Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli – a name that provokes almost a sense of awe and intimidation, even among his pianoplaying peers. It is a name that represents the highest degree of perfection, a quest for beauty that surpasses that of any other piano virtuoso. However Michelangeli also had a reputation for cancelling concerts at short notice and was consequently portrayed in the media as a somewhat neurotic artist. This documentary is the result of a 30-year search that has resulted in unusual interviews with those who knew him, and has also uncovered a wealth of new archive material: We get to experience Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli as he has never been seen before – and more importantly, as he has never been heard before. We also witness the maestro’s struggle back to his former perfection after suffering a devastating heart attack.

Cultivant le perfectionnisme jusqu'à l'extrême, le brillant pianiste Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995) inspirait crainte et admiration dans le monde de la musique. L'artiste italien, qui aurait été centenaire le 5 janvier 2020, est connu pour ses annulations de dernière minute. En 1992, en raison d'un problème d'éclairage, le virtuose exige la destruction de l'intégralité des captations audiovisuelles de l'un de ses concerts avec l'Orchestre philharmonique de Munich. Les images tournées depuis les coulisses demeurent les seules traces de ce concert.

Arturo Benedetti Michelangelis Kompromisslosigkeit hat ihn zum Pianisten-Mythos gemacht. Er gilt selbst unter den vielen großen Pianisten des 20. Jahrhunderts als eine Ausnahmeerscheinung.