The Van Cliburn Foundation commissioned this documentary about the 13th annual Van Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, which may explain why director Rosen keeps his focus on the competition – a grueling three-week play-off between an international field of young and wildly talented pianists – while providing a less complete picture of the competitors themselves. Rosen picks a favorite early on – Japan’s Nobuyuki Tsujii – and indeed, it is very hard to resist the sunny 20-year-old, who was born blind. Still, that single biographical detail is all we have to go on, which is even more than others are afforded; the film conveys the essential charisma of the Cliburn competitors but nothing of their personal lives. Then again, these kids – and they do, largely, feel like kids (the youngest competitor, 19-year-old Haochen Zhang could be confused for a Chinese cousin to Superbad’s McLovin) – come to Fort Worth with an intense single-mindedness to win the gold medal, which promises not just glory but also a hefty cash prize, concert dates, and a record deal. Shot on video and within spitting-distance access to the performers in concert, A Surprise in Texas follows the course of the competition as pianists are whittled down through successive rounds, from 29 to 12 to 6 finalists, and finally three medal winners. It’s a cutthroat business, but the film is somewhat blinded to anything but the bright side; of the many pianists we have met and come to like, only one is afforded a single reaction shot when he’s cut from the competition. A Surprise in Texas never satisfies in the way a truly immersive competition doc, such as Spellbound, does, but for classical music enthusiasts, it’s still an entertaining peek behind the curtain of a high-stakes, high-wire three weeks.
This article appears in May 14 • 2010.
