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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have played the piano all my life but never really thought all that much about what went into making a fine piano (or even a not so fine one). This documentary takes us through the year-long process of building a single piano, Steinway concert grand (Model D) Number L1037. Every step of the way is fascinating. I am in awe of the dedication and craftsmanship of all the people involved. I also loved the snippets of conversation with such pianistic luminaries as Hélène Grimaud and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, as well as jazzmen Marcus Roberts and Harry Connick Jr. But mostly I was fascinated by the craftsmen. I makes me appreciate my old Steinway Model B all the more.
Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars
48 reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Making of a Miracle
6 Nov 2009
By Alan Lekan
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
This is a truly marvelous documentary that should appeal to anyone with musical interests. Even more than the celebration of a miraculous musical instrument, it is the honoring of the diverse, inner-city craftsmen and women who lovingly and skillfully craft these musical wonders called Steinway pianos.
The building of this particular piano - unglamorously titled L1037 - is interspersed with episodes of some famous and diverse pianists dropping into the Steinway showroom to select just the right piano for their next performance. Featured are classical artists Helene Grimaud, Pierre-Laurant Aimard and Chinese dynamo Lang Lang (who is hilariously impromptu and impressive here) - as well as some jazz artists as Harry Connick Jr.
I'm not a pianist, but I can easily imagine how special it is to play a Steinway Grand, especially one that ideally suits your tastes. (I suspect playing an Italian Fazioloi Concert Grand would also inspire the same). Seeing the intricacies of these pianos in this DVD will only highten your appreciation and understanding of how thousands of individual efforts by dozens of craftspeople over the course of the year in production leads to that magical, full, bell-like tone a trained ear can readily identify as "Steinway." A unique and delightful story of an American legend wonderfully suited for family appreciation. 5 stars
The building of this particular piano - unglamorously titled L1037 - is interspersed with episodes of some famous and diverse pianists dropping into the Steinway showroom to select just the right piano for their next performance. Featured are classical artists Helene Grimaud, Pierre-Laurant Aimard and Chinese dynamo Lang Lang (who is hilariously impromptu and impressive here) - as well as some jazz artists as Harry Connick Jr.
I'm not a pianist, but I can easily imagine how special it is to play a Steinway Grand, especially one that ideally suits your tastes. (I suspect playing an Italian Fazioloi Concert Grand would also inspire the same). Seeing the intricacies of these pianos in this DVD will only highten your appreciation and understanding of how thousands of individual efforts by dozens of craftspeople over the course of the year in production leads to that magical, full, bell-like tone a trained ear can readily identify as "Steinway." A unique and delightful story of an American legend wonderfully suited for family appreciation. 5 stars
27 of 32 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite sure . . .
24 April 2010
By David Moeslein
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
It is all going to depend on your expectations of the video whether you like it or not when you have finished viewing it. Is the video "made well"? Yes - in fact, it is a beautiful story. However, if your expectation of this video is thatyou will know: 1) how a piano is made from start-to-finish, and; 2) what differentiates a Steinway PIANO from other piano-shaped instruments, I think you may not be 100% satisfied. Owning a Steinway and having been to both the factory and Steinway Hall, there is a lot that this film is NOT. If you want to know about the heritage of the Steinway, if you want to see the generations of ethnic workers carrying on a tradition, you will probably like "the story". It is also a bit of an "infomercial" for Steinway, but I'd hope they wouldn't use it as a primary sales tool! So - if you are passionate about the piano or music and you want to add something to your library --- go ahead and it's probably worth what you'll spend for a USED copy (getting one in the library or renting it would be a better aproach). If you want to know something about how pianos are built and what makes a Steinway special ---- READ Jim Barron's book, PIANO and visit the Steinway website and there are a lot of video clips there. The online factory tour -> [...]
17 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous
27 Sep 2009
By D. Harter
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
The title may be a little misleading, read as an 80-minute informercial, but it's not (disclaimer -- I prefer Kawai to Steinway). Instead, the movie is a touching and educational flick about the making of pianos in the heart of NYC. It celebrates the soul inherent in the handmade object. Personal stories are interspersed throughout, keeping us emotionally attached to the tradesmen who are part of the piano making process and the accomplished pianists, both young and old, who act as consumers. My favorite part is when one of the pianists explains how he first became enamored by the piano through watching Tom and Jerry cartoons and he plays a flamboyant rendition of a Liszt piece that will give you a good chuckle.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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