Produced by Coronation Media
“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.”
-Leonard Bernstein
As an enthusiast of classical music, I found myself Googling “Luthier in Baltimore” when researching pitch ideas for an independent project. I then stumbled across pictures of the most gorgeous showroom. It was the home of Perrin & Associates, where brothers Ryan and Aaron Fini masterfully craft violins, cellos, and bows. To my great satisfaction, they both agreed to be the subject of this documentary, Strings of Tradition.
To prepare, I immersed myself in all things violin making. I was especially moved by Praise to the Hand directed by Bogdan Žižić in 1968. The piece documented Croatian violin maker Ivan Hus at work. There was no dialogue, no score, just the sounds of the workshop. This was set within what appears to be a one-light-source composition. Inspired by Žižić’s film, I hoped to lean on both room tone and shadow as integral elements of Strings of Tradition. Fortunately, the shoot location was the perfect setting for relying mainly on natural light.
It was an absolute joy to meet and interview Ryan and Aaron. Upon sitting down with Ryan, his passion for the craft was quickly apparent, as is his deep love for classical music. This is most evident through the care he puts into his work as a violin maker. It was fascinating to learn about the level of detail and precision that is required of him. Aaron shared the same dedication to excellence. He described his desire to create bows that are not only beautiful but also perfectly suited to the playing styles of individual musicians. In this way, it was clear to me that Aaron truly shapes and elevates his clients’ performances through his work as a bow-maker.
For b-roll, my intention was to have the majority of shots filmed in real-time with wild audio (again, inspired by Žižić). We were especially privileged to film Aaron on cello, as well as Ivan Stefanović, the Associate Principal Second Violin for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Some might say my biggest reason for pushing this independent piece was to have a private recital with talented classical musicians. Just kidding… maybe.
All my thanks go out to Ryan and Aaron for making Strings of Tradition a reality.