BÖSENDORFER

The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria N0. 5 | December 2010

The New Bösendorfer Hall

Interviews: Carlo Grante / Axel Zwingenberger

The New Bösendorfer Selection Centre

Postage paid | Publisher’s post office: 1010 Vienna

L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH, Bösendorferstraße 12, A-1010 Wien, mail@boesendorfer.com, www.boesendorfer.com | If undeliverable, please return to sender
1|
 B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria

P H O T O D ATA B A S E

New Bösendorfer Photo Database

For 15 years, photographer David Peters has explored the question of how the largest and
glossiest Bösendorfer grands can best be photographed. After all, you can’t just quickly trans-
port a 500 kg instrument into a perfect studio environment. We have now compiled the best
photos into an online database.

A ll high-resolution photos from the Bösendorfer archive

are being made available in our new photo database. Our
archive consists of hundreds of photos that are now available
to dealers, business partners and the press for the first time.
Customers will also be able to flip through the many preview
images and thereby get a picture of “their” piano. Usernames
and passwords are made available upon request so that the
photo material can be downloaded in high resolution. In the
future, photos of new piano models will be placed online im-
mediately at photo.boesendorfer.com

Browsing is welcome – every visitor to the Bösendorfer photo

database can access all available photos in low resolution.

For every instrument there is an overview page for the avail-

able photos. The low-resolution photos are large enough for
the viewer to get a picture of each piano.

|2
 E D I T O R I A L

Editorial
Dear Reader,

B ösendorfer has undertaken a

great deal in 2010 and today
we can proudly say that we have
I nformation on the cast iron frame as a significant compo-
nent of a grand or upright piano, as well as current product
developments, will give you insight into our manufacturing
achieved our goals! process.

I t began with the project to con-

solidate the management de-
partments, which were formerly in
I n this issue we present artists’ perspectives in two inter-
views. Axel Zwingenberger, boogie-woogie and blues pia-
nist with a great affinity to Bösendorfer, and Carlo Grante,
Vienna’s Fourth District, with the one of the leading Italian concert pianists, have taken the
factory in Wiener Neustadt. The time to answer our questions.
process of moving the administra-
tion, marketing and parts of sales to entirely newly designed
office spaces in Wiener Neustadt could be completed in the
spring according to plan. Construction of the new service
In this issue we have endeavored to give you a diverse and
informative cross section of life at Bösendorfer over recent
months.
centre in Vienna’s Tenth District, as a base for our technicians
and a “control room” for our rental fleet, was completed at
the same time. The inauguration of the newly built Bösen-
dorfer Selection Centre in Wiener Neustadt occurred in May
R eorganisation of the Bösendorfer company was complet-
ed in 2010. The foundation has been newly laid. We look
forward to the future. We cordially invite you to accompany
and the inaugural concert of the new Bösendorfer Hall in the us on our way to a successful future!
Mozarthaus Vienna took place in October. You’ll find compre-
hensive reports and photos from both of these events in this
issue.

M oreover, on the following pages we present a selection

of Bösendorfer activities around the globe over recent
months.
Yoshichika Sakai
Managing Director

Contents
New Bösendorfer Photo Database .................................................. 2
Editorial · Imprint .................................................................................... 3
With Considerable Passion................................................................... 4
The New Bösendorfer Hall – Bösendorfer Hall III ...................... 6
Oscar Peterson’s Bösendorfer in Ottawa ...................................... 8
New Bösendorfer Imperial for Yamaha
Ginza Hall in Tokyo ................................................................................. 8
New Bösendorfer Showroom in Beijing ........................................ 9
Interview: Carlo Grante . ..................................................................... 10
Welcome to the New Bösendorfer Selection Centre! ............. 12
The Cast Iron Frame – Guarantee
of Stability and Durability ................................................................. 14
BOEdit, Editing Software Exclusively for CEUS ......................... 16
Bösendorfer disklavierTM E3, the Entertainer................................ 17
Franz Liszt, Europe and Bösendorfer ............................................. 18
Romanian National Radio Plays Imperial . .................................. 19
Bösendorfer Downtown . ................................................................... 19

