A Look at Cliburn Contest

Timing for this splendid 90-minute documentary on the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (“Playing With Fire,” directed by Catherine Tatge) couldn’t be better. Gold medal winner Jon Nakamatsu, 28, plays Saturday at El Camino College. Jan Gottlieb Jiracek, one of the six finalists, recently gave his local recital debut.

But set your VCR. Names and faces flash by; the pacing can be bewilderingly fast. Besides, you’ll want a record of the splendid--if brief--playing, interesting critical remarks, insights into performance issues and, most of all, interviews with very human and appealing contestants.

Especially illuminating are the snippets of the finalists working with the Tokyo String Quartet and with conductor James Conlon. Both the quartet and Conlon gently teach them (and us) lessons about musical collaborations.

Unfortunately, not enough time is spent on any single person, event or issue, including the merits of competitions in general and this one in particular. We don’t find out enough about the judging criteria and decision making or see quite enough of the competition to judge whether we should agree with the final results.

But the documentary captures the tension, excitement, complexity and triumphs of the experience and includes still-touching historical footage of the tall, lanky Texan vanquishing the judges and audiences in Moscow in 1958 and giving birth to the Cliburn legend. You’ll want to look at this more than once.

* “Playing With Fire” airs at 9 tonight on KCET-TV Channel 28.