© ATOM 2016 A STUDY GUIDE BY MARGUERITE O’HARA http://www.metromagazine.com.au ISBN: 978-1-74295-944-3 http://theeducationshop.com.au CONTENT HYPERLINKS (click on arrow) Introduction Highly Strung is a documentary film Synopsis 3 about string instruments and the Curriculum Guidelines 3 people who play them, the people who make them and the history People taking part in the film 4 of string instruments. Focusing on Glossary 4 members from the Australian String Quartet and the unique world of Filmmakers 5 Guadagnini instruments, Highly Structure of the Documentary 6 Strung travels from Adelaide to New York, Milan, Venice, Cremona, Paris Student Activities 6 and London. On this journey we meet many interesting and colourful After Watching Highly Strung 11 characters that bring these valuable References and Resources 13 instruments to life, from the workshop 2016 © ATOM to the concert platform. 2 The film runs for 100 minutes Synopsis Curriculum Guidelines The film explores the world of instrument dealers, musi- Highly Strung is suitable for secondary students in the cians, luthiers, collectors and philanthropists through learning areas of the prism of the acquisition of four Guadagnini instru- ments which philanthropist and music lover Ulrike Klein - Music- History and Performance, arranged to loan to the Australian String Quartet. - English - Design and Technologies Director Scott Hicks and Producer Kerry Heysen en- - Art and Craft countered fascinating characters at every turn, including - Film and Media Studies the members of the Australian String Quartet, which found itself in flux when filming commenced, with Highly Strung would also be an excellent resource for changes to the quartet’s line-up under dramatic and sur- tertiary students studying music history and performance. prising circumstances. Hicks follows them to Venice to The film raises universal questions about the place of clas- film them performing at the 2015 Biennale Arts Festival. sical music in the contemporary world and how it can be kept alive through continuing renewal and passion as well ‘There are all sorts of human drama, intriguing situa- as with public and private financial support. The film opens tions, unexpected twists and turns,’ Director Scott Hicks up this world in a dramatic and entertaining way. said of the part the quartet plays in Highly Strung. The activities and sets of questions in this guide are de- We watch Roberto Cavagnoli, a luthier based in Cremona signed to provide opportunities for students to: in Italy, create an exact copy of a Guadagnini cello for the Ngeringa Arts Foundation. We meet musicians with - Understand the complex nature of group dynamics very different approaches to their work and enter into the within this ASQ quartet or any other group of musi- rarefied world of buying and selling historic string instru- cians, classical, jazz, rock or pop ments. It’s about much more than just the money. These - Develop an appreciation of the history and making of stories are all interwoven into the dramatic intrigues of stringed instruments to understand why they are both the Australian Quartet and their generous philanthropist desirable and valuable pieces of essential equipment patron Ulrike Klein. for musicians - Learn something of what drives philanthropists such as Ulrike Klein to provide opportunities for young musi- cians to play on very special instruments - Develop an understanding of the filmmakers’ role in constructing a complex narrative structure that weaves together different elements of the story - Appreciate the aesthetic, style and structure of a film text - Develop appropriate vocabulary to express responses to the material © ATOM 2016 © ATOM - Learn about the life of professional classical musicians and their opportunities for performing a range of classi- cal music for an audience 3 People taking part in the film Glossary AUSTRALIAN STRING QUARTET STRING QUARTET — a string quartet is a musical ensem- Kristian Winther Stephen King ble of four string players – two violinists, a viola player and a — First Violin — Viola cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group. Ioana Tache Sharon Draper — Second Violin — Cello AUSTRALIAN STRING QUARTET — an Adelaide based string quartet who play in concert halls and at music festi- THE CARPENTERS vals all over Australia and internationally. One of Australia’s finest music exports, the ASQ has appeared at interna- Sean Carpenter David Carpenter tional music festivals and toured extensively throughout the Lauren Carpenter Grace Carpenter United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand and Asia in recent years. The Quartet frequently performs with leading guest NGERINGA ARTS artists and in recent years has appeared with internation- ally acclaimed artists including pianists Angela Hewitt and Ulrike Klein —Ngeringa — Roberto Cavagnoli, Piers Lane, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, clarinet- Arts Director and Founder luthier working in tist Michael Collins, violist Brett Dean and cellist Pieter Alison Beare Cremona Wispelwey. — General Manager Ngeringa is built on the Cello Luthier lands of the Peramangk. LUTHIER —Stringed instrument maker OTHER PEOPLE APPEARING STRADIVARIUS —a Stradivarius is one of the violins, vio- IN THIS DOCUMENTARY INCLUDE: las, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari (Stradivarius), particularly Antonio Dr Lewis Yerloburka dealers in instruments Stradivari, during the 17th and 18th centuries They are O’Brien — elder of the Joshua Bell — one of regarded as amongst the finest string instruments and like Kaurna people. the world’s great violinists the Guadagninis and Guarneri Del Gesù sell for prices in the Charles Beare — who owns and plays a millions of dollars the world’s foremost Stradivarius authenticator, expert at Gregg Alf — prominent GUADAGNINI — Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (23 June identifying and confirming American luthier based in 1711 – 18 September 1786) was an Italian luthier, regarded the provenance of rare Venice as one of the finest craftsmen of string instruments in history instruments with Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri ‘Del Gesù’. Simon Morris — director of Beare’s of GUARNERI ‘DEL GESÙ’ — Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio London, prominent Guarneri, Del Gesù was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri family of Cremona who produced stringed instruments in the 18th century. KEY CREW CREMONA — city in Lombardy in Northern Italy that is Director, Writer, Scott Hicks the most famous centre in the world for the production Cameraman of stringed instruments. There are more than 100 luthiers working in Cremona. The city claims to be the birthplace Producer Kerry Heysen of the violin and has been its champion since 1566 when Executive Producers Timothy White, Andrea Amati invented the prototype modern violin from the Anna Vincent viol - the medieval fiddle. Demand across Europe initiated a golden age of violin making when Andrea’s grandson Nicolo Editors Sean Lahiff, Scott Gray Amati and his pupils (including Antonio Stradivari), along with Giovanni Guadagnini and Giuseppe Guarneri made the Sound Recordist James Currie & Supervisor best violins in history. See http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/violin- Camera Assistant Mark Crowley makers-cremona for further information about Cremona and its violin makers. Highly Strung is a Kino Films production in 2016 © ATOM association with Southern Light Alliance CODA — the concluding passage of a piece of music 4 Filmmakers Director and Photographer Scott Hicks talks about making this documentary One of the intriguing aspects of a documentary is that Back (2009), The Lucky One (2012) and Glass: A Portrait you don’t really have a script because you have no idea of Philip in Twelve Parts, a documentary about composer what’s actually going to happen. You start out with an Philip Glass. He has completed post-production on a idea, an approach. feature film Fallen, based on Lauren Kate’s paranormal romance, which has become an international best seller. You certainly have a sense of what it is you’re exploring, but every situation and every scene that you encounter is Hicks has also directed American television commercials fascinating, because it might hold the secret of the story, for Mercedes, Audi, Subaru, Hyatt, AT&T, Bank of America one that is only really revealed when you edit the film. and Google as well as early videos for INXS, which intro- duced the group to an American audience. It’s like a process of unpeeling, and each layer of the onion reveals more intricate details. In 1999 Hicks was named South Australian of the Year and Australian of the Year for South Australia in 2008. For me, the great power of documentary is the license to explore a world unknown to me, to identify great stories He lives with his wife and collaborator Kerry Heysen in and connect with people who can animate the minu- Adelaide where they maintain a vineyard on the Fleurieu tiae and the grand themes of life through their personal Peninsula. experience. As director and cameraman, I must discover and convey a unique world to an audience unfamiliar with its nuance. My task demands an eye for the intimate and the epic. Kerry Heysen, the film’s producer, I must follow my instincts down any path they lead me, explains how she and Scott gathering the raw material to sculpt and weave and weld Hicks have always had a shared into a genuinely theatrical experience. passion for music. Scott Hicks is probably best known for his 1996 film My father was involved with music, one of our sons is Shine, which was nominated for seven Academy a musician, and our breakthrough film Shine, is about Awards, among many other awards; Geoffrey Rush won the life of pianist David Helfgott. Music has been a the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Shine, a film about great stimulus in our work. We also enjoyed success brilliant but troubled pianist David Helfgott. with our documentary on Philip Glass. Now Highly Strung is about people who have absolute passion © ATOM 2016 © ATOM He has directed numerous documentaries and feature for music, obsessed by the instruments that they films including Snow Falling on Cedars (1999), Hearts make or play or collect.