bosendorfer imperial 290

[pianonut]

the reading symphony orchestra has purchased one of these.  i think you can view on:  www.bosendorfer.com

[pianonut]

if i could have any piano i wanted, i would pick the Swarovski version of the Bosendorfer!  I would never be seen again.

[CJ Quinn]

Truly awesome piano.  Me at one in  Bösendorfer New York:

[pianonut]

thanks for the pictures!

[CJ Quinn]

thanks for the pictures!

you're welcome. I have more non-Imperial pics from my visit if anyone wants to see them.

[rich_galassini]

pianonut,

This coming Saturday evening Marc-Andre Hamelin will be playing the Busoni piano concerto on this piano.

I have a few tickets available if anyone wants to join me there. Email me.

[pianonut]

thanks for the invitation - we bought two tickets a couple of days ago, too.  i'm very excited to hear this concert AND the piano.  maybe some students at WCU or a university nearby?  can't imagine anyone turning that down!

[rich_galassini]

pianonut,

I was looking around the audience and wondering which beautiful woman was you. Was the evening spectacular? Great music, great artist, great piano...

[bachmaninov]

Does anyone know what the point of the extra keys on the bottom bass of the Bosendorfer is for? I'm sure this question has been asked many times...

-Also one time, in a competition in Venice, I performed on a Bosendorfer... and was so overwhelmed at the clarity and action... that I almost had to completly stop playing to actually take in the fact that I was playing on something so goooooood 

[xvimbi]

Does anyone know what the point of the extra keys on the bottom bass of the Bosendorfer is for? I'm sure this question has been asked many times...

yes, indeed ...

There are pieces that make use of the extra keys (e.g. by Ravel). Also, they provide additional sympathetic vibrations, which results in a richer sound.

[rich_galassini]

I thought the review from the concert might be appreciated:

Concert review
Orchestra's gamble pays off
The Reading Symphony Orchestra goes out on a limb Saturday night, devoting the entire evening to an almost unknown piano concerto. 

By Susan L. Peña
Reading Eagle Correspondent


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The Reading Symphony Orchestra, led by music director Sidney Rothstein, went out on a limb Saturday night, devoting an entire evening to an almost unknown, rarely heard piano concerto.

It was something of a gamble, but the orchestra and guest soloist Marc-André Hamelin definitely came out winners at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center, galvanizing the audience with Ferruccio Busoni's ambitious, grand and difficult Piano Concerto in C Major, with Men's Chorus.

Premiering in 1904 in Berlin with the German-Italian composer at the keyboard, the five-movement work is more like a symphony, or even a group of tone poems, incorporating the piano than a concerto and the addition of a men's chorus in the last movement, while echoing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, is unheard of in a concerto.

Lasting more than an hour and demanding a huge orchestra and a pianist with vast technical skill, the concerto needs to stand on its own, and it's an appealing enough work to captivate listeners as long as it's performed well.

Both Hamelin, who has performed the work a number of times and recorded it, and the RSO were more than capable of pulling it off. For this concert the RSO brought in an immense 11-foot Bosendorfer Imperial 290 piano, which in itself was worth hearing.

One of the difficulties of performing the Busoni concerto is the fact that the orchestration is often so thick that the soloist can be drowned out by it; this was never a problem in Saturday's concert, since Hamelin has a monster technique to match the monster piano. As he sat imperturbably before the keyboard, tossing off one impossible feat after another, one couldn't help but marvel at the sheer stamina it took to get through this piece.

But in addition to stamina, Hamelin displayed sensitivity and nuance while coaxing waves and veils and torrents of sound from the Bosendorfer. It was a heroic and poetic performance.

Structurally, the concerto's opening, middle and final movements combine large gestures and architectural elements, evoking, respectively, a Greek temple, an Egyptian pyramid and a Babylonian edifice. The other two movements are highly energetic, especially the fourth, whose chief theme is a demonic tarantella.

Joining the RSO for the final movement was the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia Men's Chorus, directed by Alan Harler, singing a hymn to Allah with text by the Danish poet Adam Oehlenschlager.

