Music From the Inside Out (review)

"What is music?" The answers to this question are as varied as the people who are asked. Paul Anker's documentary Music from the Inside Out begins by asking this complex question of members of the Philadelphia Orchestra (the subjects of the film), and most were initially stumped. Anker goes on to interview and film the musicians individually and in groups where they share thoughts about music and philosophies about performing that even their fellow orchestra members may not have known.

Concertgoers generally think of orchestral musicians as anonymous parts of a musical whole. Anker's work allows us to glimpse the musicians' individualities. As Israeli-born principal trombonist, Nitzan Haroz says, "There's a fine line between being a part of this group and being the individual that you are." After developing an interest in salsa dance and music, Haroz decided to take part in making this music and began sitting in with a band at a local club after changing out of his formal attire on Thursday nights post-concert.

Throughout the video, we hear and see the musicians performing in the orchestra, in chamber ensembles, and as soloists. Filming took place over a five-year period during which Anker talked to the musicians in Philadelphia, followed them on a European concert tour, and accompanied individual members to other places that were important in their lives.

The video is divided into three parts: "Finding a Voice," "Between the Notes," and "Sum of the Parts." In the first section, we are introduced to many orchestra members who talk about their childhoods and musical inspirations, and describe how their instruments allow them to express themselves on and off the orchestra stage. In part two, Anker narrows his focus to a handful of the musicians who share more intimate portraits of their lives. We accompany two violinist brothers as they visit their childhood home, reminiscing about the hours spent practicing in front of a mirror that is still there, their father's love for opera, and his pride in their success. The orchestra's concert master remembers his late mother's great ambitions for him to be a famous solo violinist, and how he came to terms with the fact that it wasn't going to happen, but found great solace and success in the worlds of chamber and orchestral music. In the final section, we hear them all play together, and talk about the experience of being as one in a performance, letting the inspiration of the music guide them.

Those of us who are not instrumentalists do not often think of the personal stories of each musician in an orchestra. Where did they study? Why did they choose their instrument? Is this the direction in which they imagined their careers going? What music do they listen to while not on stage? The answers to some of these questions may surprise and amuse viewers. Anker's time and care in making the documentary are evident in its production and artistic qualities. I enthusiastically recommend this video for all undergraduate and graduate musicians, especially those who aspire to performance careers.