Chichester Cinema at New Park
Pianomania
Pianomania follows Stefan Knüpfer, a piano tuner from Steinway and his famous clients Lang Lang, Brendel, Buchbinder and Pierre-Laurent Aimard as they search for the perfect pitch.
Truly an unusual and entertaining peak behind the curtain at the worlds great concert halls. The camera loves Stephan Knüpfer, a keyboard obsessive whose pixie-ish sense of humour allows him to see the absurdity in his work - probably why he helps out with a piano-mangling comedy duo for light relief.
Elsewhere, it’s surprisingly compelling to watch this master of his craft at work under the hood, as he struggles to prepare for Aimard’s first Bach recording. We also learn to listen, since the soundtrack captures every last reverberation of the notes tapering into nothingness. Such is the madness of perfection in a captivating film not just for pianomaniacs. (Subtitles)
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PRODUCTION INFORMATION FOR PIANOMANIA
PIANOMANIA
A story of the unsung hero of musical perfection
The award-winning film Pianomania follows Stefan Knüpfer, Steinway & Sons’ Master Tuner in Vienna, as he works with some of the world’s best-known concert pianists, including Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Lang Lang and Alfred Brendel. Warm, and at times gently humorous, the film demonstrates how unsung hero Knüpfer is pivotal to realising the vision of each virtuoso.
A central theme to the film is the year spent by Pierre-Laurent Aimard preparing for the recording of Bach’s ‘Art of Fugue’ and how he works with Stefan Knüpfer to identify the right piano and then achieve that elusive perfect tone.
To ensure the cinema audience could appreciate the very fine alterations to the sound and tonal quality undertaken by Knüpfer, the film was recorded in dolby surround sound using 90 separate sound tracks. Shot in high definition with fascinating rehearsal and music recording footage cameras are rarely allowed to capture, Pianomania reveals the art, the science and the passion behind the search for perfection.
For more information visit www.more2screen.com
REVIEWS
‘Knüpfer is a thoroughly engaging personality, deeply committed to his craft. An excellent film.’ **** The Guardian
‘So enthralling…Cibis and Franck should win every music-documentary prize available.’
**** Financial Times
‘Surprisingly lovely.’ Mark Lawson, BBC Radio 4 Front Row
‘Forget Toy Story 3, this year’s summer blockbuster, at least for piano fans, has to be Pianomania.’ Classic FM Magazine
You can see the official trailer and a full summary of Pianomania at www.more2screen.com.
Austria · 2009 · Robert Cibis / Lilian Franck · 95min
