EUROPE IMAGES INTERNATIONAL - M5

Synopsis

In the Heart of Music - The Twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: portrays the
young contestants, ages 19 to 29, as real, live human beings. And repeated views of Fort
Worth cityscapes, even freeway exchanges, set high art in refreshingly real-world contexts.
Behind onstage drama and glamour, French filmmaker Andy Sommer doesn't shy away from
the young musicians' anxieties, frustrations and numbing routines.
Irrepressible onstage, Joyce Yang doggedly practices a passage over and over, then wipes
sweaty palms on the way to Bass Performance Hall. Davide Cabassi ? a big, bearded man
who could pass for a bar bouncer ? shares gentle ruminations on life with his host family's 13-
year-old son. The camera catches the briefest pained grimace when Maria Mazo realizes she
won't be one of the finalists.
These three figure most prominently in the documentary, along with Alexander Kobrin, the
somber 25-year-old Russian who ultimately takes the first prize. But even his bespectacled
face softens in performance, yielding looks of tenderness and vulnerability. (Scott Cantrell)