Customer Reviews

Speaking in Strings

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This film, while giving the impression of exploring NSS's turbulent life and her continuous metamorphosis to a better version of herself, actually emphasizes her enigma. And what's more interesting, you do not realize this until you watch the movie again. P>Okay, maybe it's just me. But NSS's "existential crisis" was triggered by a love gone wrong, and you have to take her word for it, but you don't know much more about it. What kind of love could bring this brilliant person (or anyone else, for that matter) so much pain and desperation? That part seems to be held back on purpose, and its absence was very obvious. And then, also, maybe it's justme, but you just want to reach out and give the big kid inside this prodigy a big hug...

The editing was brilliant - you have to watch the movie more than once to get the chronology in order (if you want to read into it more than necessary, as I do) and to understand NSS' evolutions. At the very least, the movie makes you appreciate classical music as a visual performance (rather than merely audio). Although when NSS plays that violin, you can just close your eyes and listen to her music - it's magical.

In the end, you feel you know NSS a little bit more, and you almost feel guilty for watching this very personal movie and intruding into her private life. NSS - despite the obvious blank spaces in the movie - is as transparent as a person could be. She fills in the spaces for you. And you cannot help but cheer her on whenever she takes that bow.

I am ready for the SEQUEL!

I watched this movie with a sense of awe I have not felt for any other musician. Not only does Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg have a great sense of humor, she if overflowing with creativity and pure sassiness. Beneath her animated surface there also seems to be a hurricane of emotions which finds its release in her dynamic musical career.

It is as if Nadja becomes the music she is playing or is it just that the music possesses her? She is intense in her original interpretation and hauntingly expressive style. The music does not seem to be coming from the violin, but from deep within Nadja.

You have to ask yourself why anyone so talented and filled with sensitivity would consider ending their life. Especially when you are one of the world's preeminent violinists.

I believe personally that very creative people can also be struggling from a deep depression or unfulfilled longing of the soul. While Nadja sought obvious release through her playing, I think writers find the same expression through words. Both can alternate between utter hopelessness and extreme creativity. At times writing and music almost seem to be "born of pain."

What is so powerful about her story is how her mother tells her it takes courage to be happy. How true! It is far easier to give up in light of your circumstances. It takes a deep inner strength and sense of hope to continue in life when you would rather give up. Yet what a talent she has. While her talents were unquestionable at the time, her talent for living still needed to be developed. She had a passion for music, but no passion for life.

Not only do we learn how Nadja's father abandoned her family when she was a very young child, we also learn about her regret of never meeting her father. It seems from what she says in this documentary, work was first in her life and she put health and love second and third. She might be interested to know that smokers have a higher risk of developing depression. In the movie, she seemed to be a chain smoker.

"Cries of the Heart" by Ravi Zacharias might be helpful for anyone going through what Nadja seems to have experienced. "Manic Depression and Creativity" by D. Jablow Hershman discusses Beethoven and other great talents through the ages. The Omega-3 Connection by Andrew L. Stoll would also be worth a read as nutrition is always important.

Where does the love come from when you can't supply it yourself? What makes life worth living when even your own amazing talent isn't satisfying the longings of the soul?

Nadja says she believes in God, but at times he seems really busy. There is definitely a difference between knowing there is a God and having a relationship with him. Or at least a reason for living that goes beyond this temporary existence.

This musician's life shows how material success and fame means little when maybe what we all really want is love and a happy healthy life. Not to mention hope in this life and hope for the life beyond.

I truly hope Nadja has found peace and ways to deal with the sheer explosion of creativity surging from her very soul.

An eccentric, wild and unorthodox story of a musician's passionate existence.

~The Rebecca Review

You have to watch this movie more than once to hear the words spoken in strings. If you are a classical music critic, this movie is probably not for you, because it tells a story of a genius possessed, damned, and redeemed. It gives you an insight into Nadja's continuous metamorphosis into what she is now. Her honesty almost makes you feel guilty for having invaded her privacy by watching the film.

But you watch it after the first time and you see beyond the tough girl, world-famous musician that we think she is. The film, despite its marvelous editing, leaves one thing out - The Heart - the forces that propel NSS to the heavens and throw her back to earth. And then the absence of this huge thing - loves lost and loves gained - becomes so obvious. Fortunately, the answers lie not in the pictures or words, but the nuances. As I said, the editing is very CRAFTY. You have to read between the lines and hope that there is s SEQUEL somewhere.

At the end of the film, you just want to reach out and give this big kid a big hug, because despite the accolades, you know that she yearns for the same things you and I do.

This documentary provides us with a glimpse into the life of a most unusual violinist. Certainly Ms Salerno-Sonnenberg has rightful status as a proficient performer, but beyond that she is well known for her unusual stage presence. She almost literally throws herself into her performance providing the audience with a physical rendition of the music in addition to playing her instrument.

