Pianomania

Date: 11/9/2011For those who are curious about what goes into putting on a concert, there’s a film playing in the Los Angeles area called Pianomania that may interest you. The film takes you into the secret world of sounds - a place where passion and the pursuit of perfection collide with artistic obsession and a touch of madness.

For every concert, it’s not only important for the pianist to play well but also for him to sound good, and we can’t do that without the piano tuner. Pianomania (2009) tells the story of Stefan Knüpfer, a virtuoso piano tuner and Steinway & Sons’ chief technician and Master Tuner in Vienna. Juggling the demands of the pianist, the piano, and the piece to find the perfect match requires boundless enthusiasm, but also endless patience and nerves of steel. No detail is too small or too inconsequential for Knüpfer, not even the tiniest speck of dust on a piano string.



I won’t give away the film, but tensions run high as pianists adamantly demand that pianos be tuned and re-tuned endlessly. The film follows Knüpfer’s work with pianists such as Lang Lang, Alfred Brendel, Rudolf Buchbinder, Ian Bostridge, and Pierre-Laurent Aimard. The comedy duo Igudesman and Joo also make an appearance in the film.Watch these guys in their quest to find the perfect sound.