What Instruments Did Cate Blanchett Learn to Play for ‘Tár’?
Cate Blanchett is already certified as one of Hollywood’s great actresses, willing to transform aspects of herself to play a character. But Tár represents a new achievement in her career. To pick up the many complexities of a powerful woman who feels the consequences of her decisions closing in around her, Blanchett fully engrossed herself in the life of Lydia Tár, learning multiple instruments and a new language to get in touch with the character.
Cate Blanchette plays a creative in crisis in ‘Tár’
It’s clear from the moment that Tár starts that Lydia Tár (Blanchett) is a genius. She is an EGOT winner and the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic on the verge of a new career milestone: recording a version of Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony.
But as the movie slowly reveals the totality of her character over its two-and-a-half-hour runtime, we learn that her status has come with some real consequences. Ghosts from Tár’s past arrive in her inbox and lead her into a downward spiral she’s too vain to escape.
There are few if any actors who could play a role this nuanced as magnificently as Blanchett does. She is able to communicate Lydia’s musical talent and conflicting emotions so well that some fans were convinced that Lydia Tár was a real person.
One of Blanchett’s standout moments is when Tár dresses down a Julliard student for his disinterest in problematic white composers canonized by classical music historians. Her response to this notion starts off gentle but becomes increasingly caustic as she revels in dismantling this argument. Blanchett displays scholarly intelligence, charisma, impulsivity, and a capacity for cruelty. Even in Tár’s least personable moments, it’s incredible to watch a master at work.
Cate Blanchett developed several new skills to bring Lydia Tár to life
Blanchett isn’t a musician by trade, but she does a near-perfect impersonation of one in Tár.
She relearned to play the piano (she took some lessons as a kid) and worked with Australian conductor Natalie Murray Beale to develop a personal style of hand movements for the scenes when Lydia is conducting.
Blanchett also learned to play the accordion for one memorable scene, but there was much less time and effort put into that instrument.
“One day, [Field] came up to me and said ‘the accordion teacher’s here’. You’ve been practicing right”, Blanchett recounted during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I said “no, I’ve never held an accordion in my life. He said ‘you’ll be fine, just go spend half an hour with her’ and then he asked me to come out and play the accordion.”
In addition to all of these instruments, Blanchett picked up some German as well so that Lydia was believable as a long-term resident in the country.
Cate Blanchett’s performance has earned several awards
Awards buzz for Blanchett’s Tár performance began as soon as the film premiered. After the film debuted at the Venice International Film Festival in September, she won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.
Similar recognition has followed her throughout this awards season. Blanchett has taken home acting awards from the Golden Globes, BAFTAS, and Critics’ Choice Awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award for her work on the film.
