Story :This documentary film explores the world of the bow and the extraordinary masters who make them. The bow is the Cinderella of the orchestra—the overworked and overshadowed ally to its more glamorous partners. Few people, even among lovers of classical music, think of the bow as an instrument in its own right, but players of stringed instruments see them differently. To musicians, the bow is as essential to expressing the soul of the music as the violin or cello. The film follows the journey of the “silent servant” of the music world—from the workshops of the virtuosos of the trade, to the birthplace of the bow in France, and to Brazil, home to the imperiled tree from which the world’s finest bows are made.
Cast
Charles EspeySelf, bow-maker
Paul SiefriedSelf, bow-maker
Robert MorrowSelf, bow-maker
Ole KanestromSelf, bow-maker
Cody KowalskiSelf, bow-maker
Stéphane TomachotSelf, bow-maker
Joséphine TomachotSelf, bow-maker
Noel BurkeSelf, bow-maker
Johnny GandelsmanSelf, violinist, Brooklyn Rider
Colin JacobsenSelf, violinist, Brooklyn Rider
Nicholas CordsSelf, violist, Brooklyn Rider
Michael NicolasSelf, cellist, Brooklyn Rider
Joel LinkSelf, violinist, Dover Quartet
Bryan LeeSelf, violinist, Dover Quartet
Milena Pajaro-van de StadtSelf, violist, Dover Quartet