It should be noted that the front portion of the lid, when raised should be folded back, not closed as it appears at the end of the film. The hinge is not designed to support the whole weight of the lid! It may not do lasting harm, but it looks and is wrong.
Steinway D owner here, and you are correct, though it really comes down to the individual piano, and the competition today is fierce and Fazioli has raised the bar overall. I would have chosen a M&H for this New England radio station, they are producing phenomenal pianos, KING FM in Seattle has a M&H in their studio, just a completely outstanding instrument.
By far the best Steinway experience I have had was listening to beethoven sonatas played on a model 'D' tuned to Kirnberger III well-temperament. The sound was spectacular and very musical. there was a third dimension to the music which is absent with equal temperament.
I would also think that when the piano is moved there is going to be a mess of tuning to be done because the strings will be stretched and compressed and not to mention the driver will make sure to hit every pothole along the delivery route.
:D :D Really! Piano - moving companies have special means to transport multi-dollar grands. Temperature regulated and probably also special suspension and shock-absorbing underlay. And it has to be tuned OFTEN! You can see a video from a tuner whose work it is to tune pianos at the Sidney Opera-house. Wow. All day! All year!
tuned by a Steinway trained technician after the crane takes from the truck and four guys place it in the living room. . A couple of weeks later, comes a tecnician looking at the case , scratches etc... there will be more tunning sessions in the next four months. The room is kept at 70F and humidity 50-60 % year round. it will be stable for a long time.
Steinway seems to have a warm tonal quality other pianos can't seem to match. I have a Steinway and two Baldwins. Both are like a steel fist in a velvet glove but Steinway has more velvet on the attack and more emphasis on lower Harmonics that create the warmth.
Isn't that funny, after all the pretentious opinions and expert technicians talking about almost unnoticeable differences in the instruments (without having even tested the piano in the space it'll be in), and they leave the lid extended lol.
@@HarryHodgman Yes, strange isn't it. I agree about the knowledgeable 'verbiage' and then the gaffe with with piano lid. It's quite nonsensical in my opinion. I once attended a local recital and something similar happened; the person who opened the piano lid seemed to have no idea that it was wrong.
@@davidbutterworth5258 that's hilarious. I see piano listings for sale all the time with the lid wrong, I figure you'll be able to get a good price on those since the seller doesn't know anything about pianos.
This about sums it up in a nutshell about Steinway: On the whole, I would not spend money (if I was rich, which I am not) on buying a Steinway. The tone of the piano, especially the bass, is so hollow, metallic and strange-sounding that it just puts me off. Steinway sounds like a piano with no soul to me. Now it might be possible that it was only in that shop that the Steinways sounded that way, but a few years ago I had played on another Steinway in a shop in London, this one a restored antique, and I remember being distinctively unimpressed with the tone. I am much happier with the tone of my 1894 Broadwood grand. I am also keen on trying out Bösendorfer and Fazioli pianos for the first time. Other modern grand piano brands I’ve tried are Yamaha, Kawai, Petrof and Samick, and I never got that hollow, soulless quality from them, although I did find one particular Yamaha (in a small recital someone else gave) to be overly harsh and discordant. I remember having a good impression of my teacher’s Petrof. I tried a Bluthner once, and I liked the tone at first but after a few minutes I started to get tired of it for some reason. The best piano I have ever played in my life is an original early 19th century Rosenberger fortepiano, in the former Finchcocks collection, but of course that’s a fortepiano rather than a modern piano. That for me was the most perfect instrument ever. So to answer your question, no, Steinways are not the best modern pianos. They just have a monopoly of the industry. They’re quite a nasty and shady company if you ask me (I don’t like the way they promote themselves and the way they sponsor pianists and then sue them if they don’t behave). And after playing on their underwhelming pianos I am even more put off by them, not just because of the tone, but because I was a little weirded out by the narcissistic sales talk (the sales guy was nice, but some of his sales talk still creeped me out). This was in a shop on the top floor of a shopping mall in a very desirable and expensive location (I won’t say where). The shop was shiny and fancy like a five star hotel, and the salesman, whom I suspect they hired in no small part for his good looks, was immaculately attired in a navy jacket. This shows that when you buy Steinway, you pay not simply for the instrument but also their advertising, their fancy deco, their expensive rents etc. That’s why they are expensive.
Love watching the selection process though I must say I’m more Bösendorfer person myself. I appreciate the clarity of the Steinway but I’m an old romantic and Bösendorfer always has that quality to my ears and I would happily trade technical prowess for more rich fruity emotion every day. Having said that, for its intended use a more neutral sounding Steinway makes more sense I suppose.
