|
A masterly composition of eye and ear, hand and heart, labor and music — Chicago Sun Times
"Four Stars"— TimeOut New York
NOTE BY NOTE: THE MAKING OF STEINWAY L1037
March 22-24, 27-31
Sat 7:00pm, Sun 8:45pm, Mon 7:00pm, Thurs 8:45pm, Fri 7:00pm, Sat 8:45pm, Sun 7:00pm, Mon 8:45pm
USA 2006 // Director: Ben Niles // 81 min // Digibeta
|
|
"How does a piano get to Carnegie Hall?" asked James Barron the New York Times, writing on the history of the 150-year-old Steinway company, "one of the last outposts of hand craftsmanship in a machine dominated industry."Intrigued, Ben Niles has made a documentary on the genesis of a Steinway grand.
Note By Note is a feature-length independent documentary that follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand, #L1037— from forest floor to concert hall. It explores the relationship between musician and instrument, chronicles the manufacturing process, and illustrates what makes each Steinway unique in this age of mass production.
From the factory floor in Queens to Steinway Hall in Manhattan, each piano’s journey is complex—spanning 12 months, 12,000 parts, 450 craftsmen, and countless hours of fine-tuned labor. The mystery of each piano's sound and personality is explored by experts like Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Harry Connick Jr., Hélène Grimaud, Marcus Roberts, Hank Jones and Chinese prodigy Lan.
Filmed in key Steinway locations—the factory, Steinway’s reserved “Bank,” and private auditions—Note By Note is a loving celebration of not just craftsmanship, but of a dying breed of person who is deeply connected to working by hand.
In the end, this is an ode to the most unexpected, and perhaps ironic, of unsung heroes. It reminds us how extraordinary the dialogue can be between an artist and an instrument—crafted out of human hands but borne of the materials of nature.
Ben Niles is a documentary filmmaker and award-winning graphic designer. During his fifteen years as a graphic designer, Ben directed and produced photo shoots, videos, commercials, and print campaigns for commercial and entertainment clients including Atlantic Records, The Nantucket Film Festival, and the Jacob Burns Film Center. In his years in the record industry, Ben created album packages for Collective Soul, Jewel, Jon Bryon, celebrated box sets for Shish and George Carlin, and packages and identities for jazz musicians Cyrus Chestnut, James Carter, and Henry Butler. His first documentary, Josh Joplin: Better Days, about the recording industry and the role of the singer-songwriter, received industry acclaim.
"Engrossing! a stirring symphony of specialized labor."— Variety
"Beethoven would have been pleased" — Stanley Kauffamann, The New Republic
|