Imprint · Editor, media proprietor, publisher: L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH, Bösendorferstraße 12, A-1010 Wien, Tel. 01.504.66.51-0 · Design and layout: FineStudios e. U., Vienna. Produced
and printed in Austria. Distribution: self-distribution to Bösendorfer friends and interested parties. Editorial office address: L.Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH, Attn.: Dr. Rupert Löschnauer,
Gymelsdorfergasse 42, A-2700 Wr. Neustadt. Senior editor: Dr. Rupert Löschnauer, Monika Frank. Authors: Ferdinand Bräu, Albert Frantz, Noriyuki Kon, Dr. Rupert Löschnauer, Mag. Stefan
Radschiner, Yoshichika Sakai, Jan Sauerzapf, Jim Welter, Ion Zaharia. Photos: Rob Barg, Hans Czihak, Foto Fayer, Wei Huang, Franz Liszt Museum Budapest, Yamaha Media Works Corp., Virgil
Oprina, David M. Peters, Agentur Wulz Services, Music & Arts Programs of America. Lectorship: Mag. Gabriele Grinschgl. Translation: Albert Frantz. Primary direction and disclosure according
to media law: Magazine for persons interested in music and friends of Bösendorfer in Austria. Errata and printing errors, etc., including price quotations, excepted. No liability is assumed
for unsolicited pictures and manuscripts submitted. Reprints permitted exclusively upon written consent of the publisher. All rights reserved. Contributions marked by name present the
author’s opinion, not always that of the publisher. No legal action will be countenanced for sweepstakes.

