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Let’s Hope the Piano Bench Holds Up!
Award Winning New Doc Pianomania Opens
Whether it be the eccentric musician Lang Lang who is known for his wild emotional style and demands the strongest piano bench in the house or Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Alfred Brendel or Julius Drake, these pianists are at the top of their game and seek absolute perfection in their instrument. They all call on one man, the piano tuner - Stefan Knupfe.
A Master Tuner for Steinway and Sons’ in Vienna, Stefan Knupfe is dedicated to the unusual task of pairing world-class instruments with world-famous pianists. Juggling the demands of the pianist, the piano and the piece to find the perfect match requires boundless enthusiasm, but also endless patience and nerves of steel. no detail is too small, not even the tiniest speck of dust on a piano string.
An interview with director Lilian Franck:
What moved you to make a documentary film about piano music?
Even though I have no distinct personal connection to the world of music, I was immediately fascinated by Stefan Knupfe and his stories. I realized he would make an ideal film protagonist and that he was just as much of a perfectionist as the stars that he always talked about.
Pianomania documents the search for something perfect. What can we learn?
The film gives an insight into the world of piano music, but is also exciting for people who have had no previous interest in classical music. The film shows how works of art are created. The search for the perfect sound is ultimately a metaphor for the search for something that is larger than one’s own life.
What was the most important experience you, personally, had a during the filming?
There is only one important goal in the observation of our protagonist: The search for the perfect sound. It is all about one thing, the creation of art. That doesn’t happen accidentally. One has to expend all one’s energies, that impressed me.
Awards
International Filmweekend Wurzburg: Audience Award for Best Documentary – Jan 2010
Cinema Festival in Lunen, Germany: The Ludia (first prize) Nov 2009
Diagonale Graz, Austria: Best Editing
San Francisco International Film Festival: Golden Gate Award for Best Feature Documentary
http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/pianomania/