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Sorceress of the New
Piano
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The Artistry of Margaret Leng Tan
(documentary; 90 min./video; USA / Singapore
/ Hong Kong) ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@ˇ@
Strumming the strings of the grand piano
like a harp and performing Beethoven and the Beatles on toy pianos are
among the surprising scenes in Evans Chanˇ¦s documentary, Sorceress
of the New Piano, which celebrates the trans-cultural career of
Singapore-born, New York-based pianist Margaret Leng Tan, praised by The
New Yorker as ˇ§the diva of avant-garde pianism."
The film traces Tanˇ¦s quest for a new pianistic language, as she performs
ground-breaking works by American masters Henry Cowell, George Crumb,
and her longtime mentor John Cage, as well as by composers of the new
generation -- Philip Glass, Tan Dun, Somei Satoh, Ge Gan-ru, Toby Twining,
Lois V Vierk, Raphael Mostel, and Stephen Montague. Critics Edward Rothstein
(The New York Times),
Mark Swed (Los Angeles Times),
and Joshua Kosman (San Francisco Chronicle)
share their thoughts on Tanˇ¦s artistry and musical lineage. Incorporating
vintage footage of Merce Cunninghamˇ¦s dance, Jasper Johnsˇ¦s art, and a
Marcel Duchamp film, Sorceress also highlights Tanˇ¦s latest transformation
as the world's first professional toy pianist, turning a humble toy into
an instrument worthy of the international concert stage. A decade in the
making, Chanˇ¦s engaging documentary makes accessible as never before a
century of adventurous, maverick music-making in America, through the
prism of a major Amer-asian musical talent.
Festival history:
*Melbourne International Film Festival (2005)
*Buenos Aires 7° Festival Internacional de
Cine Independiente (2005)
*San Francisco International
Asian American Film Festival (Centerpiece Presentation
2005)
*Vancouver International Film Festival (2005)
*Mar del Plata Festival Internacional de Cine
Independiente (2004)
*Singapore International Film Festival (2004)
*Hong Kong International Film Festival (2004)
ˇ@
Executive Producers: Russell Freedman, Willy Tsao
Director/Editor: Evans Chan
Director of Photography: Gabrielle
Weiss
Sound Mixer: Rafael de la Uz
Assistant Directorˇ@Assistant
Directorˇ@: Zhao Quan Zh
Production Coordinatorˇ@Production
Coordinatorˇ@: Tad Doy
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