Cast
Program notes
On a little street in Brussels named Rue Bosquet, two identical buildings stand next to one another. In one of these buildings lives the famous Argentinian concert pianist Martha Argerich, who is recognized as one of the most original and temperamental pianists of her generation. Next door lives the Tiempo-Lechner family, renowned for their family tree filled with piano prodigies, all of whom have pursued international solo careers: the matriarch Lyl Tiempo, her renowned children Sergio Tiempo and Karin Lechner, and Karin’s young daughter Natasha, only fourteen years old.
Natasha, the most recent addition on "pianists’ street", must bear the legacy of the three generations of great musicians who have come before her. Although she is still maturing as an artist, this teen has already won over some of the most demanding audiences with her performances. Her musical upbringing is a family matter, as her mother, Karin is her teacher, mentor and adviser.
As she enters, almost unconsciously, the world of elite concert pianists, Natasha tries to find her own answer to the question of what does it mean to be a pianist? If there is an answer to be found, one place to look for it is in the house next door, at Martha Argerich’s residence, where another set of pianists of diverse cultural backgrounds face their own daily struggles. As the camera goes from room to room, we glimpse the inner sanctum of a pianist whose work is arduous, meticulous and filled with uncertainty. Martha Argerich herself, now seventy years old, is still on her personal, chimerical quest for perfect technique—a search that translates into unending sessions of exhausting practice. Despite having become a living legend, stage fright has never left Argerich.