Dear Ianmedium - Thanks for the note "piano Steinway versus Bösendorfer! I know a pianist from Zurich who comes to Vienna "to practice" several times a year, rents space, and rents the studio of a piano house. The pianist has had four pianos built for his Zurich apartment over the years, all of which were too loud for his apartment, and especially for the rehearsals of piano trios. I always have this vision of sound for smaller rooms in mind when I test a piano. I would probably also have failed in this apparently acoustically unsound sales room at Steinway Factory. At Bösendorfer in Vienna you do not try in the warehouse and sales room of the factory in Wiener Neustadt, but in one of the sales rooms of "Bösendorfer" in the Wiener Musikverein, and if you had to, you might be allowed to try out in different halls after consultation, how Musicians also often do it there when buying string instruments - I experienced this more often when buying cellis, for example when Rostropovich was a guest in Vienna, they asked him and listened to various places in the hall. Of course, that's not everyday life - it's the level of superlatives! - One comment can be said about the Steinway-Bösendorfer comparison: the Bösendorfer Grand Piano, no matter what size, has a wider steel frame, is also strung differently in the treble area - often triple, and also has one slightly wider resonance box - that is the reason for its softer sound. The Bösendorfer-Factory is 30 minutes by car far away from my country house, I am often in the factory. The chief designer is currently a highly talented Swiss. Best wishes and best regards from Vienna! Dr. Helmut Frais
If I had the money to buy a new grand piano I would not make my choice from five pianos I would want to play at least fifty pianos after all you are getting a piano to last you the rest of your life - it`s not like buying a car as most people change a car every couple of years
I’m not crazy about any of them. If I was going to buy a new Steinway D I would get one from the Hamburg factory. Better sound, action, and fit and finish. Or I would get a Fazioli, Shigeru Kawaii, handmade Yamaha, or C. Bechstein. Just my personal tastes though.
Not naming names, but to the nit pickers in the crowd: if they only knew how fortunate we are to have a thing called a Steinway and really, the modern grand piano is an American invention, Steinway securing dozens of patents to always be in the forefront of that development. They hire Americans, build it here, and have secured the best reputation on - yes, brilliant marketing - but thay've always backed it up. Years ago it came out that the president of Yamaha had a Steinway in his living room, don't get it twisted, they produced a golden age and people should be grateful.
Hamburg is a spinnoff of the American Steinway, just in case some might not be aware. The "Sons" of "Steinway and Sons" went back to Germany after the Steinway was well established in America, where they, again, through their constant innovation, really gave the world the modern grand piano, and no one else can make that claim. Most pianos, at least at some juncture, were basically copies or tributes to that wonderful invention known as the American Steinway. Dissertation over!! Cheers.
Pt 3. That said, the radio station would have done quite well to buy the Mason and Hamlin, pride of New England and a piano that takes back seat to no one. KING FM, Seattle, probably one of the finest classical stations in the country, has a very fine M&H in their studio, an absolutely stellar instrument. Fazioli has been turning heads. At that level, it gets down to the individual instrument and don't negate the effect of the room environment as well as being critical to the overall sound.
@@hansmuller1846 I am amused and amazed at your statement. I own both a 1924 Mason and Hamlin and an 1893 Steinway. Both are the best for classical music and are a great part of its history. Given a chance I would also own a Bechstein of similar vintage. They don't make them the way they used to....
@@hansmuller1846 That's extremely (well, I'm gonna be nice) - let's just say I'm shaking my head. And I'm a Steinway person who owns two. The classical station in Seattle, KING FM has a beautiful Mason and Hamlin. Gorgeous piano. These are the two remaining (besides botique) piano builders in the USA, and they were and are, are the best, along with Baldwin in days gone by, even in the day of many such companies, (over a thousand). Mason and Hamlin takes a back seat to no one.
@@PianoJFAudioSheet There are 2 versions of Schumann: Fantasie op. 17 - In the 1970s, the American pianist Charles ROSEN (NYC 1927- NYC 2012) discovered this previously unknown version in the Budapest Szechenyi Library. As a Viennese, I had to send this message to the United States! Charles Rosen taught at Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, Chicago. Big compliment and commemoration of this spiritual greatness of this musician Charles Rosen! Watch at his book "The Classical Style"!- Hungarian-born pianist Sir András Schiff plays this "Hungarian version"! - Best regards from Vienna!
@@livefromthefort There are 2 versions of Schumann: Fantasie op. 17 - In the 1970s, the American pianist Charles ROSEN (NYC 1927- NYC 2012) discovered this previously unknown version in the Budapest Szechenyi Library. As a Viennese, I had to send this message to the United States! Charles Rosen taught at Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, Chicago. Big compliment and commemoration of this spiritual greatness of this musician Charles Rosen! Watch at his book "The Classical Style"!- Hungarian-born pianist Sir András Schiff plays this "Hungarian version"! - Best regards from Vienna!
So much money, so limited thinking. Totally agree a Mason & Hamlin should at least have been considered (maybe it was and it is simply not shown). Pianos are very very very susceptible to adjustment; which many may refer to as prepping the instrument. Obviously tunning, but also adjusting the action, voicing (Simone knows, she has ears and knows instruments inside and out), and tremendously the relationship between the instrument and the hall (or room) where it will be played. If this process were to be done right, you would try multiple pianos in the hall (not at the seller's), over a period of at least several weeks, and have the pianos extensively prepped. Some of the characteristics you can hear in the little excerpts make me suspicious than some of the pianos were deliberately prepped poorly so that one of the pianos would stand out as the best of the lot.
imagine how the piano feels having been selected for that little radio studio with a high school baseball like audience tribune when his brothers and sisters go in large concert halls and public auditoriums. I felt a little sad for it from this video. If i had been in the selection panel I would have selected the most muted piano because of the small room. Lol.
