Chopin's piano

[Annie Grieshop]

At our Chapter meeting this past week, Dave Liljedahl played a Chopin etude
on an 1883 Chickering grand that Frank Lundak is restoring.  I can't tell
you the particulars of the restoration, but I'm sure Frank would be more
than happy to fill you in (no email, however).

I was very taken by how distinctively different that piece sounded on the
Chickering, and there were moments when I felt as though I was actually
hearing Chopin for the first time.  Dave followed it with some jazz, and for
that I certainly would have prefered a modern piano.  But the Chopin was
pretty durned wonderful on the Chickering.

Annie Grieshop

 -----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org]On Behalf
Of David Boyce
Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2007 2:57 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: Chopin's piano


  I bought The Times yesterday and came across the article on Chopin's piano
while sitting in the coffee shop.  I thought it was great that they gave a
two-page spread in The Times to an article about a piano!

  Like Terry, I wondered how accurately the sound would be preserved.  It
was the perhaps over-dramatic headline "Chopin's true sound can be heard at
last....."  that had me thinking skeptically of flattened soundboards etc.
The article doesn't state what restoration work has been carried out on the
piano but as it is part of the Cobbe Collection it will have been properly
cared for and presumably restored as necessary.

  Journalists like to find an "angle" for a story, and the article perhaps
plays up the "At last - Chopin as Chopin heard it!" angle.  Surely any
surviving well-maintained high quality grand of Chopin's time is likely to
sound more like what Chopin head than a new modern grand.

  That doesn't answer, of course, what sound Chopin would have LIKED to
hear, or whether his music is BETTER on a modern grand or on one of his
time.  Personally, I go for the modern concert grand every time!

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