The pianos at the Chopin competition

[iumonito]

What great pleasure.   I listened to some of the playing this morning and was delighted to see one participant play a Steinway, another a Kawai and the person playing now a superb Yamaha.

Vive la diference!

Does anyone know the rules regarding pianos there?  The pianos that are available?

[thracozaag]

  Generally at any major international competition one can choose from any combination of: Steinway (american and german), Yamaha, Kawaii, and sometimes Baldwin.

koji

[yoshiki]

So let say you are signed by Yamaha, however you find the Kawai piano is the best avilable for the competeion, can you still pick Kawai?

[xvimbi]

So let say you are signed by Yamaha, however you find the Kawai piano is the best avilable for the competeion, can you still pick Kawai?

Not without risking to lose the contract. That's why so many pianists are stuck with Steinways. Clever marketing campain.

[iumonito]

  Generally at any major international competition one can choose from any combination of: Steinway (american and german), Yamaha, Kawaii, and sometimes Baldwin.

koji

Koji, nice to hear from you.  This is precisely why I bring this up.  The Van Cliburn (no doubt one of the top 4 competitions in the world) had only Steinways nice time around.

Plus, what about the really good pianos: Steingraeber, Fazioli, Bluthner, Bechstein?   I think the way teh Van Cliburn should do it next time around is that if you can get the maker to provide the piano on stage, you should be allowed to play any piano you want, preped to your taste and voice for the repertoire.

[xvimbi]

Plus, what about the really good pianos: Steingraeber, Fazioli, Bluthner, Bechstein?   I think the way teh Van Cliburn should do it next time around is that if you can get the maker to provide the piano on stage, you should be allowed to play any piano you want, preped to your taste and voice for the repertoire.

Not without risking to lose the big bucks from sponsors such as Steinways.

[classicarts]

I have never been in competition or seem one.  But I would assume, they get to practice with these pianos before hand.  And, whatever, that feels and sounds right to them would be the choice, if they don't have a sponsor.   

[carreno]

  Steinway does not pay their artists to play their pianos, so I'm not sure what  "big bucks" you are referring to.

[leahcim]

  Steinway does not pay their artists to play their pianos, so I'm not sure what  "big bucks" you are referring to.

I presume he's talking about the sponsorship given to the folk putting on the competition

https://www.cliburn.org/ scroll to the bottom and see the logos and  https://www.cliburn.org/page/356

[xvimbi]

  Steinway does not pay their artists to play their pianos, so I'm not sure what  "big bucks" you are referring to.

I did actually use the word "sponsor" in my statement, but the whole concept does go much further:

"The connection between high-level performance and Steinways is reinforced through the Steinway Concert and Artists Program. The more than 1,300 artists that have been included in the program must not only meet certain performance standards but also own a Steinway and only perform on a Steinway. To support the program, Steinway operates a Concert and Artist Piano Bank with about 360 pianos. The program benefits the company, which gets free advertising at concerts, and the artists, who can depend on having a well maintained piano wherever they perform. When they’re sold, these “used” pianos – which would ordinarily depreciate – frequently command prices close to the cost of a new piano, because they are well-maintained and have been used, and, occasionally, autographed by artists. This program is one of the only pure product endorsements programs, as no artist is paid to play on or endorse a Steinway piano."
(https://www.stern.nyu.edu/Sternbusiness/fall_winter_2003/keystosuccess.html)

So, although Steinway does not literally pay the artists, they provide the pianos for free, which saves the organizers a lot of money, which is pretty much the same thing. The artists are bound to perform on Steinway pianos.

Mind you, other manufacturers give pianos to schools for free, which Steinway does not do (AFAIK), so the industry as a whole behaves pretty much in a similar fashion.

[serge1paris]

Hello Iumunito

I have been following the Chopin competition for a few days. It is very interesting but I just wonder why young participants chose Kawai and Yamaha as these instruments sound to me rather ordinary, especially the Kawai.

I suppose they are easier to play.  Can anyone confirm?

During an interview I saw backstage a superb Bluthner grand. 

Iumunito, I know you are a great fan of Bluthner and Irmler. Do you have any idea why NO participant ever chose a Bluthner

Would it be a money problem and do Kawai and Yamaha sponsor participants???

And the unsponsored, naturally, are choosing Steinway...

Keep me posted!!

Serge

[Axtremus]

  Generally at any major international competition one can choose from any combination of: Steinway (american and german), Yamaha, Kawaii, and sometimes Baldwin.

...
Plus, what about the really good pianos: Steingraeber, Fazioli, Bluthner, Bechstein?

Hey, I thought Steinway, Yamaha, Kawai, and Baldwin concert grands are the really good pianos.

I have played Fazioli F-278,  Baldwin SD-10, and Steinway D (NY and Hamburg). I don't think Fazioli has any significant edge over Steinway, and I also think the Baldwin SD-10 can hold its own as well.

Think about it -- if you refined your craft in conservatories stocked mostly with Steinway concert grands (and may be a few Yamaha/Kawai/Baldwin concert grands as well), you would want to play it safe and pick something that plays more or less like the pianos you've been playing in the conservatories. (From various accounts, the Yamaha/Kawai concert grands are quite Steinway-like as well, though this can be debated.) Unless these other piano manufacturers also stock concert grands at conservatories, fat chance any one wants to pick their pianos at competitions. That is, assuming they even have the capacity to supply concert grands to major international competitions to begin with. I suspect a lot of them just do not have the marketing dollar to support such things.

In any case, the Chopin competition is about musicality and pianistic chops, not about piano the hardware (for the latter there are trade shows). Pianos are just tools there, and I do believe that the tools supplied are quite sufficient for the purpose.

(iumonito, thanks for the link. )

[thracozaag]

  I would like to see some of the other fine piano makers such as Steingraber, Blutner, Mason & Hamlin, Falcone, Grotrian, etc. to have the opportunity to provide instruments as well at these competitions.

koji

[Axtremus]

I would like to see some of the other fine piano makers such as Steingraber, Blutner, Mason & Hamlin, Falcone, Grotrian, etc. to have the opportunity to provide instruments as well at these competitions.

Sadly, Falcone is out of business. M&H just got their Model CC concert grand out this year (2005), so there is hope. (Played two M&H CC's a few months back. Very good pianos.) 

[BoliverAllmon]

when did falcone go out of business? I was thinking of buying one.

[Axtremus]

As luck would have it, I recently played a 7'6" Falcone made in 1987. The piano showed much potential (raw power was there), though the seller didn't quite keep it in good tune and good regulation, so I can't say much about it. I was told that a local music school here still has a 9' original Falcone, but I've yet to go check it out.

The original Falcone pianos were built in Massachusetts, USA, and Mr. Santi Falcone (they person who designed it) still lives in that state. I don't know exactly when Falcone went out of business (didn't seem like a polite question to ask when talking to Mr. Falcone), but I do know that Mason and Hamlin owns the name, and the "Falcone" label has been licensed to the Sejung company (Korean company with factory in China) at one point. So the later "Falcone" pianos are actually Sejung pianos.

See https://www.ascpianos.com/PagesPianos/Falconehome.html