A Surprise in Texas

I saw A Surprise in Texas last night at the Dallas International Film Festival and it is amazing! The film is well done and completely absorbing as you travel through the competition with these young pianist who are competing in the most prestigious piano competition in the world. Don't be surprised to find yourself holding your breath as they perform and clapping after several performances. I was moved by the talent and composure of these young people, many of whom memorized and performed over three hours of unique music over the term of the competition. Watch for this movie, you will not be disappointed!

I'll be watching the careers of these young performers and looking for other movies by Peter Rosen.

I viewed this documentary for the first time on PBS, initially following the television broadcast nonchalantly while working on my computer. By the end of the film, I was in tears and on my feet.

Peter Rosen has given us a very sensitive portrayal of the contestants at the 13th Van Cliburn Piano Competition. Rosen has been criticized for focusing too much on one competitor in particular, the young Japanese Nobuyuki Tsujii. Personally, I am thankful that Rosen did that. I know I became increasing drawn to the show only as I started to take note of Tsujii. At the time, I was unaware of his blindness nor the outcome of the competition, so the gentle build-up of admiration for this seemingly ungainly young man worked perfectly on me. I was especially touched by the footage of Nobuyuki's interaction with his Fort Worth host family and of his piano performances. As a mother myself, a scene in the film that especially grips me is that of the trio of women (the mother, the translator, the matriarch of the host family) quietly standing backstage, all in tears, as Nobuyuki completes his Chopin concerto in the final round.

Thanks too to Rosen for portraying the Takacs Quartet, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and especially conductor James Conlon in such heroic lights. I am aware of an article penned by one Benjamin Ivry that appeared in the Wall Street Journal, shortly after the closing of the Cliburn, which heaps unwarranted insults on these musicians as well as on Tsujii; I hope that writer has had the courage to watch this documentary and would, some day, apologize in public for his harsh words.

Few would notice it, but I do: Tsujii's own composition ("Whisper of the River") gently plays on the soundtrack with the final film credits -- a most graceful and fitting end note to this labor of love as a gift to that extraordinary young man.

In a world beset with troubles and uncertainties, it is a privilege to witness the blossoming of a miracle named Nobuyuki Tsujii, against all odds, from a rare confluence of extraordinary talent, indomitable human spirits, and unconditional love and support. Bravo to Peter Rosen!