Thanks for the note "piano versus room size"! I know a pianist from Zurich who comes to Vienna to practice several times a year, rents space, and rents the studio of a piano house. The pianist has had four pianos built for his Zurich apartment over the years, all of which were too loud for his apartment, and especially for the rehearsals of piano trios. I always have this vision of sound for smaller rooms in mind when I test a piano. I would probably also have failed in this apparently acoustically unsound sales-room at Steinway Factory. At Bösendorfer in Vienna you do not try in the warehouse- and sales-room of the factory in Wiener Neustadt, but in one of the sales-rooms of "Bösendorfer" in the "Wiener Musikverein", and if you had to, you might be allowed to try out in different halls after consultation, how musicians also often do it there when buying string instruments - I experienced this more often when buying cellis, for example when Rostropovich was a guest in Vienna, they asked him and listened to various places in the hall. Of course, that's not everyday life - it's the level of superlatives! Best wishes and best regards from Vienna! Dr. Helmut Frais
If you are looking for a singing piano then you must look at Bösendorfer. You Re short changing your trustee and audience if you buy a Steinway . Unless you have been bribed
There’s more to a Steinway than just a singing tone. Seemingly limitless dynamic range and color to name a few. Plus most concert pianists due to their training are going to be familiar with Steinway.
I was disappointed that the brand was chosen before the selection team had even packed their overnight bags. Would have been nice to have allowed Mason & Hamlin to make make a representation, And perhaps a New England shop had meticulously reconditioned a truly great 1970's Bechstein or Bosendorfer, but we'll never know. It's not that I'm against Steinway; what i am against is the Steinway salepeople's unwritten opinion that their competition are merely "piano shaped objects"....and how that mindset has been allowed to percolate into academic circles.
Many experienced concert pianists, especially in America, have never even seen a Bechstein. They might have seen a Bösendorfer or Fazioli once or twice, but it's always Steinway, Steinway, and more Steinway. That is apart from the lower end Yamahas or Kawais that are popular in practice rooms. It always amazes me how ignorant pianists can be about pianos.
Exactly. Specially Steinways made in US lack the quality control of their german-made counterparts. Seriously, Fazioli, Bosendorfer and german made Steinways will ALWAYS be a safer bet.
@@johnstaf Thanks for the note "piano Steinway versus Bösendorfer! I know a pianist from Zurich who comes to Vienna "to practice" several times a year, rents space, and rents the studio of a piano house. The pianist has had four pianos built for his Zurich apartment over the years, all of which were too loud for his apartment, and especially for the rehearsals of piano trios. I always have this vision of sound for smaller rooms in mind when I test a piano. I would probably also have failed in this apparently acoustically unsound sales room at Steinway Factory. At Bösendorfer in Vienna you do not try in the warehouse and sales room of the factory in Wiener Neustadt, but in one of the sales rooms of "Bösendorfer" in the Wiener Musikverein, and if you had to, you might be allowed to try out in different halls after consultation, how Musicians also often do it there when buying string instruments - I experienced this more often when buying cellis, for example when Rostropovich was a guest in Vienna, they asked him and listened to various places in the hall. Of course, that's not everyday life - it's the level of superlatives! - One comment can be said about the Steinway-Bösendorfer comparison: the Bösendorfer Grand Piano, no matter what size, has a wider steel frame, is also strung differently in the treble area - often triple, and also has one slightly wider resonance box - that is the reason for its softer sound. The Bösendorfer-Factory is 30 minutes by car far away from my country house, I am often in the factory. The chief designer is currently a highly talented Swiss. Best wishes and best regards from Vienna! Dr. Helmut Frais
I went to a University that had over 80 Steinways in the music building and had at least 20 Model D's. They all played differently and sounded different. Each piano had its own personality! They even had a full-time Steinway tech on-premise! I can agree with what they did in this video. Also, the local Symphony Orchestra was gifted a Model 290 Imperial Bosendorfer for the concert hall in the city. A test was done, and the orchestra voted to 'not' use the Bosendorfer, and it was moved into the rehearsal space. The decision was that the Bosendorfer couldn't cut through in sound and ride above the orchestra. The Bosendorfer was eventually donated to the Catholic Church across the street.
@stenobro Yes, basically. It was moved to the church across the street. True story! The Bosendorfer didn't cut above or beyond the 70 piece orchestra enough. The piano was a gift from a benefactor too 🤣 FYI- That orchestra has gone bust now, like so many others as well.
I had a prior Steinway B. After years of work by a piano technician working on the action and weighting of the keys, It finally sounded halfway decent. After deciding to upgrade to a concert grand I tried several Steinway D’s. But after playing a fagioli fazioli simply kicked the Steinway 52 Swift cakes in the behind. You just cannot compare the action right out of the box fazioli is far superior than any Steinway
Rachmaninoff and Horowitz would like to have a word with you....come this way, please.....what's that?..... yes, by all means, do bring your motorcycle helmet, it may come in handy.
@@zdogg8 Steinway equals very heavy action classical feel yes, jazz and all-around music not so good. The older cases of Steinway are much better, but even in the case of Horowitz, he did custom work to his piano he did not like the Steinway out of the box.
