Pianomania

I'm a classically-trained pianist and composer, so behind-the-scenes movies like this have a lot of appeal for me. I respect the piano technicians, such as the film's protagonist Stephan Knüpfer, who know how to coax the right sound from an amazingly complicated instrument. This documentary is a tribute to his skill, and especially his patience, as he deals with pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, an ultra-demanding control freak who will just about drive you insane as you watch.

Aimard's attempts to get Knüpfer to recreate the many piano tones he has in his head forms the main plot thread of this documentary. In between grueling sessions of watching Aimard complain about the shape of a particular note's tone, the documentarians have inserted scenic pictures of Vienna, and clips of other, less annoying pianists, including two comedians who provide much-needed relief for the Aimard-induced tension.

There are some lovely shots of the interior mechanism of the piano, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at Vienna's concert hall. But overall, I found this film tedious due to Aimard's perfectionistic attitude. Would anyone else put up with it? Knüpfer seems to relish it somehow, because it presents him with a technical challenge. The film rambles on, cutting back and forth to the main story for no apparent reason, and be warned: 90% of it is in German with subtitles.

Definitely for the piano lover only.

A year in the life of Stephan Knüpfer, Steinway's tuner/piano mechanic who services the beautiful Steinway grand pianos in Vienna's concert halls.

The preparation in bringing these magnificent pianos to perfect condition, each one fine-tuned to satisfy the differing whims of the virtuoso who will play it, is astounding to see and hear. It's astonishing that people can have such delicate ears, to be able to hear such tiny changes in tone and colour when minuscule adjustments are made to tuning, hammers and strings.

If you're a music lover you must see this film.

The technician and pianists studied up close in Pianomania, a 2009 Austrian documentary, are searching for the perfect sound. They always get close, but I am not sure any of them well confess to ever actually hearing it. Stefan Knupfer is Steinway & Sons master technician based out of Vienna. He works at the Vienna concert house tuning, re-tuning, breaking apart and re-constructing grand pianos. Working closely with the most famous and skilled pianists in the world including Lang Lang and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, they have intense discussions concerning tone, flavor, color, air, etc… It turns out that grand pianos each have their own respective flavor, shape, and feeling. Is the sound round or too round? Is it full, thick, thin, light, or heavy? In Pianomania, Stefan describes the piano as the perfect music machine. Its full volume can reach 4000 in a single hall. Conversely, another technician raises the question of just how much of a musical instrument it really is. It takes three people just to move it around and if you draw on a particular string you will slice your hand open.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard will record Bach concertos in one year at the concert hall. A full year before these recordings, Stefan is already hard at work on it. He travels to Hamburg to painstakingly select the back-up piano in case the first one is not to Pierre's liking. He goes over to the Hofburg to consult harpsichord and clavichord experts because he feels he must know their sounds better. He almost self destructs when new hammerheads arrive (the parts which hit the piano strings) and they are 0.7mm too skinny, a fact he can tell just by looking at them.

Throughout the year, Stefan works hand-in-hand with all of these accomplished solo pianists to find the sound they are so desperately trying to describe. Tension frequently arises when they either cannot understand one another or when a piano sounds amazing to one person but like garbage to another. Well into the film, it is not odd to hear phrases such as "the tone is fine, it is what is in the tone which sounds off." Listening to the musicians play after they have finally decided the piano is ready is a real pleasure. There are extended sequences devoted to them. The camera work veers off every now and then though to try and match the sounds such as filming clouds reflecting on water or blurry neon lights. Those shots do not work very well but they are few and far between. Also, once the Bach recordings begin a year later, they can become quite tedious as you will see microphones adjusted and re-adjusted and Stefan running up and down the stairs repeatedly between the stage and the recording booth. This conveys exactly what it is supposed to, that recording major works of classical music is extremely challenging, but it also not very amusing for the audience either.

I recommend Pianomania to those who appreciate classical music and would like to peek behind the curtain a bit. Beware to those of you who do not seem interested by these descriptions, you will probably be bored.

I watched this documentary exactly one week ago at the NZ IFF in Auckland. It's been on my mind ever since! It's a slow paced documentary about a piano tuner working in Vienna with some (very famous?) pianists playing Bach, Mozard, Berlioz etc. One of them is a very perfectionist pianist, but funny at the same time.

As said it is slow paced, but has many funny moments. I never knew tuning a (grand) piano was so complicated, but after watching this docu I really admire his skill, not only technical but his people skill as well.

I recommend seeing this documentary, the theatre was almost sold out when I watched it and everyone there really seemed to enjoy it.

It is mostly in German, but is partly in English as well.

I've always enjoyed watching an artist at the top of the game, and while the musicians here, Lang Lang, Aimard et al are all at the top of their games for sure, it is Stephan Knüpfer who is the true artist here. Here is a man who knows his pianos at such an intimate level he is able to translate the musicians incredibly specific and intangible demands in to reality.

This film is just captivating from beginning to end, watching Stephan tweak, poke, dust, tune, twist and thump the pianos like only a true master of his craft can do.

Highly recommended.