3|

I n t e r v i e w
With Considerable Passion
The German boogie-woogie and blues pianist and composer Axel Zwingenberger spoke with
Stefan Radschiner about authentic boogie, classical music, anarchy and snarling monsters…
Boogie-woogie pianist Axel Zwingenberger in action: in life and at the piano, always in motion…
BÖSENDORFER: When you came to us at Bösendorfer Down-
town it occurred to me that you headed straight for the Impe-
rial and started playing boogie-woogie, with considerable pas-
sion after all these years of your career. Indeed, you have two
great passions: boogie and blues and the railroad…
Axel Zwingenberger: Yes, and my wife… (laughs)
BÖSENDORFER: What exactly about the railroad do you find
so fascinating?
Axel Zwingenberger: The railroad already fascinated me as
a child. I grew up in the steam train era. When you stood at
a railroad crossing and a train passed, back then it was a big,
snarling monster that smoked unbelievably. That fascinated
me. The machine’s boiler produced this pressure, the steam
with which the whole thing works, and that occurs with noise
emission. Nowadays nothing of the machine’s effort can
be felt. Today an “icebox” passes and it hums a bit. An early
childhood memory… which I also translated to photography.
First as a ten-year-old and later with my book Vom Zauber der
Züge (The Magic of Trains), where I also tried to connect the
music, blues and boogie-woogie with the railroad, with the
steam train. There are many connections having to do with
this topic. In terms of rhythm there are many connections,
and there’s also creating a visual component with which you
can connect things. It thus not only remained a childhood
memory, it turned into even more and inspired me creatively.
BÖSENDORFER: Do you see the relation between the effort of
a machine and the roots of blues?
|4
B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria
Foto: Fayer, Wien
Axel Zwingenberger: Yes. Blues arose in the US, namely on
the basis of Black music. Later, a lot of White elements en-
tered into it, such as the instruments. That then became Black
folklore in the US, blues, and in the time in which it especially
developed, particularly in the time in which America was also
developed with the aid of the steam engine. And this experi-
ence that I had as a child, that also made a strong impression
on people back then. And it was also reflected in blues.
BÖSENDORFER: Even in “classical” music there’s something
similar, namely “Pacific 231” (by Arthur Honegger), where this
very breathing of the machines, this approaching, this gaining
strength, this acceleration and at the end this stopping are all
written out. It’s a very dynamic piece. Both remain a passion
for you, even if it’s limited to steam trains… You’re also on the
road by car a great deal.
Axel Zwingenberger: Yes, I travel quite a lot by car – that of
course also has a lot to do with movement. Actually I’m con-
stantly moving. That’s right. In this respect, that’s the connect-
ing element. That’s by the way also a basis of blues, boogie-woo-
gie and classical jazz. Indeed, styles always create motion, even
if they’re slow. Blues is always about a walking motion; without
this groove the whole would fall apart. And maybe that’s also
one of the reasons why I left classical music, because this mo-
ment of motion is very dear to me. I take joy in this grounded
pulse that you have to feel in yourself – which incidentally you
don’t necessary have at birth – in being able to place the rhyth-
mic frictions and subtleties upon it. That’s a musical principle
that doesn’t come from European classical music.
BÖSENDORFER: Did that develop in such a way that you said
to yourself that you’ll now leave classical music behind, or did
you grow into it? Or was there a particular experience that
was pivotal for you?
Axel Zwingenberger: The experience was that I first heard au-
thentic boogie when I was seventeen, on old shellac records,
old 78s. They were pieces from these great boogie-woogie
masters, from Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons and Meade Lux
Lewis, and I was totally struck by them, that you can play pi-
ano this way, in this form. Yet it became clear to me relatively
quickly that boogie depends on something else. You handle
the piano very differently: only creating these sounds by con-
stantly breaking the rules you learned. And I had the feeling
that if I try to play both side by side, both would be neither
fish nor fowl. That’s how I gave up conventional piano play-
ing.
BÖSENDORFER: That means that musically speaking, or at
least in terms of classical music or pianistically, you’re a sort of
anarchist because you break the rules…
Axel Zwingenberger: Anarchistic would only be in the sense
of claiming absolute truth for the other music. But I don’t
see it like that, that any particular music can claim absolute
truth.
BÖSENDORFER: When was your first contact with Bösendorfer,
and with the instrument?
Axel Zwingenberger: De facto 1976 in the Konzerthaus, when
I played this boogie-woogie concert together with Martin
Pyrker, George Möller and Vince Weber. A memorable occa-
sion. At the time we had three Bösendorfers onstage, among
them an Imperial. And that fascinated me a lot back then.
BÖSENDORFER: What was the most exotic place you’ve vis-
ited?
Axel Zwingenberger: The most exotic country was without
doubt the Central African Republic. That’s not exactly a small
country, but there are altogether only 500 km of paved roads.
The piano as an instrument isn’t all that common there –
that was already an exotic factor.
BÖSENDORFER: And how does one get one’s hands on a grand
piano in such a country?
Axel Zwingenberger: Well, they can be traced to wherever
there happens to be one and then the instruments are made
available.
BÖSENDORFER: We just spoke of “Pacific 231” by Arthur Honeg-
ger – let’s talk about another “Honegger.” There’s a curious
thing that on the one hand has to do with movement, on the
other hand it doesn’t, since this good piece is really anywhere.
It’s the railway car from another Honecker, namely Erich.
Axel Zwingenberger: That’s not just a car, it’s a whole train.
BÖSENDORFER: And it belongs to you.
Axel Zwingenberger: Yes. This so-called turning point, after
the upheaval in 1989…
BÖSENDORFER: … that was also quite a movement…
Axel Zwingenberger: Sure, that was of course a Europe-wide
movement, though in particular one of German history. In
Germany they often dealt with it by discarding a lot that had
to do with the DDR, and everything that had to do with the
west was put into a museum. And there was a moment in
the Federal Republic of Germany and the DDR’s history in
which trains played a special role, namely in Willy Brandt’s
first meeting with the then-DDR minister president Willi
Stoph. They met in Erfurt and in Kassel in 1970 and there
was this problem of conveying diplomatic recognition of the
other country whenever one paid a visit to the other. And
they solved it by meeting once in the DDR and once in the
Federal Republic, civilly, so to speak, in hotels, each time with
a special diplomatic train that traveled there so that you
practically had the status of neutral soil. And the DDR had
just completed a new train that was the DDR’s government
train. It’s a long story, but I got into a position where I got it
as scrap metal, in which I could save it from being scrapped.
That’s what I did.
BÖSENDORFER: That means you rescued this train, this histori-
cal monument.
Axel Zwingenberger: I was the rescuer. It was actually the
case that the cutting torches were more or less standing by. I
outbid the junk value.
BÖSENDORFER: Is it now under historic monument protec-
tion?
Axel Zwingenberger: Yes. It’s now located south of Berlin,
in Lutherstadt Wittenberg. It’s of course in need of repair at
the moment. The cars weren’t given to me in the condition
in which they were used by the government and party lead-
ers – they had been parked for years. But the substance is
still there.
BÖSENDORFER: The final question I wanted to ask is this:
What’s life all about?
Axel Zwingenberger: Put quite simply: Be yourself, whatever
that looks like. How much being yourself is compatible with
everyone else, that’s something you have to work out or even
battle out. But at bottom it’s that, and everyone has his or her
own task – that’s the beauty.
BÖSENDORFER: How would you describe yourself first and
foremost: as a pianist, as a boogie-woogie pianist or as an art-
ist…
Axel Zwingenberger: If I’m asked I say I’m a boogie-woogie
and blues pianist. Boogie-woogie pianist, that’s actually it ex-
actly. And artist… I don’t run around telling myself constantly,
“I’m an artist!” though that obviously is part of this field, but
for me I just say boogie-woogie and blues pianist.
BÖSENDORFER: But it’s an art…
Axel Zwingenberger: … Yes it’s an art!
BÖSENDORFER: A heartfelt thanks to you.
5|

