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Pianomania
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Wikipedia article
'Pianomania' is a 2009 German-Austrian documentary film by directors Lilian Franck and Robert Cibis. The film presents Stefan Knpfer, a virtuoso piano tuner from the piano company Steinway & Sons, in his work with pianists such as Lang Lang, Alfred Brendel and Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
Synopsis
The collaborative work between Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Stefan Knpfer is at the centre of the film. Bach's 'The Art of Fugue' is to be recorded. Pierre-Laurent Aimard has decided in favour of concert grand piano Nr. 109 for the Bach recording. The film begins one year before the recording.
Knpfer wants to study instruments from the time of Bach for Aimard. He experiments with sound absorbers made from felt and with glass sound mirrors. But as fate will have it, the number 109 grand piano is sold to Australia a few months later; and that is not the last obstacle that gets in their way. Knpfer and Aimard meet regularly, and when the tension is so thick it can be cut with a knife, Knpfer saves the day with his sense of humour. The road toward the pianists longed for bravo is long.
One afternoon, a rather sleepy musician in jeans and sneakers shows up. It is the Chinese star pianist Lang Lang, who will be giving a guest performance in the Viennese concert hall. Still suffering from jet lag, he has to choose an instrument to play. His overcrowded tour calendar leaves little time for individual settings. Instead, and almost shyly, he asks for a heavy bench that will hold up through his extrovert style of playing without sliding around. The piano superstar completes his performance in the large hall in a dark suit and wild hairstyle. The bench holds up, and he receives thunderous applause.
The sketches of the comedy duo Igudesman & Joo always parody the elitist music world. Together with Knpfer they come up with some of the craziest scenarios for the next show.
One of Alfred Brendel's last concerts takes place at the Grafenegg Music Festival. Knpfer prepares the piano for him while the star pianist gives his directions humorously.
Technical aspects
Corresponding to the struggle of the protagonists to find the perfect sound, the sound recording of the film itself was made with great efforts. All the scenes were recorded in Dolby Surround quality and on up to 90 separate sound tracks.
Nominations, awards and prizes
*Lola, German Oscar, category Best sound (Deutscher Filmpreis)
*Golden Gate Award as best documentary (San Francisco International Film Festival)
*Audience award for the best documentary (International Filmweekend Wrzburg)
*Ldia, first prize (Cinema Festival in Lnen)
*Award for "Best Editing (Diagonale)
*Best film, category Week of the Critic(Locarno International Film Festival)
*Nominated for European Film Prize (European Film Academy)
*Nominated for Austrian Film Prize
*Rating Highly Recommended by The Film Evaluation Committee in Wiesbaden
*Honourable Mention (EURODOK film festival, Oslo)
Official selection in international festivals
2010
*The Magnificent 7, Serbia*Internationales Filmwochenende Wrzburg, Germany
*Gteborg International Film Festival, Sweden
*Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Berlinale), Germany
*Jameson Dublin IFF, Ireland
*Zagrebdox, Croatia
*Sofia International Film Festival, Bulgaria
*34th Hong Kong International Film Festival, China
*Macau International Film Festival, China
*BAFICI Festival International de Cinema Independiente Buenos Aires, Argentina
*St. Paul International Film Festival Minneapolis, USA
*Doc Outlook-Market, Switzerland
*San Francisco International Festival, USA
*DOK.Fest Mnchen, Germany
*Planet Doc Review Film Festival, Poland
*Moscow International Film Festival, Russia
*Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia
*New Zealand International Film Festival, New Zealand
*Semana de Cine Aleman in Cinemateca Nacional Mexico City, Mexico
*Austrian Cultural Forum in Washington DC, USA
*Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival, USA
*Jecheon International Music & Film Festival, South Korea
*Ghent Film Festival, Belgium
*Berlin & Beyond Festival San Francisco, USA
*Golden Horse Film Festival, Taiwan
*Canberra Film Festival, Australia
*St. George Brisbane International Film Festival, Australia
*PIANO-PAM! Internationales Festival fr Neue Klaviermusik Uster, Switzerland
*IDOCS International Documentary Forum Beijing, China
2009
*International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA), Netherlands*Max-Ophls-Preis, Germany
*Kinofest Lnen, Germany
*Hof International Film Festival, Germany
*Unerhrt Hamburg, Germany
*Diagonale, Austria
*Cork Festival, Ireland
*Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland
*Zurich Film Festival, Switzerland
*Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain
*Sheffield Doc/Fest, Great Britain
*SoNoRo Bucharest, Romania
Directors biography
*'Lilian Franck' studied at the Film Academy Baden-Wrttemberg and at Le Fresnoy, the National Studio of Contemporary Arts in France. In 2002, she received the French-German prize for Young Journalism for the humorous documentary Half a Chance, which she co-directed with Robert Cibis. After this collaboration, the pair founded the filmmaking company OVAL Filmemacher in Berlin, Germany. In 2009, Lilian Franck co-directed 'Pianomania', which premiered in more than 20 countries and was awarded, among others, the prize of Semaine de la critique at the Locarno International Film Festival, the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival and the German Deutscher Filmpreis Lola for Best Sound.
