In June 2013, Russian piano superstar Grigory Sokolov gave his extraordinarily rare approval for his recital at the Berliner Philharmonie to be filmed. His last performance filmed live took place more than 10 years before, in November 2002 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Just like in 2002, in 2013 director Bruno Monsaingeon had the honor of filming his piano idol's two-and-a-half hour concert. A violinist himself, Monsaingeon has directed many documentaries about classical music, and his encounters with music legends like Glenn Gould, Sviatoslav Richter, and Yehudi Menuhin resultd in magnificent portraits of these artists, with his work preserving the musical past for future generations.

Sokolov entered the Leningrad Conservatory in 1957; today he is considered one of the greatest pianists of our time. He gives around 80 concerts per year, including an annual recital at the Berliner Philharmonie (always sold out). In 2012, Der Tagesspiegel declared: "[Sokolov] dreams his artistic dream; more abstract, more profound, yet at the same time more delicate than most of his colleagues. Listening to him is like a gift, and often astonishes."

Sokolov's 2014 Berliner Philharmonie recital is centered around works from the twilight of the classic era: Schubert's Impromptus and Drei Klavierstücke, and Beethoven's incredible Hammerklavier Sonata. These warhorses of the piano repertoire are complemented by five selections from Rameau's keyboard works (including the "Danse des sauvages" from Les Indes galantes), and Brahms' Intermezzo No. 2, Op. 117.