Bösendorfer HALL
The New Bösendorfer Hall –
Bösendorfer Hall III
We are delighted to announce the opening of our new Bösendorfer Hall III in the heart of the
City of Music, Vienna. Bösendorfer concert life continues with renewed impetus at a famous
location and in collaboration with Bösendorfer’s home city.
Opening ceremony on October 6, 2010 at a very famous location... in the new and third Bösendorfer Hall in the Mozarthaus
­Vienna, Domgasse 5, 1010 Vienna
O n May 2, 1913, the Rosé Quartet played Beethoven’s String
Quartet in F major, Schubert’s String Quintet in C major
and Haydn’s Variations on the National Anthem. As the final
tones sounded, the audience left silently and the doors to
Bösendorfer Hall I were closed forever. Back then, the famous
concert hall – Ludwig Bösendorfer’s most beloved child – was
forced to give way to a construction project, which inciden-
tally couldn’t be realised for 20 years. Ludwig Bösendorfer
was heavily affected by the closing of his concert hall, and
he died in 1919.
Today, located at Herrengasse 6 in the First District is Vienna’s
first so-called high-rise. A marble block continues to remind
visitors of this temple of music, in which the giants of the
age, including Brahms, Liszt, d’Albert, Busoni, Backhaus and
others, gave piano performances. That was Bösendorfer Hall
No. 1. Another 70 years would pass before the former pro-
|6
B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria
© Agentur Wulz Services
duction and wood storage facility located at Graf Starhem-
berg-Gasse 14 would be converted into and rededicated as
a concert hall and intermission room, the Habig Foyer. The
Habig Foyer was named after the Habig family, which as
the owner of Kimball International (USA) had been a good
proprietor for Bösendorfer for 35 years, namely from 1966 to
2001. In 1983, this second Bösendorfer Hall, with a capacity
of 150 seats, was ceremoniously opened by the then-mayor
of Vienna, Helmut Zilk. The idea was to offer young, talented
musicians, naturally chief among them young pianists, a fi-
nancially affordable podium and a public. The Bösendorfer
company has also always remained faithful to this principle.
Over the years, the concerts became more and more inter-
national and even world-famous artists from Austria and
abroad made their way to Graf Starhemberg-Gasse. Among
them were famous personalities such as Lionel Richie, Paul

The legendary first Bösendorfer Hall located at Herrengasse 6
Badura-Skoda and András Schiff, who gave his return concert
in Austria in Bösendorfer Hall in 2001 following his boycott
in protest of the Austrian People’s Party and Freedom Party
coalition. It was a great experience for the many celebrants
and the regular audience. We mustn’t forget the nearly 110
concerts that the world-famous boogie-woogie pianist Axel
The second Bösendorfer Hall in Graf Starhemberg-Gasse in
­Vienna’s Fourth District
Zwingenberger gave, always in the pre-Christmas period – an
institution that has been cultivated there for 23 years, and
that will continue.
A new proprietor came at the beginning of 2002. The “cul-
tural investment with patriotic note” by BAWAG P.S.K.
sounded very good, although it lasted for only six years. Due
to BAWAG P.S.K.’s own difficulties, the bank itself got anoth-
er owner and Bösendorfer was sold to the major Japanese
corporate music group Yamaha. As of 2008, BAWAG was his-
tory. However, one thought remained, namely leaving the old
factory in Graf Starhemberg-Gasse, which BAWAG P.S.K. had
already pursued. Under Yamaha, this thought became real-
ity at the end of March 2010, and Bösendorfer Hall No. 2 also
closed its portals forever.
Bösendorfer HALL
The new Bösendorfer Hall in the Mozarthaus Vienna
A lready in the summer of 2009, we were looking for a suit-
able solution for continuing Bösendorfer’s concert life.
Organising and accompanying concerts may not be the pri-
mary activity of a piano company, yet they are an important
component of Bösendorfer’s total activities, as they create
the opportunity for music lovers to come into contact with
these wonderful instruments and to get an audience under
our roof. As in earlier times, we were also especially guided by
the idea of creating a podium for young artists.
Paul Gulda opened the new Bösendorfer Hall musically with
Mozart’s Fantasy in C minor, K. 475.
T he result of these efforts is the collaboration made with
Wien Holding and the Mozarthaus Vienna. The Mo-
zarthaus Vienna, which enjoys a central location right be-
hind St. Stephan’s Cathedral and which was completely ren-
ovated for the Mozart year 2006, will henceforth be home
to Bösendorfer Hall in the Mozarthaus Vienna. On October
6, Bösendorfer Managing Director Yoshichika Sakai and the
director of the Mozarthaus Vienna, Dr. Gerhard Vitek, signed
the collaborative agreement for the new Bösendorfer Hall in
the Mozarthaus Vienna in the presence of numerous guests
of honour. The ceremonial act was accompanied by a gala
concert with Paul Gulda. “This collaboration will give new im-
petus to the City of Music, Vienna, and enhances the status
of the Mozarthaus Vienna as a cultural meeting place,” Wien
Holding Director Peter Hanke rejoiced. Bösendorfer Manag-
ing Director Sakai described the site at which Mozart’s life
and creative output experienced an artistic peak as an ideal
setting for a concert hall, and Mozarthaus director Vitek ex-
pressed the hope that the house located at Domgasse 5 will
become even more attractive to music lovers the world over
through its comprehensive concert activity. The room may
be smaller than our previous hall, yet the Mozart Museum,
which attracts as many as 140,000 visitors a year (approxi-
mately 80 % of them international), creates an international
flair and an environment that will benefit artists performing
there.
Stefan Radschiner
7|
 B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria

E V E N T S

Oscar Peterson’s Bösendorfer in Ottawa

A bronze sculpture of the late jazz icon Oscar Peterson seated at a Bösendorfer piano was un-
veiled by Queen Elizabeth II in Ottawa, Canada on June 30, 2010. The statue features a smiling
Peterson sitting at a fancifully sculpted Imperial. The statue was commissioned by Canada’s
National Arts Centre to pay tribute to the life and work of one of the world’s most eminent
jazz artists.

