Summary

The cellist Rachel Helleur-Simcock actually only wanted to come to Berlin for one year to study, before returning to London. She then stayed in the German capital: first she was accepted into the Karajan Academy, and later she got a permanent position with the Berliner Philharmoniker. In this film portrait, the musician explains why she switched to the larger string instrument after her beginnings on the violin, how moved she is to play on the cello of a deceased colleague – and about her 18th-century Italian instrument, whose sound she associates with wood and honey. A visit to the violin maker, recordings of a concert with Helleur-Simcock’s string quartet, and excerpts from symphonic works by Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky complete the portrait.