While the chorus was offstage, the acoustic balance was as perfect as if they had been standing by the piano.

[CJ Quinn]

Thanks for the review Rich.

[pianonut]

Dear Rich Gallasini,

I love bosendorfer pianos!  And, yes, the evening, marc-hamelin, the symphony, the choir, everything was great.  i just don't like busoni's concerto (terrible to say, i know).  thankfully, i didn't pay the $50 ticket (only $16 per ticket on that one).  BUT, i would go back in a heartbeat when any or all of the above play again - and ps. would pay more for better seats to hear the bosendorfer more clearly.  i was way in the back of the balcony on the left side and couldn't hear as much of the bass and sympathetic vibrations that i wanted to.

pss if you ever have anymore tickets to any bosendorfer related concerts - tell us again on the forum.  i would buy them from you (and come visit your piano showroom to get them).  i want to see the swarovki (secret mission) someday.  if i sold the existing piano and organ or my van - i could live with the bosendorfer in my livingroom forever. (psss bet you're good looking too, selling pianos like that!)

[xvimbi]

As far as I know, Hamelin plays exclusively on Boesendorfers. Not because he has an exclusive contract, but because he prefers them over other brands. There are a couple of Boesendorfers in the US that get shipped wherever Hamelin performs. Not many pianists enjoy such service. Of course, the next step up is to travel with your private piano.

[pianonut]

"i have a dream."  to travel around the world, play on many bosendorfers (tuned slightly up by ear - with my travelling tuner), and listen to much music, too.  i only have about fourty years left.  do you think mr. trump is the one to turn to?  i have wondered if one simple letter (explaining that i watch 'the apprentice,' named my third child after his first wife (ivana means gracious gift of God), and have been pursuing a master's degree in piano performance from wcu for a year and a half.  does this qualify for a bosendorfer to perform on?  oh well, just asking!

[iumonito]

As far as I know, Hamelin plays exclusively on Boesendorfers. Not because he has an exclusive contract, but because he prefers them over other brands. There are a couple of Boesendorfers in the US that get shipped wherever Hamelin performs. Not many pianists enjoy such service. Of course, the next step up is to travel with your private piano.

How far do you know?  Correct me if I am wrong, but Hamelin has an Estonia piano, right?

His recordings of the Godowsky Studies and of the Godowsky Sonata were recorded on the Steinway piano, right?  Do you know whether any of his other recordings are on a Bose?

Hmm.  Interesting.

[xvimbi]

How far do you know?  Correct me if I am wrong, but Hamelin has an Estonia piano, right?

His recordings of the Godowsky Studies and of the Godowsky Sonata were recorded on the Steinway piano, right?  Do you know whether any of his other recordings are on a Bose?

I am not sure HOW far I know, but the fact that he does seem to get Boesendorfers when he performs is consistent with what I know (have heard). I know of one Imperial that gets shipped to him whenever he performs in the central US, or so I have been told, maybe I just dreamt it, who knows nowadays anymore...

[CJ Quinn]

I thought the review from the concert might be appreciated:

Rich:

Did you guys supply that piano?

[rich_galassini]

Yep!

[rich_galassini]

As far as I know, Hamelin plays exclusively on Boesendorfers. Not because he has an exclusive contract, but because he prefers them over other brands. There are a couple of Boesendorfers in the US that get shipped wherever Hamelin performs. Not many pianists enjoy such service. Of course, the next step up is to travel with your private piano.

Dear X,

Hamelin is a personal friend of mine as well as a customer. I can tell you that he does not contract with any piano manufacturer, but uses either what is there (more than not, I understand) or uses what is best for what he is playing. Frankly, there are only a few pianos that can hold up to the Busoni's dense orchestration. Bosendorfer isone of them. The piano was requested a year before the concert.

[CJ Quinn]

Yep!

You I mean can get it cheap now, because it is used? 

 

[rich_galassini]

I can get it cheap now, because it is used?

You know, Chris, nobody wants a piano all mucked up from a concert like this. If you dig through the trash tonight behind our store, you might find the Imperial. 