@@robertlulek1634 Do you know my friend, the late Ahmad Jamal, number one jazz artist in the world in his last few years. NEVER would play ANYTHING but Steinway, had two Ds in his house, Poinciana recorded on Steinway, Steinway artist, they would put a Steinway in his hotel room back in the day. "But not for Me" biggest seller in jazz until HH's Cameleon. . You have no idea what you're even talking about with that statement. If a recording studio can afford it, do you really think they don't choose Steinway B over Yamaha? Faziolis are great btw,. Without the Steinway, there is no Fazioli. They invented most of the modern features, since the 1860s, and have all the patents. Here is AJ "struggling" to extract some sort of sound out of this hapless Steinway. BTW, most of the great jazz recordings are Steinway, don't get it twisted. . th-cam.com/video/oA9GhIyP_zI/w-d-xo.html
that's exactly what happens, it is well known to musicians that if you want the best instrument you should go to the factory, which may let you even handpick every component of your instrument, combining the best parts of several into one perfect instrument (obviously not possible on pianos). and "the public" can just as well get it straight from the factory, it's not limited to professionals, but for most people it isn't worth the effort
@@JesseSabo Ahaha, finally someone with some good humor. All these people engaged in nit picking, if they only knew how fortunate we are to have a thing called a Steinway and really, the modern grand piano is an American invention, Steinway securing dozens of patents to always be in the forefront of that development.
The differences aren't tiny at all. Some can be strident while others are more laid back. On many model Ds the mid treble can sound limp and dead compared to otherwise identical Steinways. That has always been an issue for this piano and is well known to experienced technicians and touring pianists who play a lot of them.
adam dev, remember that this video has undergone TH-cam's audio processing and compression, namely almost no audio below 40 Hz or above 14kHz, level compression and then throwing away of around 90% of the remaining audio. The recording microphones will also add their limitations, as will the editing before this video was ready for upload or broadcasting. And finally, your computer's audio processing and the limitations of your speakers or headphones degrade the audio further, before you have the chance to hear it. No good instrument heard on here sounds remotely as it does in real life. It's almost as bad as trying to listen to a band through your mobile phone.
I'm a dyed in the wool lifetime Steinway partisan (I own a Steinway made in the 1930s) and I didn't like any of these pianos. They don't build them the way they used to. They all sounded too bright, metallic, and bereft of timbral nuance. I found this entire video depressing.
Jesus Christ- 5 Vermonters from NPR spending other people’s money. I get it, there is a process; but, good lord. To boot: The pregnant one went to Steinway with that atrocious “dress” … really? Especially on someone else’s dime.
Oh, my. A filthy rich couple bestow on us plebs the choice of a "gourmet" piano for our "space." Mmmmyes, indeed. Break out the Cheval Blanc '47 and celebrate! Mmmmyes! Gag. Rolls eyes.
Or even a Bosendorfer (Boesendorfer) or Fazioli? Do you want to say why? I personally find that Steinways generally have a singing quality that others generally haven't. But I would nevertheless expect that an excellent Boesendorfer - perhaps even an excellent Fazioli - would be better than a really bad Steinway.
Christopher Johns Steinways sound concentrate on the main frequencies only, like hitting an empty bucket with a hammer. A Bosendorfer is like hitting different glass bells, full of different harmonies but delicate.
@@christopherjohns2162 you would know, if you played something better than a stien. A stienway is like a fine mercedes... yet... not quite a rolls royce or bently... proof is in the sound .. in person. i have played many stiens, yet ... one faz... and it was jaw dropping in every tonal way. only in person.
What a wonderful story and a very, VERY generous gift.
It should be noted that the front portion of the lid, when raised should be folded back, not closed as it appears at the end of the film. The hinge is not designed to support the whole weight of the lid! It may not do lasting harm, but it looks and is wrong.
im shocked- who did that!!!
thank you for taking us on this wonderful journey.
Bless you and your parents. Thanks for keeping the tradition.
The experience of personally selecting a Steinway piano is amazing.
One a beautiful Piano
th-cam.com/video/U42KgH2OCiA/w-d-xo.html
There’s no other acoustical instrument like a Steinway 9’ model D piano, it gives the pianist the lightning and the thunder and the rain
Steinway D owner here, and you are correct, though it really comes down to the individual piano, and the competition today is fierce and Fazioli has raised the bar overall. I would have chosen a M&H for this New England radio station, they are producing phenomenal pianos, KING FM in Seattle has a M&H in their studio, just a completely outstanding instrument.
A beautiful documentary on selecting your instrument. I went through it myself and selected a Bechstein at the end.
Great choice
By far the best Steinway experience I have had was listening to beethoven sonatas played on a model 'D' tuned to Kirnberger III well-temperament. The sound was spectacular and very musical. there was a third dimension to the music which is absent with equal temperament.
What a beautiful gift to memorialize and provide living tribute.
My Piano
th-cam.com/video/U42KgH2OCiA/w-d-xo.html
I would also think that when the piano is moved there is going to be a mess of tuning to be done because the strings will be stretched and compressed and not to mention the driver will make sure to hit every pothole along the delivery route.
Yes, it is customary to tune even a Steinway after moving.
:D :D Really! Piano - moving companies have special means to transport multi-dollar grands. Temperature regulated and probably also special suspension and shock-absorbing underlay.
And it has to be tuned OFTEN! You can see a video from a tuner whose work it is to tune pianos at the Sidney Opera-house. Wow. All day! All year!
