] play ... and my very best may just not be good enough ... ."

What's that? Ahh! A detractor musing that piano competition 'jitters' should be a non issue with pianistic 'professionals' ! But then, I don't recall seeing your name or nym for the recently announced 2007 Van Cliburn 'Outstanding Amateurs' competition or are you holding out for the next 'pro' Van Cliburn or quite possibly the equally well known Leeds across the waters!? ;-) [Please note the smiley!]. Oh, this too, my vote for the best quip [!?] of the DVD -- you know, the journalist who says to Cabassi and Kobrin, "So, we have the Italian lover and the Russian whatever!" [sic]

Doc Tony