39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, but could be better if..., September 8, 2000
This review is from: Bunin Plays Chopin and Debussy (DVD)
I have truly enjoyed this DVD, particularly the sound quality and Bunin's very personal touch and interpretation in many of the pieces he performs. Cristal-clear touch, falwless. However, I wonder why are editors so fond of focusing so much time on the performers face! I can imagine that a great deal of people who buy these recordings are pianists themselves (like me, although amateur) and are mostly interested in seeing the hands of the performer, appreciate his technique, body position, and the like instead of his face! A rough estimation tells me that almost half of the disc shows Bunin's face but, worse of all, much too many time in moments where I wish I could see his hands and not only listen to the music!
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely, He'll become a Giant of our Time, July 14, 2003
This review is from: Bunin Plays Chopin and Debussy (DVD)
Bunin is three or four years older than Kissin, and needless to say, both are from Russia. But to most audience, Bunin is far less well known. Yet, Bunin won the Grand Prize in M Long in Paris when 17 and, and at 19 the first prize in Chopin Competition. Ashkenazy is of the view that pianists from behind the iron curtain are piano athletes instead of musicians. One only has to lend his ears to Bunin and see how wrong Ashkenazy could be.
When these pieces were filmed, Bunin was about 21 and viewers compare him to Rubinstein or the like. True, Bunin may well be one of the few giants of this generation. Don't forget that when Rubinstein was 21 (or even twice as old), he was not quite as good as Bunin in many ways-- Rubinstein was comparatively a late bloomer. Being a Polish himself, Rubinstein's Polonaise Op. 61. compares favourably with Bunin-- and I'm talking about the version filmed in his 70s. But Bunin's Mazurkas are better than Rubinstein's.
Musically, if not technically, Bunin is better than Kissin. He even reminds us of Sauer. Seeing the way he played, the level of concentration and also the dimension of his imagination plus the control and independence of his fingers..., there is evidence that he played even better than Glenn Gould... The only difference is, Glenn Gould was seeking some sort of "divine presence" whereas for Bunin, it is the virtuosity of Sauer plus Ignaz Friedman's imagination, so real and above all, so sensuous. His intonation is even more impressing than his predecessing Chopin Gold Medalists, Argerich and Zimerman. In Bunin there is also a sense of rhythm and articulation that is not always found in Freire.
For those who are impressed by Kissin, wait till you hear Bunin. Hear this young pianist at his early twenties whom viewers couldn't stop comparing him with the greatest of the superstars decades older than him when they performed.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of Chopin's High Priests, February 24, 2006
This review is from: Bunin Plays Chopin and Debussy (DVD)
Not the most technically obsessed pianist (he makes minute mistakes, finger slips, etc.-all perfectly accidental) but definitely one of the most introspective and spiritual. In other words, a pianist perfect for Chopin. And it is so evident from this DVD. Bunin is an artist/interpreter intensely immersed in the composition, refusing to let the recital become anything but a journey into Chopin's emotional depth and profundity. Not the Bunin ego, but the Chopin ego. I'm sorry but I really have to gush about it. His interpretations of Chopin are so sincere and insightful, so true, that all the minute technical mistakes are quickly forgiven. There are a lot of Chopin DVDs out there. If you want to hear Chopin done properly, this is the DVD to buy.
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