There are professions that require a particularly great passion on the part of the practitioner. A passion that almost borders on obsession and madness. Such a profession is practiced by Stefan Knüpfer, master tuner and chief technician of Steinway & Sons in Vienna. Lilian Franck and Robert Cibis accompanied the Hamburg native at work for a year, and the result is now coming to our cinemas.
"Pianomania" is a wonderful documentary. The film focuses on the preparations for the recording of "The Art of Fugue" by Bach, interpreted by Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Not only the search for the perfect instrument, but also various attempts to elicit the perfect sound from it are illuminated here. But Knüpfer's collaboration with other greats of the classical music scene, such as Lang Lang or Alfred Brendel, is also part of the documentary. Igudesman & Joo, whose classical cabaret shows combine musical skill and comedy in a very special way, are also featured, and with the help of Stefan Knüpfer they are always coming up with new ideas for their popular programmes.
On the one hand, it is fascinating to watch Knüpfer pursue his own penchant for perfection with tremendous discipline and passion, but at the same time with a great deal of humour, while also trying to meet the no less high demands of the artists without going completely berserk. Because often it is only a matter of the finest nuances, the change of which, however, can often take many hours of work. So "Pianomania" is also only on the surface a film about piano tuning and much more a journey to perfect beauty, which could hardly be more entertaining. For lovers of original and interesting documentaries, this award-winning film is therefore also absolutely recommended!
Ein Artikel von Frankfurt-Tipp