Every piano must be tuned after being moved. Preferably two tunings with not much time between.
tuned by a Steinway trained technician after the crane takes from the truck and four guys place it in the living room. . A couple of weeks later, comes a tecnician looking at the case , scratches etc... there will be more tunning sessions in the next four months. The room is kept at 70F and humidity 50-60 % year round. it will be stable for a long time.
What a fascinating documentary!
Steinway seems to have a warm tonal quality other pianos can't seem to match. I have a Steinway and two Baldwins. Both are like a steel fist in a velvet glove but Steinway has more velvet on the attack and more emphasis on lower Harmonics that create the warmth.
Mark Fischer You are so lucky, my absolute dream has always been to have a Steinway.
Have you played some german pianos?
Just out of curiosity, how much are those pianos that these people are talking about? Seems to be very expensive I guess.
Depending on the model, a new Steinway costs $60k to over $200k.
My piano
th-cam.com/video/U42KgH2OCiA/w-d-xo.html
Nice !
The front portion of the lid should be opened up; it is hinged for that purpose! At the end of the video it is shown closed.
Isn't that funny, after all the pretentious opinions and expert technicians talking about almost unnoticeable differences in the instruments (without having even tested the piano in the space it'll be in), and they leave the lid extended lol.
@@HarryHodgman Yes, strange isn't it. I agree about the knowledgeable 'verbiage' and then the gaffe with with piano lid. It's quite nonsensical in my opinion. I once attended a local recital and something similar happened; the person who opened the piano lid seemed to have no idea that it was wrong.
@@davidbutterworth5258 that's hilarious. I see piano listings for sale all the time with the lid wrong, I figure you'll be able to get a good price on those since the seller doesn't know anything about pianos.
@@HarryHodgman my Piano Sound
th-cam.com/video/U42KgH2OCiA/w-d-xo.html
This about sums it up in a nutshell about Steinway:
On the whole, I would not spend money (if I was rich, which I am not) on buying a Steinway. The tone of the piano, especially the bass, is so hollow, metallic and strange-sounding that it just puts me off. Steinway sounds like a piano with no soul to me. Now it might be possible that it was only in that shop that the Steinways sounded that way, but a few years ago I had played on another Steinway in a shop in London, this one a restored antique, and I remember being distinctively unimpressed with the tone.
I am much happier with the tone of my 1894 Broadwood grand. I am also keen on trying out Bösendorfer and Fazioli pianos for the first time. Other modern grand piano brands I’ve tried are Yamaha, Kawai, Petrof and Samick, and I never got that hollow, soulless quality from them, although I did find one particular Yamaha (in a small recital someone else gave) to be overly harsh and discordant. I remember having a good impression of my teacher’s Petrof. I tried a Bluthner once, and I liked the tone at first but after a few minutes I started to get tired of it for some reason. The best piano I have ever played in my life is an original early 19th century Rosenberger fortepiano, in the former Finchcocks collection, but of course that’s a fortepiano rather than a modern piano. That for me was the most perfect instrument ever.
So to answer your question, no, Steinways are not the best modern pianos. They just have a monopoly of the industry. They’re quite a nasty and shady company if you ask me (I don’t like the way they promote themselves and the way they sponsor pianists and then sue them if they don’t behave). And after playing on their underwhelming pianos I am even more put off by them, not just because of the tone, but because I was a little weirded out by the narcissistic sales talk (the sales guy was nice, but some of his sales talk still creeped me out). This was in a shop on the top floor of a shopping mall in a very desirable and expensive location (I won’t say where). The shop was shiny and fancy like a five star hotel, and the salesman, whom I suspect they hired in no small part for his good looks, was immaculately attired in a navy jacket. This shows that when you buy Steinway, you pay not simply for the instrument but also their advertising, their fancy deco, their expensive rents etc. That’s why they are expensive.
Love watching the selection process though I must say I’m more Bösendorfer person myself. I appreciate the clarity of the Steinway but I’m an old romantic and Bösendorfer always has that quality to my ears and I would happily trade technical prowess for more rich fruity emotion every day. Having said that, for its intended use a more neutral sounding Steinway makes more sense I suppose.
Dear Ianmedium - Thanks for the note "piano Steinway versus Bösendorfer! I know a pianist from Zurich who comes to Vienna "to practice" several times a year, rents space, and rents the studio of a piano house. The pianist has had four pianos built for his Zurich apartment over the years, all of which were too loud for his apartment, and especially for the rehearsals of piano trios. I always have this vision of sound for smaller rooms in mind when I test a piano. I would probably also have failed in this apparently acoustically unsound sales room at Steinway Factory. At Bösendorfer in Vienna you do not try in the warehouse and sales room of the factory in Wiener Neustadt, but in one of the sales rooms of "Bösendorfer" in the Wiener Musikverein, and if you had to, you might be allowed to try out in different halls after consultation, how Musicians also often do it there when buying string instruments - I experienced this more often when buying cellis, for example when Rostropovich was a guest in Vienna, they asked him and listened to various places in the hall. Of course, that's not everyday life - it's the level of superlatives! -
One comment can be said about the Steinway-Bösendorfer comparison: the Bösendorfer Grand Piano, no matter what size, has a wider steel frame, is also strung differently in the treble area - often triple, and also has one slightly wider resonance box - that is the reason for its softer sound. The Bösendorfer-Factory is 30 minutes by car far away from my country house, I am often in the factory. The chief designer is currently a highly talented Swiss.
