Bunin Plays Chopin and Debussy

Rating:
Summary: Definitely, He'll become a Giant of our Time
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, but could be better if...
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, but could be better if...
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Good Musician
Review: This concert is very good. The only thing about the pianist is that he is a little theatrical. If you are used to see Rubinstein or Horowitz or even Nelson Freire, you will note Mr. Bunin are nor the same posture, neither the same level of technic. But, his performance is very good anyway, above the average. The Chopin's polonaise fantasie is the best, in my opinion. Only for this one, was a good business buying this DVD. The nocturne and the mazurkas are good too. There is another brilliant piece that is a tarantelle by Debussy. I've never seen it, but Mr. Bunin played it with a very singular performance. About the cameras that the other customer wrote, it's true. I read it before buying the concert. Maybe because it was saved in concert and a lot of cameras could be bad for the public. It's not the biggest problem, the camera man could be better it's true, but the concert is very good.