A legend among pianists of the twentieth century, Artur Schnabel (1882–1951) is best
known as the first performer to record the complete Beethoven’s sonatas. The exiled Austro-German musician and composer was a giant of his time, but today he is nearly forgotten.
Pianist and Schnabel devotee Markus Pawlik (in collaboration with baritone Dietrich Henschel and the Szymanowski String Quartet) prepares to bring Artur Schnabel’s greatest compositions back in a major commemorative concert. Along the way, the film visits the places, landscapes, and history that shaped and inspired Schnabel’s life and music.
Lyrically realized by director Matthew Mishory, Artur Schnabel: No Place of Exile rediscovers an essential 20th century artist displaced by the catastrophe of the two World Wars and the Holocaust and inspired by the possibilities of modernism.
Documentary, 2017, 52 min
Author & Director: Matthew Mishory
DOP: Michael Pessah
Editor: Marc Cohen
Production: Alvaro Fernandez
Commissioning Editor: Dorothea Diekmann, Christian von Behr (RBB)
A production by Light on Shadow in co-production with 3B-Produktion and RBB in cooperation with Arte.
