Dryden Theatre features 'in person' the Steinway star of Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1027

Film screening Dec. 27 documents evolution of the famed piano from forest floor to Carnegie Hall

ROCHESTER, N.Y. —Not only is the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House bringing back the film Note by Note: The Making of a Steinway L1027—which sold out last March resulting in hundreds being turned away—but on Saturday, Dec. 27 the star of the film, the Steinway L1027 itself, will be on site. Prior to the screening, Roberts Wesleyan College Professor Michael Landrum will perform at 8 p.m. a demonstration on the actual piano made in Note by Note.

Note by Note (Ben Niles, US 2007, 81 min., Digital Projection) is one of the most popular films in Dryden Theatre history. Based on a series of New York Times articles, this surprisingly fascinating documentary attempts to answer the question: "How does a piano get to Carnegie Hall?" Director Niles delves into the history of the 150-year-old Steinway Company in Queens, N.Y., one of the last outposts of handcraftsmanship in a machine-dominated industry, to find out what goes into the making of one concert grand.

The film documents the evolution of a Steinway from forest floor to Carnegie Hall. Each piano's 12-month journey is unique, beginning in Alaska with the search for wood and the work of 450 craftsmen and 12,000 parts. The end result is the most sought-after piano in the world, selling for $100,000. The Steinway experts work in the centuries-old tradition of hand-tooling the instrument, of which the factory only produces 2,000 a year.

John Anderson of Newsday described Note by Note as, "Gorgeous, visually and musically."

The following evening, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28, the Steinway L1037 will again be featured, in live piano accompaniment for the film Girl Shy (Sam Taylor and Fred Newmeyer, US 1924, 80 min.). The accompaniment will be performed by Philip c. Carli. In the film, four-eyed Harold Lloyd stars as a tailor's assistant who loses all confidence around women. He nonetheless attempts to publish a bogus memoir about his "conquests" and finally finds true love, leading to a sidesplitting chase finale.

Admission to each screening is $7 general admission and $5 students and members. For more information please visit dryden.eastmanhouse.org or call (585) 271-4090.

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