P eterson, who grew up in Montreal, Canada, died in De-

Foto: Rob Barg

cember 2007 at age 82 after a 65-year career as a piano
virtuoso, recording artist and composer. Peterson released
more than 200 recordings and toured the world, performing
in concerts with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie,
Duke Ellington and others. The jazz virtuoso performed for
the Queen and her husband in Toronto in 2002. The fourth
of five children, Peterson grew up in a predominantly black
neighborhood of Montreal, learning to play the piano from
his father and sister Daisy. He would later drop out of high
school to become a professional pianist, earning a reputation
as a technically brilliant and inventive jazz pianist. His most
memorable compositions include Canadiana Suite and Hymn
to Freedom, inspired by the US civil rights movement in the
1960s. He was awarded eight Grammys, including one in 1997
for his life’s work. Over a dozen universities have granted him
honorary doctorates. In 2000 he was awarded the UNESCO
International Music Prize. For the last half of his life, Peterson
lived in the city of Mississauga, just outside of Toronto, with
his wife, Kelly. When asked how Mr. Peterson would have felt
about the statue his widow, Kelly, said: “Oscar would be very
humbled by it and also very, very pleased to know how much
people loved what he did and cared about him.”
The new Oscar Peterson bronze statue in Ottawa
he had just finished a performance. Commenting on the
statue, Ms. Abernethy said, “This instrument suggests 97
keys, just like the Austrian Bösendorfer Imperial, Oscar‘s pi-
ano of choice. The additional bass octave is finished with all
black keys and this was too unique and interesting to ignore.
‘Bösendorfer’ is subtlely embossed on the frontpiece.”
The statue was created in such a way as to leave room on the
bench for visitors to have a seat with the great jazz legend
at his piano.
Oscar Peterson’s music touched the lives of so many around
the world. His influence on both jazz artists and listeners is
far-reaching and spans many generations. The statue un-
veiled in Ottawa on June 30 is a fitting tribute to his spirit

T he life-sized bronze statue was created by Canadian art-

ist Ruth Abernethy. It features Mr. Peterson seated at his
Bösendorfer Imperial looking out at the audience as though
and music.

Jim Welter

New Bösendorfer Imperial for Yamaha

Ginza Hall in Tokyo
I n early 2010, after a period of renovation, the Yamaha Ginza
Building was reopened in Tokyo’s prestigious district. The
building contains stores, studios, a music school and a con-
honour. The pianist Ryoko Fu-
kazawa performed her debut
concert in Yamaha Ginza Hall
cert hall that is very famous in Japan – Yamaha Ginza Hall. to a full house.
Now this concert hall, renovated with Yamaha’s know-how,
has a Bösendorfer Imperial at its disposal, which pianists Paul
Badura-Skoda and Jan Jiracek personally selected for Yahama
Ginza Hall on behalf of the Yamaha Corporation.
T he sound of a Bösendor-
fer conveys the Viennese
spirit and musical tradition
like no other grand piano –

S ince reopening the concert hall, which is equipped with

333 seats and is designed for acoustic music, concerts of
all sorts of musical styles have been performed there. The
very much to the joy of visi-
tors.

inauguration concert, arranged by Bösendorfer Japan, took Noriyuki Kon

place in the presence of the Austrian ambassador Dr. Jutta
Stefan-Bastl, the President of the Yamaha Japan Corpora-
tion Mitsuru Umemura and numerous additional guests of The Yamaha Ginza Building

