DOCUMENTARY: A winning portrait of Italian-born Auckland concert pianist Flavio Villani as he returns like the prodigal son to Italy for his concert debut, scaling one of the summits of the Romantic repertoire – Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto. Beginning in Auckland, where Villani arrived at the age of 26 to study performance at Auckland University, the film starts four months before the big night, but incorporates a good measure of his backstory into its countdown to show time. A notoriously difficult piece for a pianist to play, the film also follows Villani’s preparation for a reunion with his estranged family. Rachmaninoff wrote his Second Concerto as a triumphant return to form after a fall from grace. Will it be the same for Flavio?
“An elegant, graceful documentary that illustrates the power in intimate storytelling; Crossing Rachmaninoff honours both the music and the musician, as well as the audience – a rare balance in films of this ilk”. SOURCE: Sarah McMullan RNZ