This acclaimed documentary tracks the tumultuous life and career of powerhouse classical violinist, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Eccentric, wild, and unorthodox are just a few of the adjectives that have been used to describe this "bad girl" performer. Though audiences seem divided over Salerno-Sonnenberg's volatile, unrestrained stage presence, one thing is clear: her playing comes from the heart.
Born in Italy to a gifted family of musicians, Nadja was abandoned by her father as a mere infant. Though she arrived in the United States at age eight, Sonnenberg never felt completely comfortable in her new home. In 1981, Nadja first made a name for herself as the youngest champion of the Walter W. Naumburg International Violin Competition. She graduated from Julliard the following year and appeared in Carnegie Hall shortly thereafter. The rest, as they say, is history. Ms. Sonnenberg has been a frequent guest on shows like Johnny Carson, 60 Minutes and Sesame Street. In 1999 she received the much sought after Avery Fisher Prize for her "outstanding achievement and excellence in music."
Directed by Paola di Florio, Ms. Sonnenberg's childhood friend, SPEAKING IN STRINGS gives us an affectionate, account of the musician's life and work from a uniquely intimate perspective. The piece boldly handles the musician's often painful life, covering everything from bouts of depression to her difficult struggle against an almost career ending injury.
Like Ms. Sonnenberg's playing, this film will wash over audiences as a force that is both revelatory and deeply emotive.
