In Resonanz: Bringing Three Passions to the Dachstein
When pianist and passionate alpinist Chiara Schmidt imagined performing a piano concert high in the Alps, she found a way to bring two parts of her life together in one remarkable place: the Niederes Dirndl, a 2,829-meter peak in the Dachstein massif, overlooking the melting glacier below.
On July 26, 2024, Chiara and a small team carried a piano and 200 kilograms of equipment across the glacier and up steep rock faces. At the summit, she performed Three Passions for our Tortured Planet, my musical project that invites artists around the world to use music to raise awareness of the climate crisis.
I’m moved to see this music performed in such a striking setting. The glacier is not simply a backdrop: its visible retreat brings the climate crisis into the frame. Chiara’s project makes the performance itself an act of attention, connecting the effort of bringing a piano into the mountains with the urgency of caring for the natural world.
The short documentary In Resonanz tells the story of that journey: Chiara’s original idea, the physical challenge of carrying the equipment, and the teamwork and trust that made the concert possible. It also brings together themes that are central to Three Passions: music, the environment, and our responsibility to bear witness to a changing planet.
In Resonanz is the first short documentary by director and editor Jo Schaul, a Luxembourg-born videographer based in Salzburg. Her work explores women’s experiences, the outdoors, and the relationship between people and the environment—interests that meet beautifully in this film.
The film’s festival journey began at Ferrara Film Corto Festival in Italy on October 21. This week it has its German premiere at the ACT NOW Filmfestival in Munich, followed by two screenings on November 14:
Femmes en Montagnes — Annecy, France
Bergfilmfestival Salzburg — Austria
I’m grateful to Chiara, Jo, and the whole team for bringing this project to life, and for carrying the music of Three Passions for our Tortured Planet to audiences across Europe.