Best wishes and best regards from Vienna! Dr. Helmut Frais
My Piáno Sound
th-cam.com/video/U42KgH2OCiA/w-d-xo.html
Great video, thanks.
I feel the pain...envy. BTW nice Ray Charles cover.
I wanna play it
One a Great Piano
th-cam.com/video/U42KgH2OCiA/w-d-xo.html
If they had been more circumspect in the decision making, Hamburgs vs NY would have also been a factor.
They should have supported local M&H, they take a back seat to no one, and I love Steinway.
If I had the money to buy a new grand piano I would not make my choice from five pianos I would want to play at least fifty pianos after all you are getting a piano to last you the rest of your life - it`s not like buying a car as most people change a car every couple of years
What is the piece that starts at 8:48? Thanks.
It's the opening of Schubert's Impromptu op.90 no.2.
What's the mozart piece at 7.45? Anyone knows? Many thanks
a minor rondo K511
Sandwich please . Thank you
I’m not crazy about any of them. If I was going to buy a new Steinway D I would get one from the Hamburg factory. Better sound, action, and fit and finish. Or I would get a Fazioli, Shigeru Kawaii, handmade Yamaha, or C. Bechstein. Just my personal tastes though.
Not naming names, but to the nit pickers in the crowd: if they only knew how fortunate we are to have a thing called a Steinway and really, the modern grand piano is an American invention, Steinway securing dozens of patents to always be in the forefront of that development. They hire Americans, build it here, and have secured the best reputation on - yes, brilliant marketing - but thay've always backed it up. Years ago it came out that the president of Yamaha had a Steinway in his living room, don't get it twisted, they produced a golden age and people should be grateful.
Hamburg is a spinnoff of the American Steinway, just in case some might not be aware. The "Sons" of "Steinway and Sons" went back to Germany after the Steinway was well established in America, where they, again, through their constant innovation, really gave the world the modern grand piano, and no one else can make that claim. Most pianos, at least at some juncture, were basically copies or tributes to that wonderful invention known as the American Steinway. Dissertation over!! Cheers.
Pt 3. That said, the radio station would have done quite well to buy the Mason and Hamlin, pride of New England and a piano that takes back seat to no one. KING FM, Seattle, probably one of the finest classical stations in the country, has a very fine M&H in their studio, an absolutely stellar instrument. Fazioli has been turning heads. At that level, it gets down to the individual instrument and don't negate the effect of the room environment as well as being critical to the overall sound.
so how much was it?
About $220,000
Would’ve been nice to see a New England business buy a New England made piano = Mason & Hamlin.
Point is than M&H isn't so well suited for classical music, whilst Steinway or Fazioli are allrounders.
Rolling my eyes. In your opinion...
Mason and what?
@@hansmuller1846 I am amused and amazed at your statement. I own both a 1924 Mason and Hamlin and an 1893 Steinway. Both are the best for classical music and are a great part of its history. Given a chance I would also own a Bechstein of similar vintage. They don't make them the way they used to....
@@hansmuller1846 That's extremely (well, I'm gonna be nice) - let's just say I'm shaking my head. And I'm a Steinway person who owns two. The classical station in Seattle, KING FM has a beautiful Mason and Hamlin. Gorgeous piano. These are the two remaining (besides botique) piano builders in the USA, and they were and are, are the best, along with Baldwin in days gone by, even in the day of many such companies, (over a thousand). Mason and Hamlin takes a back seat to no one.
What's the piece at 4:30 called? I forgot what it was and I'm flipping out
Schumann - Fantasie op. 17
It's the opening of Robert Schumann's Fantasy, Op. 17.
@@PianoJFAudioSheet There are 2 versions of Schumann: Fantasie op. 17 -
In the 1970s, the American pianist Charles ROSEN (NYC 1927- NYC 2012) discovered this previously unknown version in the Budapest Szechenyi Library. As a Viennese, I had to send this message to the United States! Charles Rosen taught at Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, Chicago. Big compliment and commemoration of this spiritual greatness of this musician Charles Rosen! Watch at his book "The Classical Style"!- Hungarian-born pianist Sir András Schiff plays this "Hungarian version"! -
Best regards from Vienna!
@@livefromthefort There are 2 versions of Schumann: Fantasie op. 17 -
In the 1970s, the American pianist Charles ROSEN (NYC 1927- NYC 2012) discovered this previously unknown version in the Budapest Szechenyi Library. As a Viennese, I had to send this message to the United States! Charles Rosen taught at Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, Chicago. Big compliment and commemoration of this spiritual greatness of this musician Charles Rosen! Watch at his book "The Classical Style"!- Hungarian-born pianist Sir András Schiff plays this "Hungarian version"! -
Best regards from Vienna!
So much money, so limited thinking. Totally agree a Mason & Hamlin should at least have been considered (maybe it was and it is simply not shown). Pianos are very very very susceptible to adjustment; which many may refer to as prepping the instrument. Obviously tunning, but also adjusting the action, voicing (Simone knows, she has ears and knows instruments inside and out), and tremendously the relationship between the instrument and the hall (or room) where it will be played. If this process were to be done right, you would try multiple pianos in the hall (not at the seller's), over a period of at least several weeks, and have the pianos extensively prepped. Some of the characteristics you can hear in the little excerpts make me suspicious than some of the pianos were deliberately prepped poorly so that one of the pianos would stand out as the best of the lot.
imagine how the piano feels having been selected for that little radio studio with a high school baseball like audience tribune when his brothers and sisters go in large concert halls and public auditoriums. I felt a little sad for it from this video. If i had been in the selection panel I would have selected the most muted piano because of the small room. Lol.