|8

New Bösendorfer Showroom in Beijing
T P
rue, the central business district (CBD) of China’s capital
may be located in Beijing’s third ring street, yet the CBD
is doubtless of central importance to the metropolis’s busi-
ness life and furthermore to China itself. In its surroundings
is state-of-the-art (unusual) architecture, including Chinese
television’s (CCTV) broadcasting centre and the Chinese
World Trade Centre.
South of the World Trade Centre, near Shuangjing Bridge
along the underground line #10, is the famous Landgent
Centre, a fashionable complex of office buildings, restaurants
and brand name stores.
A very special brand has been at home in the Landgent
Centre for a short time: On the third floor of Block A, Yan
Shi is presenting the touching sound on about 400 square
metres: the world of Bösendorfer instruments. SHIYAN MU-
SIC (BEIJING) is the official name of Bösendorfer’s new part-
ner store in China. In a contemporary ambience, it stocks a
large selection of Bösendorfer instruments, including the
latest special model, the Audi design grand, for playing and
becoming acquainted with. All pianos are of course optimally
prepared and tuned – Yan Shi is China’s first master piano
builder trained in Europe.
SHIYAN MUSIC, the new Bösendorfer centre in Beijing, opens.
The world of Bösendorfer instruments on around 400 m2: SHIYAN MUSIC contains a multitude of Bösendorfer grands, serviced by
Yan Shi – China’s first master piano builder with European training.
E V E N T S
iano lovers in the City of Millions are also happily accept-
ing the new offer: From day one after the showroom’s
opening (on September 14) there has been great interest in
the instruments from Austria, and Bösendorfer partner Yan
Shi has already greeted many famous artists, professors and
other personalities from politics, business and culture in his
new store.
W ith the opening of the new Bösendorfer showroom in
Beijing, an important prerequisite for strengthening
the Austrian company’s foothold in the world’s largest piano
market has been achieved. “Numerous conservatories and
cultural institutions in China have already purchased pianos
from Vienna in the past. We wish to further develop our in-
stitutional business and simultaneously awaken or cultivate
interest for Bösendorfer instruments among private custom-
ers as well,” Bösendorfer partner Yan Shi and Sales Manager
for China Rupert Löschnauer agree. “The new showroom in
the Landgent Centre is a first step – we need and wish to be
much more present throughout the country.”
Rupert Löschnauer
A mutual toast to SHIYAN MUSIC and Bösendorfer (left to
right): Yan Shi, Prof. Gruangren Zhou (“the soul of Chinese
piano education”), Prof. Danwen Wei (last student of Vladimir
Horowitz and professor at the Shenyang Conservatory), Huiq-
iao Bao (vice-president of the Chinese Musicians Association )
and Qifang Li (top professor in China, at the Central Conserva-
tory of Music in Beijing)
9|
 B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria

i n t e r v i e w

Interview: Carlo Grante

A tireless piano and music enthusiast
Domenico Scarlatti was one of the most original keyboard composers of his century. His so-
natas have been recorded twice previously: by Scott Ross on harpsichord and Jan Philip Bolder,
on both harpsichord and fortepiano. Italian pianist Carlo Grante has now started playing the
complete Scarlatti cycle on a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial (for the Music & Arts label). Thus far 12
CDs with 180 sonatas have been released.

BÖSENDORFER: What about Domenico Scarlatti fascinates

you so much? Is it the influence of Italian opera on his com-
positions, with their extreme contrasts and narrative forms? Is
it the unbelievable modulations or the constant interplay of
harmonies?
Carlo Grante: In Domenico Scarlatti’s sonatas there is a wide
array of musical ideas, stylistic fingerprints and idiosyncra-
sies and also many typical procedures of the Baroque, gal-
ant, pre-Classical era. What strikes me most is the way the
composer narrates via the musical idiom. In Scarlatti we have
an instance of strong cohesion between musical syntax and
man’s thought process. One can almost “read” that way hu-
man consciousness unfolds in the musical flow. This is the
aspect that fascinates me most and that is at the core of my The artist with his wife Doriana Attili
interpretation of the music, the other being a careful atten-
tion to micro- and macro- articulation of motivic, metric ele- BÖSENDORFER: Why did you choose a Bösendorfer for your re-
ments, along with a phrasing that can be rather asymmetric cordings? And why the “flagship,” the Imperial?
(as is the music, often), or regular. There is a typically Italian Carlo Grante: The project originated with the enthusiasm of
alternation between closely-knit elements and wider musi- American pianist Albert Frantz and myself; my friend Albert
cal “landscapes,” just like in Roman Baroque architecture, be- suggested Badura-Skoda’s studio – equipped with a wonder-
tween fullness and emptiness, in which a harmonic rhythm ful Bösendorfer Imperial, the model Busoni “inspired” – as a
is at times fast, at times deliberately slow. location; given also the fact that I own a Bösendorfer and
I am familiar with this piano. As I have said elsewhere, I do
believe that the Bösendorfer piano is better-suited than oth-
ers in certain repertoire, Scarlatti being one case. There is an
interesting timbre differentiation between registers, a subtle
responsiveness to chord voicing, that make it easier for me to
convey Scarlatti’s sound world, in my opinion.

