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About the relationship between pianist Alfred Brendel and the young composer and pianist Kit Armstrong. The film is an intimate chronicle of their relationship during 2008-9 and includes the only footage of Brendel performing during his farewell tour.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
This is an outstanding documentary, benefiting from unique access to one of the 20th century's greatest pianists and his prodigy pupil, the brilliant pianist and composer Kit Armstrong. This captivating film tells the story of their developing relationship over two years and provides and intimate and often moving account of the interaction between an elderly pianist who is retiring from public performance and a young student who is starting his own career. Apart from gaining extraordinary insights into Alfred Brendel's character, teaching and thoughts about music and interpretation, the film contains some exceptional music, not least the only footage of Brendel performing at one of his last recitals. This is a film which will delight connoisseurs of classical music , amateur and professional keyboard players as well as more general audience. It can be watched purely as the chronicle of an old pro handing over the baton to a rising star. The film looks and sounds great - and is often very funny.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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This is an absorbing documentary that examines the relationship between the then retiring Alfred Brendel (in 2008/2009) and his young prodigy Kit Armstrong. The cameras are there during Armstrongs lessons in London and the two have a touching relationship. Kit Armstrong is more than just a brilliant musician, he is also a mathematician and has created his own computer games. A very vtalented individual. But depsite this it is Brendel who makes the bigger impression.
The finest musical moment in this short (76 mins) documentary is Brendel playing Liszt at his last ever UK recital. Absolutely exquisite playing from one of the greatest pianists. We are lucky the cameras were there to capture this on sound and film.
There is plenty of great playing in this film, admittedly not much in the way of complete pieces. For me I need to watch this again, and will do soon!
The finest musical moment in this short (76 mins) documentary is Brendel playing Liszt at his last ever UK recital. Absolutely exquisite playing from one of the greatest pianists. We are lucky the cameras were there to capture this on sound and film.
There is plenty of great playing in this film, admittedly not much in the way of complete pieces. For me I need to watch this again, and will do soon!
13 of 18 people found the following review helpful
This is a rather scary review to write, since I've gotten the whole thing wrong, judging from a lot of influential people, not least some of whom are featured in this documentary. The film portrays Alfred Brendel's teaching relationship with the young pianist-composer Kit Armstrong. But where many people see a beautiful portrayal of an astonishing new talent promoted by one of the perhaps twenty finest pianists of the last hundred years, I see a bitter-sweet tragedy unfolding. For some, it could be the tragedy of Brendel retracting from the public ear, which also is a major component of this film; for me, it's Brendel's input in trying to convey in Kit the 'meaning of life' and 'the nature of humans and humanity' as foundations for understanding music.
Kit, on camera and in front of the recording microphone, clearly shows dire symptoms of autism; a condition which may have propelled him through extraordinary paths in becoming a polyglot, a mathematical bright-head and a technically astonishing young pianist. Some laughs are sounded as other aspects of human (adult) life is briefly discussed, but in the case of Kit it seems, from this film, that these will remain laughs of embarrassment.
Brendel says they have tried to 'set the piano stool on fire', in making Kit grasping the necessity of conviction, of delivering something to an audience. This has, at the end of the film, failed. I predict this will never come about. What puzzles me, then, is why Brendel took Kit on in the first place. If I'm not entirely wrong in my assumptions, it's most puzzling why Brendel didn't choose to break his tutorship, as any responsible mentor would. Kit's manager says in the film, that the relationship between the mentor and protégée is one of reciprocal meaning and benefit; they both benefit from their collaboration. I hope so, because it would explain why Brendel has gone to such great lengths with Kit - there is then meaning not revealed in the film. But musically, there is very little speaking for Kit apart from his tender age, which in the end means nothing, so it's still puzzling. And a little bit tragic. Or else, I've misunderstood everything.
Kit, on camera and in front of the recording microphone, clearly shows dire symptoms of autism; a condition which may have propelled him through extraordinary paths in becoming a polyglot, a mathematical bright-head and a technically astonishing young pianist. Some laughs are sounded as other aspects of human (adult) life is briefly discussed, but in the case of Kit it seems, from this film, that these will remain laughs of embarrassment.
Brendel says they have tried to 'set the piano stool on fire', in making Kit grasping the necessity of conviction, of delivering something to an audience. This has, at the end of the film, failed. I predict this will never come about. What puzzles me, then, is why Brendel took Kit on in the first place. If I'm not entirely wrong in my assumptions, it's most puzzling why Brendel didn't choose to break his tutorship, as any responsible mentor would. Kit's manager says in the film, that the relationship between the mentor and protégée is one of reciprocal meaning and benefit; they both benefit from their collaboration. I hope so, because it would explain why Brendel has gone to such great lengths with Kit - there is then meaning not revealed in the film. But musically, there is very little speaking for Kit apart from his tender age, which in the end means nothing, so it's still puzzling. And a little bit tragic. Or else, I've misunderstood everything.
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