this article from the jan. 23, 2010 edition of the portland oregonian. it is a pleasure to read of something besides strife, conflict and human frailty, from time to time. john
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"they play with unabashed joy for music" by david stabler, of the oregonian
films about music competition can be silly or overwrought, but "they came to play" is neither. it's an entertaining feature-length documentary about a wonderfully quirky cast of amateur pianists who competed in the 2007 van cliburn piano competition for outstanding amateurs in fort worth, texas.
among the 75 doctors, physicists, flight attendants, teachers, a jeweler and a retired tennis pro who competed, we learn about a man with h.i.v., a man who hasn't played in public since the sixth grade and esfir ross, a dental assistant with a charming laugh and a ditzy sense of humor.
what comes through in this award-winning film is an unabashed joy for music and the piano. ross spoke for man contestants when she said, "what music means to me--what air means to me, what food means to me--the thing that's part of my existence."
born in moldova, ross was one of the quirkier characters. we learn that she met her husband next to a morgue and that she still has all her teeth: "even though i'm 60, just because i work in dentistry." standing on her deck at home, she says, "i was so fragile then, the wind would blow me over. and look what happened--you feed me too good." [a photo w/ the story shows her a person of ample girth.]
like the better-know van cliburn international piano competition for professionals, the weeklong amateur competition happens every four years in fort worth. the film, directed by romanian alex rotaru, focuses on the semifinal and final rounds, with six finalists competing for cash and glory.
some contestants were self-taught, others attended prestigious conservatories and several were, if a little rusty, still impressive. all of them had to be 35 or older and make their careers outside music, but some were clearly ambivalent about the years away from the piano. all of them said they wanted to win, and we see their intensity while practicing at home, warming up onstage and waiting to go on.
"you know, doing it in front of people is a lot different than doing it in your boxers in your living room at midnight," said drew mays, an ophthalmologist from birmingham, alabama.
i helped judge the final round, along with cliburn gold medal-winners olga kern, jon nakamatsu and others, and i remember the feeling in the auditorium--the nerves, the warmth of the applause, the winner's joy and the loser's disappointment. just as in professional competitions, the outcome was close.
on a local note, portland pianist sylvia gray competed in the preliminary round, where she met viktors berstis, a contestant from austin, texas. the two struck up a friendship and are now a couple. berstis recently moved to portland. both of them will perform at the screening sunday.
david stabler: 503.221.8217; [email protected]; oregonlive.come/performance .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"they play with unabashed joy for music" by david stabler, of the oregonian
films about music competition can be silly or overwrought, but "they came to play" is neither. it's an entertaining feature-length documentary about a wonderfully quirky cast of amateur pianists who competed in the 2007 van cliburn piano competition for outstanding amateurs in fort worth, texas.
among the 75 doctors, physicists, flight attendants, teachers, a jeweler and a retired tennis pro who competed, we learn about a man with h.i.v., a man who hasn't played in public since the sixth grade and esfir ross, a dental assistant with a charming laugh and a ditzy sense of humor.
what comes through in this award-winning film is an unabashed joy for music and the piano. ross spoke for man contestants when she said, "what music means to me--what air means to me, what food means to me--the thing that's part of my existence."
born in moldova, ross was one of the quirkier characters. we learn that she met her husband next to a morgue and that she still has all her teeth: "even though i'm 60, just because i work in dentistry." standing on her deck at home, she says, "i was so fragile then, the wind would blow me over. and look what happened--you feed me too good." [a photo w/ the story shows her a person of ample girth.]
like the better-know van cliburn international piano competition for professionals, the weeklong amateur competition happens every four years in fort worth. the film, directed by romanian alex rotaru, focuses on the semifinal and final rounds, with six finalists competing for cash and glory.
some contestants were self-taught, others attended prestigious conservatories and several were, if a little rusty, still impressive. all of them had to be 35 or older and make their careers outside music, but some were clearly ambivalent about the years away from the piano. all of them said they wanted to win, and we see their intensity while practicing at home, warming up onstage and waiting to go on.
"you know, doing it in front of people is a lot different than doing it in your boxers in your living room at midnight," said drew mays, an ophthalmologist from birmingham, alabama.
i helped judge the final round, along with cliburn gold medal-winners olga kern, jon nakamatsu and others, and i remember the feeling in the auditorium--the nerves, the warmth of the applause, the winner's joy and the loser's disappointment. just as in professional competitions, the outcome was close.
on a local note, portland pianist sylvia gray competed in the preliminary round, where she met viktors berstis, a contestant from austin, texas. the two struck up a friendship and are now a couple. berstis recently moved to portland. both of them will perform at the screening sunday.
david stabler: 503.221.8217; [email protected]; oregonlive.come/performance .
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