BÖSENDORFER: The Scarlatti recordings bring you to Vienna

regularly. Does Vienna, the City of Music, have a special mean-
ing to you?
Carlo Grante: It does, indeed. For one thing, the city itself, its
history and the way this is conveyed by its urban architecture,
represent the journey of philosophy of mind. One feels the
city’s majestic and intimate atmosphere at the same time.
The sheer quality of music making of the reigning orchestras
needs no advocacy... I can sense a blend of Central European
and Eastern European approaches to musical interpretation
(an obvious heritage from Austro-Hungarian times) that is
very close to my musical upbringing.

BÖSENDORFER: How many Scarlatti CDs will you have record-

ed by the end of this project?
Carlo Grante: All in all, including some interesting transcrip-
tions by other composers, we’ll have about 600 works, which
Carlo Grante is among Italy‘s leading pianists. will span over 40 CDs. For this complete Scarlatti recording

| 10
we are using catalogue numbering consisting of city or edi-
tion, letters and numbers. I decided to arrange the sonatas
following the order of the Parma manuscript, also for coher-
ence within each of the 15 books. It is very effective to listen to
them in that order! Colin Tilney serves as artistic consultant,
Eva Badura-Skoda and I are the authors of the booklet notes,
Albert Frantz is the artistic director, and Martin Klebahn is
the sound engineer.

BÖSENDORFER: You are also passionate about teaching. What

in your opinion is most needed in music education today?
Carlo Grante: If we speak about performers in general, and
more specifically about pianists, I believe that there is a high
degree of skill, a higher awareness of “standards” today than in
the past, thanks to easier media distribution; I also find a high Carlo Grante’s Busoni Concerto with Fabio Luisi and the Vienna
degree of versatility in many pianists. I do not have a specific Symphony in the Vienna Konzerthaus
preference for past vs. present interpreters. For a pianist living
in our era it is more difficult to live in that “zone” populated also comes to mind. Will you commemorate Liszt as well in
by mystery, imagination, culture in the widest sense; at the 2011?
same time he/she can easily compare him/herself to others Carlo Grante: I will perform and record a lot of music by Liszt.
via a more globalized distribution of recorded performances I have two recording projects coming up that will feature ma-
and this can help towards self-improvement. jor works. One is devoted to music inspired by the Faustian
What I believe is more needed today in music education is... myth (Mephisto Waltz, both in the original version by Liszt
time. Time to come to grips with styles and repertoire, to study and Busoni’s fantastic transcription), by Dante, Petrarch and
the expressive grammar necessary for a self-coherent reading the solo version of Totentanz. The other project is devoted
of a piece and allow one’s taste and idealized performance to to the Paganini-Liszt etudes, in both the 1838 and the 1851
concretise in a desired outcome. On the other hand, I recently versions, along with the Grand fantasia de bravoure sur “La
heard the young Nikolay Khozyainov, who is one of my favor- clochette.” These will be recorded on the same piano I record-
ite pianists (past and present), and he is only eighteen. One ed Scarlatti on, on loan from Eva and Paul Badura-Skoda.
other aspect of music education which to me is of utmost im- I am a tireless piano and music enthusiast, who finds that
portance is the synergy, rather than hyper-specialization, of the rewards in learning and playing great piano music –
such subjects as analysis and musicological research, which however great the challenge – are greater than the efforts
seem to thrive apart from performance, except for period per- he puts into it…
formance practice.
Rupert Löschnauer
BÖSENDORFER: Many concertgoers continue to fondly recall
your Busoni Concerto with Fabio Luisi in the Vienna Konzer-
thaus with Wiener Symphoniker at the beginning of this year.
Do you like to reminisce about this performance?
Carlo Grante: Yes, it was a very touching experience. The Buso-
ni Concerto (“Concertone,” for friends) is very dear to me and
Fabio Luisi’s conducting of it has a special inner logic, as well
as strong sense of unity. Luisi is a perfect example of an inter-
preter who is continually evolving thanks to brave, commit-
ted work on a wide repertoire, and that deductive reasoning I
mentioned above about learning in him is at a stratospheric
level. Playing in Vienna is a most desirable thing for a pianist.
It’s not just a matter of prestige, but of that special approach
that concertgoers have to music, which is in part a social, cul-
tural, artistic way of living, not mere entertainment. The live
CD production of my concert, which is about to be released,
is very dear to me for all the reasons stated above. The piano
I used in the performance was another stunning Bösendorfer
Imperial!

BÖSENDORFER: You’re sometimes called the “go-to guy” for

(nearly) insurmountable pianistic tasks. Franz Liszt, whose
200th birthday will be celebrated by the music world in 2011, The first six CDs in the complete Scarlatti collection

11 |
 B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria

S E L E C T I O N

Welcome to the New Bösendorfer

Selection Centre!
Bösendorfer dealers and customers can select their favourite piano in a concert hall atmo-
sphere.

