There’s something about watching an expert at work that fascinates, regardless of what the work might be.
In “Pianomania,” we are introduced to such an expert: Stefan Knupfer, a “master tuner” with Steinway & Sons, the venerable piano manufacturer.
It may not sound like much, but Knup
fer is a piano tuner like Babe Ruth used to play catch. Somewhat nerdy but full of energy, the boyish Knupfer is in charge of the pianos used by the great masters of the instrument.
Each world-class pianist has his own preferences and tastes. An early sequence shows the famed Lang Lang good-naturedly examining the piano and marveling at how close some folding chairs have been placed to his piano bench.
Knupfer scurries around the concert hall, travels to a Steinway showroom to choose a new instrument for his hall, and opens a box of hammer heads that are the wrong size for a particular piano. This event is treated as something like a disaster of international consequences.
Along with its episodes, “Pianomania” follows an arc involving the recording of a Bach record by Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Knupfer actually begins preparing the piano a year in advance, after consulting with Aimard.
Of course, when Aimard arrives for the big recording session, he has last-minute unease about the sound of the Steinway. He’s not acting like a diva; he simply hears a sound in his head and doesn’t quite hear it coming from the piano.
So Knupfer goes to work: dragging out another piano for back-up, racing between recording booth and stage to tweak a key or tighten a string, and — this is part of the job, too — soothing the psyche of the genius at the keyboard.
Directors Lilian Franck and Robert Cibis use little exposition or background interviews. They just watch a man doing his job, and it’s a revelation.
Even if you didn’t know you wanted to see a documentary about this subject, believe me, you do.
“Pianomania”
An unexpectedly delightful character portrait of Stefan Knupfer, a Viennese piano tuner for Steinway & Sons. In dealing with some of the great pianists of the day, Knupfer proves himself to be a true artist in his own right. In German, with English subtitles.
Rated: Not rated; probably PG
Showing: Varsity
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