Synopsis
Béla Bartók is one of the most distinguished composers of the 20th century. And yet, already in his lifetime, the celebrated pianist turned his back on European concert halls. Year over year, he travelled to the most remote villages of Transylvania, in order to search for age-old melodies. In doing so, he collected thousands of folk songs, preserving them on wax cylinders and music paper. But could this music survive the upheavals of the last century? In his film, Jan Lorenzen sets out on a journey to trace the tracks of Béla Bartók accompanied by camera and microphone. He creates a moving documentary about people, who still live in a bygone time, and about a period in a man's life,who accomplished preserving their musical soul on the cylinders of a phonograph.
