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Just received my DVD order.

They are barely audible. No where near the quality of the on-line webcast. Nor are they any better than those videos posted on YouTube. I don't mind the no-frill packaging. But the below professional level audio quality is more than I can take. I am hugely disappointed.

I was going to order...now I need to find ways to save the streaming...

Thanks for telling us!

I would definitely contact them. Perhaps there were some technical problems in copying the DVDs. If they can't replace them with something of a better quality I would return them for a refund.

I still hope the CD's I haven't received yet will be of a better quality.



I wrote them a letter to complain but not sure I am prepared to give them any more hard time (unless they offer to). I am sure they are frustrated about what happened as well.

Already got a reply (3 hours after I sent them the email):

Feel free to mail it back and we will refund the cost of the DVDs . These are sold as unedited recordings; they were never intended to be or advertised as professional, studio-engineered products. In the fall, harmonia mundi will release CDs of all three medalists using selections that were performed at the competition but “cleaned up” to have the professional sound quality you are seeking.

Marcia Garoon
Van Cliburn Foundation
Director of Finance/Business Manager

If I understand the problem correctly, the issue has nothing to do with the editing, but simply that the recording level was set way too low. The probable reason for that is that most professional equipment is operating at a different level than consumer equipment, and somebody forgot to make the adjustment when producing the DVDs.

Ironically, the one and only commercial CD I ever bought that had this problem came from harmonia mundi, back in the early days of CDs.

Which performances/performers did you get?

Daniel

i got some DVDs from them too but only watched one so far, which wasn't too bad and is audible for sure. but i agree the quality of picture and sound aren't exceptionally good. i surely will check the others to see if they're acceptable.

Here's what's currently available in the Naxos Music Library, to which I subscribe:
http://www.rcblue.com/Misc/VanCliburnCompetition.png

I've listened to a few of these--they are all high-quality recordings.

BTW I can highly recommend the NML. I paid 225 USD for one year. I couldn't be more pleased.
http://www.naxosmusiclibrary.com

I bought the Zhang DVDs and a whole bunch of other CDs.

Just want to put in an additional thumbs up for the Naxos Music Library. There's an amazing number of great recordings of basically every piece you can think of, from Baroque to 21st century. It's actually revolutionized the way I listen to music, and has opened my eyes to dozens of new composers and pieces I never would have listened to without it!

Vacatello playing an encore(not at the Cliburn)

Gershwin(arranged by Gershwin): The Man I Love

For those of you familiar with the score, notice how she plays the dotted the dotted 8ts as basically straight 8ths. I actually like it much better this way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHjEiZqs6p4&feature=related

Fantastic pianist... I'm still bitter!

When I voted, I saw that Vacatello was the most popular with the blind pianist lagging behind by less than a tenth of a percent... I guess she was more popular with the audience than with the judges.

Hi, I am brand new to this forum.

I have read carefully your posts about the Van Cliburn 2009 and in particular about Nobu Tsujii.

I have read so many things, most of them absolutly amazing but a lot of them incredibly wrong.

1 - I would like to start with the suspect that Nobu could be "autistic". Well, since I am a doctor and a amateur pianist, I find this hypothesis incredibly wrong. I even read the critics in which there is the so sure approach to the handicapped pianist ! Well, an autistic is amimic, unable to feel emotions and above all to joke ! So enjoy the video in here (2008) so you could understand how far is the truth about Nobu.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEE50V8O9DQ&feature=player_profilepage

2 - About the technique and the way he learndt to play piano. Who said he plays by ear ? This is a incredible lie ! He learndt to play piano according with the Brail method. So another big lie.

3 - I read about his problems to the incipit of a piano concerto or something like this in ensamble. Well, listening to how he playes in quintet at van Cliburn the Schumann E-flat Major Op 44 I could say exaclty the opposite !!!

Conclusion

When I listen to him for the very first time I didnt know he was blind and I said: "GOSH !!!! HE IS SUPERB ! Who is ?"

He is a 20 yold guy that got already the tech skill and interpretation more than older competitors attendin the Cliburn.

So put apart the enviness because he stay there not because is blind !!!

A last thing: I never listen a "Campanella" played as Nobu did !!!!! Just listen over and over to that interpretation !!! Over and over.

Thanks so much for reading me.

Luke

I had my tickets for the competition from TicketFront.com . They were quite inexpensive . I really enjoyed it a lot with my friends

I know it's been a while since the Cliburn Competition, which I didn't follow due to other commitments. But the documentary "A Surprise in Texas" was shown earlier this month and I was captivated by it, especially the portrayal of Nobuyuki Tsujii. I am not as learned as some who posted on this thread apparent are, but I know good music when I hear it, and it takes a stout heart not to be moved by Tsujii's accomplishment.
If you admire Nobuyuki Tsujii, please allow me to invite you to visit this site that I put together as a repository of information on him and on his work: https://sites.google.com/site/nobufans/
You might just find a comment that you posted to this thread included (anonymously) in the "quotes" section on that site.