Quality is a term that is passed about with great ease in the piano industry. The term itself has a rather benign meaning; “high grade, superiority, excellence”. But what does that mean in the piano world and is there any reason the term high quality should be limited to certain makers? If you’ve been exposed to marketing in the piano industry you realize that just about any construction trait can be justified and explained, even if it seems in direct opposition to other makers. For example, the proponents of the new Phoenix bridge system say that it eliminates the need for down bearing in a piano. However in traditional design down bearing is, next to tuning pin torque, a fundamental requirement. More important, frankly, than 88 keys! Quality is not necessarily the most important trait of a piano. Calling a piano high quality may mean next to nothing especially if

SPOILER Alert: There is nothing related to pianos in this post. I was back in Berlin recently. This being my 3rd trip, I’m beginning to feel like I know my way around a little. However this time it was freezing and dangerous since clearly nobody shovels snow in Berlin and every single walking surface was covered by an inch thick, uneven, rock hard layer of ice. The streets, however, were fine. Berlin has any number of places to recommend to visitors, but I’m recommending the Food floor  on the 6th level of the KaDeWe department store. The store is a huge upscale department store, similar to Bloomingdales in the US, and more upscale than Macys. However the 6th floor is a food lovers delight. Similar to Harrods in London, you can find any kind of food here, from raw meats and fish of any type, to canned, bottled and boxed

Here is a really great short essay on why serious music is important.

I’m a pretty good long distance driver and took some long drives in June and July. First I drove to Toronto and back for a weekend Canadian Piano Technicians meeting. About a week later I drove to visit Andre Bolduc in Montreal. That drive is particularly beautiful, going through wonderful forests in Upstate New York and passing by Lake George. My evening in Lake George was about as perfect summer evening as one could ask for; great location, great weather, great beer. When the pieces come together and one is in a position to notice and enjoy it, life can be wonderful.

The Shostakovich 4th is one of my most favorite pieces perhaps due to the way I first heard it; performed by the Boston Symphony, me  a naive college student walking in completely unprepared. I walked out a different person. This video is short. Make sure you listen to the end.

I’m a huge fan of the festival, having first gone in 1980. It’s the classical music festival, held inside the mansions in Newport RI. It is a treasure of the music world due to it’s wonderful, unique programming and the supremely high level of the playing and players. Of course, it’s mostly due to Dr. Dr. Dr. Mark Malkovich, who has run it for something like 30 years. www.newportmusic.org . This year it takes place from July 10-26 and if you can possibly go, you should. Here is a list of the pianists performing this year:

My idea of cultural mecca is the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. It’s has a spectacular old world lobby and is just steps away from the Art Institute and Symphony Hall. I took advantage of it’s proximity to the latter tonight and attended a performance (under Bernard Haitink) of Webern Im Sommerwind, Mahler Ruckert Lieder (with Christianne Stotijn) and Brahms Symphony Number 1. To an orchestral music lover, this is a multi-course meal at a fabulous restaurant. One comes away content  on a number of levels, marveling at the display of mastery that one has just witnessed. And, ultimately, the only thing one takes away is a memory. The Webern was the biggest surprise. A huge romantic tone poem from the master of modernist  miniatures. I will use this piece, in addition to Schoenberg’s Gurralieder and Transfigured Night as proof that one needs to have complete mastery of the current

I’m trying to reach the others, the ones who haven’t discovered their personal connection with classical (serious) music.  Is it possible that my deliberate choice of the previous words might offend some people? Hopefully,  because my point is;  how can you question whether or not a higher power exists after one has experienced Beethoven, Brahms, Bartok or Shostokovich? The purpose of music is to communicate emotion, in a non-verbal and therefore a more pure way. Mahler said one of his Ruckert Lieder should convey “the way one feels in the presence of a beloved being of whom one is completely sure without a single word needing to be spoken”.  Maybe that’s too sappy for some, but if the concept of music expressing this detailed an emotion is new to you…LISTEN UP!! You have no idea what you are missing!

So, let’s pretend there is this prospect, a guy who  has been pestering dealers up and down the east coast for a couple of weeks. He doesn’t play, is relocating and well to do, looking to buy a piano for his family and wants to buy something good. He started looking for a used Steinway because he knew that was what he should get, right? Well, let’s pretend that a skilled dealer delivered his “epiphany”, namely that there are wonderful high end pianos in the world and none of them are built in Queens!  Now lets say the problem is that he has (remember, we’re pretending) a very incorrect notion of what these instruments cost and is beating up every dealer trying to buy one of these instruments ( a very specific model) below cost. Seems he’s a big shot financier and, well, you probably know the type. I’m very

Saw a model 200, about 30+ years old, rebuilt by a reputable shop. The original Schwander action had new Renner whippens. The hammers were Renner blues, the bass strings probably Mapes.  While overall the work was of reputable quality, it was a long way from Bosendorfer and had this strange burnt orange, thick lumpy finish on the plate. The real question is, what is it? I would argue that it is not a Bosendorfer anymore since so many of the parts were not original. This flies in the face of common rebuilder philosphy, at least here in the US. This approach comes from the experience with American Steinway which says that a good rebuilder can actually make a piano BETTER than the original. The issue is that assumptions made about one make of piano do not translate directly to another and most of the tweaks that people would take for