I said above that we get a glimpse of her life, and that is all one can hope for in a 75 minute movie. What we learn here once again is that we can't idealize the lives of talented performers. Nadja's life is a hectic one consisting of up to 200 performances a year. The stress of this routine is manifested in bouts of depression which on one occasion becomes suicidal.

While watching the movie I couldn't help thinking of Jaqueline du Pre, the demonstrative cellist who led a tragic life. Ms Salerno-Sonnenberg tells us that she really feels free only when she is actually performing.

Now to the disappointment. Listening to her recorded performances is very rewarding, but it can be like listening to a Shakespeare play on the radio. The visual part of her playing is an important part of the listening experience. Many of us may never be able to watch her play so I had hoped that the documentary would give us a good sampling of her on stage efforts, but unfortunately the clips of her playing the violin are few, and never more than 60 seconds in length. I wish they had extended the movie another 15 minutes and treated us to the performance of at least one composition. It is for the reason that I gave a rating of four stars instead of five.

Here we have a warts-and-all documentary of one of the greatest violinists of our day. In addition to her superb playing, we see all sides of Nadja -- charming, annoying, frightening. A riveting production that I will watch again and again.

How could anyone who loves the violin rate this at less than five stars? Nadja's passionate playing leaves me quite breathless.

This film, while giving the impression of exploring NSS's turbulent life and her continuous metamorphosis to a better version of herself, actually emphasizes her enigma. And what's more interesting, you do not realize this until you watch the movie again. And then it hits you - there is a very big piece lacking in this film that leaves you hanging, as if Ms. DiFlorio gave you the head, the torso, the feet, but she purposely left out the Heart.

Okay, maybe it's just me. But NSS's "existential crisis" was triggered by a love gone wrong, and you have to take her word for it, but you don't know much more about it. What kind of love could bring this brilliant person (or anyone else, for that matter) so much pain and desperation? That part seems to be held back on purpose, and its absence was very obvious. And then, also, maybe it's just me, but you just want to reach out and give the big kid inside this prodigy a big hug...

The editing was brilliant - you have to watch the movie more than once to get the chronology in order (if you want to read into it more than necessary, as I do) and to understand NSS' evolutions. At the very least, the movie makes you appreciate classical music as a visual performance (rather than merely audio). Although when NSS plays that violin, you can just close your eyes and listen to her music - it's magical.

In the end, you feel you know NSS a little bit more, and you almost feel guilty for watching this very personal movie and intruding into her private life. NSS - despite the obvious blank spaces in the movie - is as transparent as a person could be. She fills in the spaces for you. And you cannot help but cheer her on whenever she takes that bow.

I am ready for the SEQUEL!!!

This is an incredible movie revealing the soul of a sensitive performer, I thoroughly enjoyed her honesty and anything-but-ordinary performances. When I saw this movie I could not stop crying. It just goes to show how such a great talent can be lost when love goes bad. Just like Nadja's mom said it takes alot of guts to be happy.

Nadja, if youre out there and reading this you will never know how you have touched my life, how you reminded me how delicate life really is. I am a musician too and am terribly fond of you, please look me up sometime Im sure we would have alot to talk about.

All I can think of is thank god that gun jammed!

I saw this documentary when it was aired on PBS and it made me want to run out in the New York winter and buy every recording Salerno-Sonnenberg ever made. There is footage of her playing winning a competition with the Shostakovich concerto. She seems demonically possessed. She gives you the feeling music is something worth dying for (and living for).

Every musician, nay-- every aspiring artist, nay anyone aspiring in any field of discipline, nay -- every one living, should watch this video for a massive dose of inspiration and enthusiasm for life and art.

I think I had heard of SPEAKING IN STRINGS, in passing, when it first came out in 1998. However, I only knew that it was about Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, a phenomenally talented violinst. This woman has been called "possessed," "frightening" and "brilliant" with good reason. I can honestly say that I have never heard (or seen) such an incomparable artist perform great classical pieces with such fire and spirit. Nadja has been criticized as much as she has been proclaimed. The intensity of her connection to the music is so strong that she has the tendency to contort her face and physicalize the mood of the pieces she interprets. This, of course, has generated criticism from the press. For me, Nadja really is feeling the essence of the music she expresses through her instrument.

Not only do we hear great excerpts from some of Nadja's finest performances (including her Carnegie Hall debut, at the age of seventeen in 1982, and an interview with Johnny Carson), as well as a really engrossing look at her formative years (complete with clips from home movies and family photos). We also see a very intimate side of Solerno-Sonnenberg and we really see the personal setbacks that almost put a permanent end to her career. Director Paola di Fiorio was granted a well-earned Academy Award nomination for Best Documementary, and you don't have to look too closely to see why.