Touch the Sound

A coy yet worthy profile of celebrated Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Riedelsheimer's film opens with her banging on a tremendous gong until the noise becomes almost deafening—ironic considering that she happens to be severely hearing-impaired. Glennie travels the globe, drumming on New York City rooftops, visiting her family in Aberdeen and collaborating with guitarist Fred Firth in an abandoned factory in northern Germany. The duo can seemingly make music out of anything; along similar lines, the director presents a wonderful world of sounds—faucets dripping, high heels clacking, traffic roaring—that suggests Glennie's rich, private world.