Thanks for the note "piano versus room size"! I know a pianist from Zurich who comes to Vienna to practice several times a year, rents space, and rents the studio of a piano house. The pianist has had four pianos built for his Zurich apartment over the years, all of which were too loud for his apartment, and especially for the rehearsals of piano trios. I always have this vision of sound for smaller rooms in mind when I test a piano. I would probably also have failed in this apparently acoustically unsound sales-room at Steinway Factory. At Bösendorfer in Vienna you do not try in the warehouse- and sales-room of the factory in Wiener Neustadt, but in one of the sales-rooms of "Bösendorfer" in the "Wiener Musikverein", and if you had to, you might be allowed to try out in different halls after consultation, how musicians also often do it there when buying string instruments - I experienced this more often when buying cellis, for example when Rostropovich was a guest in Vienna, they asked him and listened to various places in the hall. Of course, that's not everyday life - it's the level of superlatives! Best wishes and best regards from Vienna! Dr. Helmut Frais
My Piano Sound.
th-cam.com/video/U42KgH2OCiA/w-d-xo.html
If you are looking for a singing piano then you must look at Bösendorfer. You Re short changing your trustee and audience if you buy a Steinway . Unless you have been bribed
A Great Piano
th-cam.com/video/U42KgH2OCiA/w-d-xo.html
There’s more to a Steinway than just a singing tone. Seemingly limitless dynamic range and color to name a few. Plus most concert pianists due to their training are going to be familiar with Steinway.
matt, what an arrogant comment. to question if a bribe was offered, is unforgiving.
I was disappointed that the brand was chosen before the selection team had even packed their overnight bags. Would have been nice to have allowed Mason & Hamlin to make make a representation, And perhaps a New England shop had meticulously reconditioned a truly great 1970's Bechstein or Bosendorfer, but we'll never know. It's not that I'm against Steinway; what i am against is the Steinway salepeople's unwritten opinion that their competition are merely "piano shaped objects"....and how that mindset has been allowed to percolate into academic circles.
Many experienced concert pianists, especially in America, have never even seen a Bechstein. They might have seen a Bösendorfer or Fazioli once or twice, but it's always Steinway, Steinway, and more Steinway. That is apart from the lower end Yamahas or Kawais that are popular in practice rooms. It always amazes me how ignorant pianists can be about pianos.
@@johnstaf Every harpsichord player tunes his or her own instrument. Name me one star pianist who can tune his own piano. ;)
Oh the effect of marketing tactics. Marketing and money, marketing and money. Now sing along... Marketing and money...tadadada. Marketing and money.
Exactly. Specially Steinways made in US lack the quality control of their german-made counterparts.
Seriously, Fazioli, Bosendorfer and german made Steinways will ALWAYS be a safer bet.
@@johnstaf Thanks for the note "piano Steinway versus Bösendorfer! I know a pianist from Zurich who comes to Vienna "to practice" several times a year, rents space, and rents the studio of a piano house. The pianist has had four pianos built for his Zurich apartment over the years, all of which were too loud for his apartment, and especially for the rehearsals of piano trios. I always have this vision of sound for smaller rooms in mind when I test a piano. I would probably also have failed in this apparently acoustically unsound sales room at Steinway Factory. At Bösendorfer in Vienna you do not try in the warehouse and sales room of the factory in Wiener Neustadt, but in one of the sales rooms of "Bösendorfer" in the Wiener Musikverein, and if you had to, you might be allowed to try out in different halls after consultation, how Musicians also often do it there when buying string instruments - I experienced this more often when buying cellis, for example when Rostropovich was a guest in Vienna, they asked him and listened to various places in the hall. Of course, that's not everyday life - it's the level of superlatives! -
One comment can be said about the Steinway-Bösendorfer comparison: the Bösendorfer Grand Piano, no matter what size, has a wider steel frame, is also strung differently in the treble area - often triple, and also has one slightly wider resonance box - that is the reason for its softer sound. The Bösendorfer-Factory is 30 minutes by car far away from my country house, I am often in the factory. The chief designer is currently a highly talented Swiss.
Best wishes and best regards from Vienna! Dr. Helmut Frais
Have George Winston come and play Cat & Mouse on it........ that should break it in (lol).... Nice Lookin' Piano for sure.
I went to a University that had over 80 Steinways in the music building and had at least 20 Model D's. They all played differently and sounded different. Each piano had its own personality! They even had a full-time Steinway tech on-premise! I can agree with what they did in this video. Also, the local Symphony Orchestra was gifted a Model 290 Imperial Bosendorfer for the concert hall in the city. A test was done, and the orchestra voted to 'not' use the Bosendorfer, and it was moved into the rehearsal space. The decision was that the Bosendorfer couldn't cut through in sound and ride above the orchestra. The Bosendorfer was eventually donated to the Catholic Church across the street.