*'Robert Cibis' studied at the Film Academy Baden-Wrttemberg, FMIS, cole Nationale Suprieure des Mtiers de l'Image et du Son and Le Sorbonne Nouvelle. In 2002, he received the French-German prize for Young Journalism for the humorous documentary Half a Chance, which he co-directed with Lilian Franck. After this collaboration, the pair founded the filmmaking company OVAL Filmemacher in Berlin, Germany. Since, he has produced scientific documentaries for television on the theme of health. In 2007, Robert Cibis and Michaela Kirst received the Slovenian Festival Prize EKOTOPFILM for their project DISGUSTINGLY HEALTHY which uncovered the use of maggots, called maggot therapy, in the medical field. In 2009, Robert Cibis co-directed 'Pianomania'.
Played tracks in the movie and artists
*Bla Bartk Klavierkonzert Nr. 2, Sz 95 (Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Orchestra Pter Etvs, Director Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano)
*Robert Schumann Fantasie C-dur, op. 17 (Lang Lang, Piano)
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sonate Nr. 13 (Lang Lang, Piano)
*Franz Liszt Ungarische Rhapsodie Nr. 6 (Lang Lang, Piano)
*Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck Mein junges Leben hat ein End (Ingomar Rainer, Clavichord)
*Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck Baletto del Granduca (Ingomar Rainer, Cembalo)
*Ludwig van Beethoven Klavierkonzert Nr. 3, op. 37 (Till Fellner)
*Maurice Ravel "Ondine", Gaspard de la nuit (Till Fellner)
*Johannes Brahms Sommerabend, op. 85 (Heinrich Heine, Text - Julius Drake, Piano - Ian Bostridge, Tenor)
*Joseph Haydn Sonate, Hob. XVI: 20 (Alfred Brendel, Piano)
*Franz Schubert "Impromptu Nr. 1, op. 142 (Alfred Brendel, Piano)
*Ludwig van Beethoven Sonate Nr. 31, op. 110, 3. Satz (Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo) (Alfred Brendel, Piano)
*Thomas Koschat Schneewalzer (Stefan Knpfer tuning the 109 grand at styriarte)
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Klavierkonzert Nr. 13, KV 415 (Chamber Orchestra of Europe - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano and Director)
*Frdric Chopin Prelude, op. 45 (Client buying the 109 grand)
*Erik Satie Gymnopdie (Hyung-ki Joo, Piano)
*Ludwig van Beethoven Fr Elise (Sketch from "A Little Nightmare Music": Hyung-ki Joo, Piano - Aleksey Igudesman, Violin)
*Johann Sebastian Bach Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080 (Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano)
*Sergei W. Rachmaninoff Rhapsodie ber ein Thema von Paganini fur Klavier und Orchester, op. 43 (Rudolf Buchbinder, Piano)
*Elliott Carter Catnaires (Pierre-Laurent Aimard)
References
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