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autoharp
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« on: 11:48:26, 04-11-2007 » |
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What's your favoured grand piano? - either as a listener or a performer?
The answer may well depend on the music to be played on it.
Steinways are good all-round pianos. However, one aspect I find more and more dissatisfying is the bass notes - too full of unpleasantly twangy high frequencies. Instantly recognisable if you hear an isolated bass note played mf or louder, especially from a distance or over the radio. Bosendorfers, being constructed differently, have a much purer bass sound (bass octaves sound much better), allowing you to hear the actual pitch that much more clearly. It's much easier to hear the separate pitches of, say, a low triad on a Bosendorfer. I guess this makes the Bosendorfer a better bet for music which exploits the darker colours (like the Busoni Elegies): I have limited experience of them, so I'm not so sure whether they equal (or surpass) the Steinway's wide range of colouristic possibilities.
Oh, and Bosendorfers have extra notes.
I've never tried a Fazioli - anybody have experience of them?
Put side by side on a stage, the Bosendorfer apparently wins out - or did so at a demonstration in London a few years back.
Any views?
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #1 on: 12:27:59, 04-11-2007 » |
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I find the zingy bright upper harmonics of the Steinway rather unpleasant to listen to for extended periods. I had always thought this was because of the tone-quality in the upper part of the instrument... but I was interested in what you said about the artificially-enhanced upper harmonics of the bass register, maybe that's what rankles with me?
Does the Bluthner have any fans these days? They are still well-regarded "down my way". How about Yamaha and Kawai? Yamaha have sponsorship deals with several prominent pianists - I've been involved in organising the delivery and set-up of their pianos in concerts, since these artists may only appear on Yamaha instruments.
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #2 on: 12:38:44, 04-11-2007 » |
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I guess most people associate 'the grand piano sound' with Steinway, and certainly the vast majority of piano recordings are made with them, but I'm always happy to hear a Bösendorfer: one of the early Telarc LPs was a Chopin recital on one, which sounded magnificent. The 1905 Érard which appears on the Anima Eterna recording of the Ravel Concerto pour la main gauche is a revelation too; the 'Steinwayisation' of the recorded repertoire may be doing a great many works something of a disservice.
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Bryn
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« Reply #3 on: 12:50:45, 04-11-2007 » |
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Put side by side on a stage, the Bosendorfer apparently wins out - or did so at a demonstration in London a few years back.
Any views?
Um, maybe, but much depends on the condition the two instruments are in, don't you think, autoharp? I have in mind a "one benind the other" demonstration we both attended last Thursday evening. To my ears, the Steinway wiped the floor with the Bösendorfer on that occasion. |
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BobbyZ
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« Reply #4 on: 13:23:04, 04-11-2007 » |
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Front Row on Radio 4 next Friday ( 9th ) "Kirsty Lang investigates how pianists choose their pianos". May not be totally off topic to this thread.
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Dreams, schemes and themes
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autoharp
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« Reply #5 on: 14:09:05, 04-11-2007 » |
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Put side by side on a stage, the Bosendorfer apparently wins out - or did so at a demonstration in London a few years back.
Any views?
Um, maybe, but much depends on the condition the two instruments are in, don't you think, autoharp? I have in mind a "one benind the other" demonstration we both attended last Thursday evening. To my ears, the Steinway wiped the floor with the Bösendorfer on that occasion. I hadn't realised that the piano behind the front one was a Bosendorfer. The Warehouse's own Bosendorfer Imperial is in very ropey condition - surely they weren't using that? I was rather puzzled that the two piano concert used pianos one behind the other, both on full stick. As a result the front one swamped the back one: one possible answer would have been to put the front one on half stick . . . |
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oliver sudden
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« Reply #6 on: 15:27:42, 04-11-2007 » |
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It's much easier to hear the separate pitches of, say, a low triad on a Bosendorfer. I guess this makes the Bosendorfer a better bet for music which exploits the darker colours (like the Busoni Elegies) No coincidence I believe: I'm let to understand that Busoni played a role in the extension of the Bösendorfer Imperial down to 32-foot C (wanting to have that part of the organ range available on the piano). I suspect that the resonance of the lower strings has something to do with the low-register clarity you're talking about although of course it isn't the only factor involved. |
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roslynmuse
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« Reply #7 on: 17:14:25, 04-11-2007 » |
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I did a gig last night on a Bosendorfer and found the sound from the driving seat much more harsh and edgy than a (good) Steinway or even a Yamaha would be. Difficult to generalise though - the best Steinways (some are far from good) are by far the best (or most enjoyable) instruments I have played, and certainly I am used to the connection between feel and sound of those instruments. Bosendorfers tend to be rather less easily manageable but I must concede they can sound magnificent from the audience. Bass purity is not what I associate with them - firmness perhaps is a more accurate description, a greater sense of stability. Those extra notes can sound VERY strange - on yesterday's instrument, they had an almost countable beat! Yamahas tend to have a very shallow bass and an unsatisfactory sound between the G an eleventh below middle C and middle C itself, which then livens up, before becoming metallic in the top couple of octaves. Some are better than that, but most seem to me to have a fundamental uneveness of sound (not touch, however).
I agree strongly with Ron's comment about the Ravel LH PC recording and conclusions drawn.
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Bryn
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« Reply #8 on: 20:36:45, 04-11-2007 » |
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I hadn't realised that the piano behind the front one was a Bosendorfer. The Warehouse's own Bosendorfer Imperial is in very ropey condition - surely they weren't using that? I was rather puzzled that the two piano concert used pianos one behind the other, both on full stick. As a result the front one swamped the back one: one possible answer would have been to put the front one on half stick . . .
autoharp, JP was at the Goldsmiths concert this afternoon. He confirmed that it was indeed the Bösendorfer. He commented that it was in much better condition when he last played it, a few years ago. You missed a fun concert this afternoon, by the way. Very nostalgic for an old Scratcher. |
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