13 NARRATIONS – Matthias Wagner

A contemplative piano documentary with a star cast: Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Stefan Knüpfer.

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Our film shows four people in a state of unconditional commitment. They gather in picturesque Toblach/Dobbiaco (South Tyrol) around one of the most amazing musical instruments in the world, the antique Steinway grand piano D 353018, to record an album of dances by Franz Schubert. The French star pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard has chosen some little-known, deeply soulful miniatures in waltz time. We know that he has a personal, almost fateful relationship with these pieces. In the film, however, which was a condition for permission to shoot, nothing is revealed about this. All the more reason for us to feel the significance of this artistic project for the visionary grand seigneur of the piano world in every shot. There is an almost holy seriousness in his expressive, self-forgetful facial expressions, which we follow with calm close-ups. His gifted hands, ennobled by a rich life as a pianist, caress the old ivory keys, dancing with them in the closest intimacy. We have spared no effort to capture the fabulous poetry and delicacy of the resulting sounds.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard relies on the skill and art of piano technician Stefan Knüpfer, himself a world star in his field, to create these unheard-of sounds. Stefan acts as the actual narrator of our documentary. He admires the pianist with whom he has worked for 20 years. Like him, he is obsessed with the search for the ideal sound. “Beauty,” he says at one point in the film, ”needs the flaw. There are no flawless people, there are no flawless pianos.” Stefan pleads for the quality of the old to be appreciated. The piano that he transported to Toblach for the Schubert recording was built in 1954 and resided in Prague’s Rudolfinum for a long time. Almost all the great pianists of the time played on it. After a few decades, pianos usually end up in the back room for accompanists or in private salons. The Steinway D 353018 was discovered by Stefan a few years ago and lovingly restored. It is now one of the most sought-after pianos ever and part of the “piano duo” project. The “353018” travels across Europe to unfold its particularly noble, round, warm sound under the most gifted hands.

That is why the grand piano itself is one of the main protagonists of our film. Cameras and microphones accompany it on its journey, we are initially inside it, in almost total darkness, we hear the noise of the transporter’s engine, we hear the old wood groaning and the unmuted strings breathing, we hear the panting of the hard-working transporters from outside. Silence. Night. Then Stefan opens the lid. When we heard the first note during the shoot, in the cozy semi-darkness of the Gustav Mahler Hall in Dobbiaco, we got goose bumps. Of course, this sound cannot be described in words; in the film, this goosebump moment will mark the entry into the actual plot, the transition from the sphere of the piano to the sphere of humans and their art.

There, in addition to Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Stefan Knüpfer, the camera finds two other actors: recording director Christoph Claßen and sound engineer Sebastian Nattkemper. They greatly add to the story of the film, not least thanks to their sober, results-oriented view of the musical and sonic work on the album. We see them listening in rapt attention in the control room, having a deep musical conversation with the pianist, but also as spontaneous critics and ironic commentators on the action. They sometimes introduce a profane element that provides an exciting contrast to the sacred service to music. The subtle tension between the control room and the concert hall is unleashed not only once in terrific jokes.

Everyone involved experienced the week of recording in Toblach as an exceptional time. It was a retreat with long days of intimate contemplation, surrounded by a sublime mountain landscape. Our film will be a chamber play, out of time, detached from the world. Nature only makes brief appearances, as a curtain between the acts.

Matthias Wagner Graz Pierre-Laurent Aimard Stefan Knüpfer Toblach Dobbiaco Dokumentarfilm Music Documentary Klavier Piano Musikfilm Musikdoku Schubert