@stenobro Yes, basically. It was moved to the church across the street. True story! The Bosendorfer didn't cut above or beyond the 70 piece orchestra enough. The piano was a gift from a benefactor too 🤣 FYI- That orchestra has gone bust now, like so many others as well.
I had a prior Steinway B. After years of work by a piano technician working on the action and weighting of the keys, It finally sounded halfway decent. After deciding to upgrade to a concert grand I tried several Steinway D’s. But after playing a fagioli fazioli simply kicked the Steinway 52 Swift cakes in the behind. You just cannot compare the action right out of the box fazioli is far superior than any Steinway
Rachmaninoff and Horowitz would like to have a word with you....come this way, please.....what's that?..... yes, by all means, do bring your motorcycle helmet, it may come in handy.
@@zdogg8 that they reworked the hammers on those pianos using renner actions, not the original Steinway you know that correct Horowitz especially!
@@zdogg8 rock money Piano was Beckstein
@@zdogg8 Steinway equals very heavy action classical feel yes, jazz and all-around music not so good. The older cases of Steinway are much better, but even in the case of Horowitz, he did custom work to his piano he did not like the Steinway out of the box.
@@robertlulek1634 Do you know my friend, the late Ahmad Jamal, number one jazz artist in the world in his last few years. NEVER would play ANYTHING but Steinway, had two Ds in his house, Poinciana recorded on Steinway, Steinway artist, they would put a Steinway in his hotel room back in the day. "But not for Me" biggest seller in jazz until HH's Cameleon. . You have no idea what you're even talking about with that statement. If a recording studio can afford it, do you really think they don't choose Steinway B over Yamaha? Faziolis are great btw,. Without the Steinway, there is no Fazioli. They invented most of the modern features, since the 1860s, and have all the patents. Here is AJ "struggling" to extract some sort of sound out of this hapless Steinway. BTW, most of the great jazz recordings are Steinway, don't get it twisted. . th-cam.com/video/oA9GhIyP_zI/w-d-xo.html
Ok but what happens to all those 'unselected' Steinways ? They are the ones the public gets to buy i guess ?!?! Ha !
Those get thrown away at the end of each night. I always say they could at least give them to the homeless, but alas, no one listens to me.
that's exactly what happens, it is well known to musicians that if you want the best instrument you should go to the factory, which may let you even handpick every component of your instrument, combining the best parts of several into one perfect instrument (obviously not possible on pianos). and "the public" can just as well get it straight from the factory, it's not limited to professionals, but for most people it isn't worth the effort
@@JesseSabo Ahaha, finally someone with some good humor. All these people engaged in nit picking, if they only knew how fortunate we are to have a thing called a Steinway and really, the modern grand piano is an American invention, Steinway securing dozens of patents to always be in the forefront of that development.
No harmonics like old Steinways
Give me a freaking break. The differences are so tiny this is complete ridiculousness.
When you spend $175,000 on a piano, you are paying for the name and the cossetted luxury of such a choice
You also pay for the privilege of using such adjectives as cossetted.
The differences aren't tiny at all. Some can be strident while others are more laid back. On many model Ds the mid treble can sound limp and dead compared to otherwise identical Steinways. That has always been an issue for this piano and is well known to experienced technicians and touring pianists who play a lot of them.
adam dev, remember that this video has undergone TH-cam's audio processing and compression, namely almost no audio below 40 Hz or above 14kHz, level compression and then throwing away of around 90% of the remaining audio. The recording microphones will also add their limitations, as will the editing before this video was ready for upload or broadcasting. And finally, your computer's audio processing and the limitations of your speakers or headphones degrade the audio further, before you have the chance to hear it. No good instrument heard on here sounds remotely as it does in real life. It's almost as bad as trying to listen to a band through your mobile phone.
I take it you don't actually perform at the piano.
I'm a dyed in the wool lifetime Steinway partisan (I own a Steinway made in the 1930s) and I didn't like any of these pianos. They don't build them the way they used to. They all sounded too bright, metallic, and bereft of timbral nuance. I found this entire video depressing.
I would love to hear a woman playing it, sorry guys
Jesus Christ- 5 Vermonters from NPR spending other people’s money. I get it, there is a process; but, good lord. To boot: The pregnant one went to Steinway with that atrocious “dress” … really? Especially on someone else’s dime.
Sounds like shitty digital.
Oh, my. A filthy rich couple bestow on us plebs the choice of a "gourmet" piano for our "space." Mmmmyes, indeed. Break out the Cheval Blanc '47 and celebrate! Mmmmyes! Gag. Rolls eyes.
SHOULD HAVE GOT A BOSENFORFER OR FAZOILI
Fazoili
...or Steingraeber
Or even a Bosendorfer (Boesendorfer) or Fazioli? Do you want to say why? I personally find that Steinways generally have a singing quality that others generally haven't. But I would nevertheless expect that an excellent Boesendorfer - perhaps even an excellent Fazioli - would be better than a really bad Steinway.
Christopher Johns Steinways sound concentrate on the main frequencies only, like hitting an empty bucket with a hammer. A Bosendorfer is like hitting different glass bells, full of different harmonies but delicate.
@@christopherjohns2162 you would know, if you played something better than a stien. A stienway is like a fine mercedes... yet... not quite a rolls royce or bently... proof is in the sound .. in person. i have played many stiens, yet ... one faz... and it was jaw dropping in every tonal way. only in person.