[CJ Quinn]

You know, Chris, nobody wants a piano all mucked up from a concert like this. If you dig through the trash tonight behind our store, you might find the Imperial. 

This one is the special 11 foot model too!  Must have been an Estonia dealer who gave the details to the press...

[Axtremus]

quote author=CJ Quinn link=topic=7262.msg73968#msg73968 date=1110544578]This one is the special 11 foot model too! Must have been an Estonia dealer who gave the details to the press...

"It sounds bigger than it actually is."

[xvimbi]

Dear X,

Hamelin is a personal friend of mine as well as a customer. I can tell you that he does not contract with any piano manufacturer, but uses either what is there (more than not, I understand) or uses what is best for what he is playing. Frankly, there are only a few pianos that can hold up to the Busoni's dense orchestration. Bosendorfer isone of them. The piano was requested a year before the concert.

Thanks for clearing this up. I had acquired my impression from somone who is also supplying Hamelin with an Imperial when he comes to the US. Perhaps it was only a sales pitch? Or bragging?

[CJ Quinn]

quote author=CJ Quinn link=topic=7262.msg73968#msg73968 date=1110544578]This one is the special 11 foot model too! Must have been an Estonia dealer who gave the details to the press...

"It sounds bigger than it actually is."

I had a tape measure to one yesterday, that's how I know for sure...

(Jon-NYC and I went up to Bosie NY.  Another boring lunch hour    )

[rich_galassini]

I had a tape measure to one yesterday, that's how I know for sure...

(Jon-NYC and I went up to Bosie NY.  Another boring lunch hour    )

I hope you didn't have that tape measurer in your pocket, CJQ. The heat from your pocket would have shrunk the tape. Then that 11 foot piano would have measured less........ maybe as small as 9'6".

(The marketing guy made a mistake. The reviewer just did not double check)

[thierry13]

Dear X,

Hamelin is a personal friend of mine as well as a customer. I can tell you that he does not contract with any piano manufacturer, but uses either what is there (more than not, I understand) or uses what is best for what he is playing. Frankly, there are only a few pianos that can hold up to the Busoni's dense orchestration. Bosendorfer isone of them. The piano was requested a year before the concert.

Ho my god you personally know Hamelin  I would like to be at your place  Knowing a such great pianist would be great ! 

[CJ Quinn]

I hope you didn't have that tape measurer in your pocket, CJQ. The heat from your pocket would have shrunk the tape. Then that 11 foot piano would have measured less........ maybe as small as 9'6".

(The marketing guy made a mistake. The reviewer just did not double check)

Wait, so now you're saying it wasn't the super rare 11 foot Imperial ?   

Call me crazy, but I played the 280 the other day and I liked it better.  I go for the simpler things in life. 

[Axtremus]

CJQ, you probably are just more discerning than those who prefer the larger piano.

[CJ Quinn]

CJQ, you probably are just more discerning than those who prefer the larger piano.

Harhar.  I'd bet you would have liked this 280 too Ax.  The action was set up for Andre Previn for a performance the other night.  Very light action and fast.  Brighter more complex sounding too, I think.  That piano did not suck!

[rich_galassini]

CJQ, you probably are just more discerning than those who prefer the larger piano.

Now that's funny!

No offense meant Keith. Thats just funny.

[calin]

Hi!

I second CJQ's opinion. I have played both the Bosendorfer 290 and 280 and liked the 280 better.
The action was better, and especially the tone, which was very easy to control and with a wide dynamic range. Not to mantion that it also sounded really special, not the mainstream concert grand tone.

Calin

[jon-nyc]

I played the same 290 and 280 that Chris did and I certainly agree that particular 280 was better than that particular 290, but I'm not prepared to generalize about the models themselves.


But when my new 200 comes next week, I'm going to ask Gerhard Feldmann to lighten it up like he did that 280!

[CJ Quinn]

I second CJQ's opinion. I have played both the Bosendorfer 290 and 280 and liked the 280 better.

Hey Calin, I was going to send you a note about playing the 280,  I remembered you telling me that you liked it better.