pianotech-digest V1997 #510

[David Boyce]

Hello folks,

In No. 510, James Grebe wrote about different types of piano, with
different sounds, and invited comments.  Some interesting  discussion
followed, from Delwin and others  (Delwin made some unflattering comments
on recording engineers!) and now I'd like to add my mite;

I'm an advocate of variety over sameness.   Three or four years ago I
attended the Concerto Final of the Scottish International Piano Competition
in the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow.  There were four finalists: Two
Beethoven 4, a Prokofiev 3, and one of the Liszt.  Since the competition
was sponsored by both Steinway UK and Yamaha, two of the finalists played a
Steinway, and two a Yamaha.  So I heard the Beethoven 4 on each.  The
experience was interesting.  Without saying that one piano was better than
the other, one could certainly hear that they were different.  (Both
beautifully tuned, with the Yamaha getting a tweak by a Japanese tuner
between performances. I think it is interesting and freshens the ear to
have variety.

Delwin, you're severe about recording engineers!  No doubt justified.  But
do any of you have recordings you think show off a make of piano
particularly well?  This might be an interesting thread.  
For Baldwin I'd recommend Earl Wild's 80'th birthday recording, and,
particularly, his earlier recording of Rachmaninov song transcriptions. 
Mr. Wild's Baldwin is truly a mighty instrument, which he plays mightily,
of course, even at 80.  (Tho' the dampers are a little noisy.)  
I have a CD called 'Jamaican Rumba' ("Pianissimo" label, PP 11192) of
two-piano arrangements of Benjamin and Grainger. The pianos are a Steinway
and a Bosendorfer.  One is through the left channel, and the other through
the right.  I always forget from the sleeve notes which is which, so I
always challenge myself to identify them correctly, and I always get it
right!  A Bosendorfer is unmistakable.
Yamaha comes across well in the recording of Corigliano's piano concerto
played by Alain Lefevre (Koch 3-7250-2 H1), or solo on Tatiana Nikolayeva's
Melodiya recording of Bach's 48 (which someone said she plays as if they
were Schuman).
Talking of recording quality, it's interesting to compare the sound of
Chick Corea's own recording of his 'Children's Songs'  on a Yamaha (ECM
IC2516) with the recording by Leon Bates on a Bosendorfer (Naxos).  The
Yamaha is recorded with a rather distant and resonant acoustic, and the
Bosendorfer close and warm.
Also worth hearing, in terms of development of the piano and something
different, is the Wayne Stuart Concert Grand, with four pedals, which I've
mentioned before.

How do you folks feel about fortepiano performances/recordings?  Do you
feel as I do that it's a bit of a sales gimmick and dead end?  I don't warm
to the sound at all.

Someone recently mentioned in approving terms (I'm too lazy to go back now
and check who!) the Corea/McFerrin recording of Mozart concertos 20 and 23,
and I'd like to endorse that opinion.  There's a fine freshness and
spontanaeity.  Yamaha piano.  I'd love there to be more recordings in this
vein by these artists.

Best wishes to all.

David.

David@bouncer.force9.net