IT MEASURES 7 FEET long and 5 feet wide, weighs 1,182 pounds (roughly the same as a 6-month-old baby elephant) and eats up valuable space in my living room. I use it, if I’m being honest, three or so hours a week. Practically speaking, I’d probably get more mileage out of a Ping-Pong or pool table. Guilty pleasures come in all forms. Mine is a concert grand piano. There is no […]
Stefan Knupfer, a piano tuner from Steinway and his famous clients Lang Lang, Brendel, Buchbinder and Pierre-Laurent Aimard as they search for the perfect pitch. Truly an unusual and entertaining peak behind the curtain at the worlds great concert halls.
Sergei Rachmaninoff was one of the most important composers in Russia in the early 20th century. He was a wonderful pianist, and some of his most important compositions were written for that instrument. He studied first at the school of a very difficult taskmaster, Nikolai Zverev, who made his students work for 16 hours each day. He then went to the Moscow Conservatory, where he won the Great Gold Medal […]
This month’s sheet music is a tribute to Sergei Rachmaninoff, our featured composer. We have included a range of pieces with varying skill levels. We hope you enjoy! 18th Variation from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – Easy Piano Solo 18th Variation from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – Original Solo Arrangement Piano Concerto No. 2, Second Movement – Easy Piano Solo Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14 Prelude […]
Look at this freshly restored 1923 Steinway model M in a warm, reddish-brown mahogany cabinet! Featuring her original ivory keys, this piano is a beautiful piece of art as well as a wonderful instrument. The restoration included new hammers and dampers, new strings, pins and pinblock, new Renner action, the plate is refinished and detailed, new decals, newly re-chromed hardware, and more. If you have been looking for a quality […]
One day in July, Hélène Grimaud was practicing the piano in a hotel room in Munich. The Palace, where she was staying, is near the Prinzregententheater, and is unusually accommodating of classical musicians; Room 606 comes equipped with a Steinway. Grimaud needed to work on the piano part to Mozart’s concert aria “Ch’io mi scordi di te,” which she was scheduled to record the next day, for Deutsche Grammophon. The […]
10. Artur Schnabel (1882-1951) Who was he? An Austrian pianist who specialised in core German composers and made the first complete recording of the Beethoven sonatas. What makes him great? A commitment to plumbing the intellectual and spiritual depths of a work, while eschewing displays of technical bravura. Jonathan Biss on Schnabel’s living sound “If I was asked which pianist I loved the most, I’d never be able to answer – […]
The “CA” or “Concert Artist” series is an outstanding example of the craftsmanship that has made Kawai one of the leading producers of pianos in the world. Highly valued among pianists, these instruments don’t stay on the floor long! The fantastic action and singing tone will please even the most demanding players, and of course, the like-new cabinet will fit perfectly into any church, home, or school. And although you […]
This month’s sheet music theme centers around March. “The month?” you ask. Yes, but also the musical term. Musically, a march is “a composition in regularly accented, usually duple meter that is appropriate to accompany marching” (dictionary.com). There are many great piano solo marches. Try your hand at a few of these marches this month: Radetzky March – Johann Strauss Turkish March – Ludwig Van Beethoven The Beau Ideal March – […]