An investment in the future: the new Bösendorfer Selection Centre in Wiener Neustadt

M ay 19 of this year was an especially important and joy-

ous day for the Bösendorfer piano company in Wiener
Neustadt. The newly constructed Bösendorfer visitor centre
on the factory premises was ceremoniously presented to the
public. Dealers and customers can now select their Bösendor-
fer piano in a concert hall-like environment. The new Bösen-
dorfer Selection Centre makes selecting and playing the fa-
mous instruments made in Austria a special sonic experience
and is an important investment in the company’s future.
I n his presentation, Bösendorfer Managing Director
­Yoshichika Sakai greeted the many guests in attendance
with fitting pride. With their presence, politicians, artists, pro-
fessors, dealers, suppliers and many journalists underlined
the significance of the Austrian piano factory to Austrian
culture and congratulated the company on the results of its
bold investment.

The honorary Bösendorfer Ring recipient Prof. Paul Badura-Skoda opened the celebration with works by Mozart, Schubert and
Brahms.

| 12
 C E N T R E
Trust in the Viennese sound

W ith the opening of our new visitor centre in Wiener

Neustadt, Bösendorfer is sending a positive and con-
fident message to piano dealers and piano lovers the world
over: We believe in the piano market and have faith in the
special Viennese sound of Bösendorfer instruments.
As Managing Director Yoshichika Sakai emphasized in his
commemorative speech, “We have invested over one mil-
lion euros into our new Selection Centre for our dealers and
customers. The goal of this project is to support piano sales
and thereby the jobs of Bösendorfer employees. This money
flowed into the local economy during the construction of the
centre.”

Bernhard Müller, mayor of the city of Wiener Neustadt, Bösend-

orfer Managing Director Yoshichika Sakai and Deputy Governor
of Lower Austria Wolfgang Sobotka

edness. What’s important is to attempt to design the future

An impressive variety of Bösendorfer grand pianos awaits visi-
tors to the new Selection Centre.
Concert hall atmosphere
together.”
The representative of the province of Lower Austria, Deputy
Governor of Lower Austria, Wolfgang Sobotka, also tied in
Bösendorfer’s tradition of artisanry in his commemorative
speech: “Drawing strength from the past and from tradition,
the Bösendorfer grand piano is a modern instrument that is
up to all demands, both of pedagogy and the international

C oncert grands are generally used in large rooms. Spe-

cial attention was thus given to the acoustic planning
of Bösendorfer’s new jewel – under the direction of Bösend-
orfer Technical Director Ferdinand Bräu. Diffusely scattering,
terraced wall and ceiling elements suppress harsh reflections
and echoes, without removing the sound itself via absorp-
tion. The result is a concert hall atmosphere in 230 m2. It al-
lows the unique sonic signature of Bösendorfer pianos to
develop optimally.
concert hall.” Mr. Sobotka emphasized the great manual skill
that the piano manufacturer’s employees have demonstrat-
ed for generations, which is an important prerequisite for the
company’s continued success.
Perspectives for the future
“T he new Selection Centre,” Mr. Sobotka said of the new
Bösendorfer jewel, “opens a further perspective for the
future that puts Bösendorfer a step ahead of the competi-
tion. Based on this new centre, I wish upon the company that

N o less than the recipient of the honorary Bösendorfer

Ring, Prof. Paul Badura-Skoda, put the rule to the test
on the opening day. The beloved pianist performed works
many pianists will be captivated by Bösendorfer, that it will
be recognised around the world as an important Austrian
ambassador of music, that it be used for a wide variety of
by Mozart, Schubert and Brahms and demonstrated for the situations, for a wide variety of concert halls throughout the
first time the special (and meanwhile even further opti- world. Mozart played on a Bösendorfer is inimitable.”
mized) acoustic ambiance of the new Bösendorfer Selection
Centre.

Drawing strength from the past and from tradition

S ince its opening this spring, numerous dealers, artists and
customers have already visited the new Selection Centre.
All of them have been thrilled by the special atmosphere of

T he Audi Design Grand that Badura-Skoda played on this

occasion inspired Wiener Neustadt mayor Bernhard
Müller to refer to Bösendofer’s connecting “time-tested with
the room and its acoustics. And many a guest has only now
become aware of the great variety of standard and special
models that Bösendorfer offers piano lovers.
modern designs” during his speech: “It is important that we
be conscious of our history without losing our future-mind- Rupert Löschnauer

13 |
 B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria

F A C T O R Y

The Cast Iron Frame – Guarantee

of Stability and Durability
New Supplier for Bösendorfer
The cast iron frame is an important component of a grand or upright piano. Together with the
rim construction, its task is to withstand the tensile forces of the stretched strings.

I n its modern form, the cast iron frame was first used in
piano construction around 1850. The principle of cross-
stringing could thereby be realised. In this manner, the spa-
over, a certain, typically manual, formal design accompanies
modeling, which of course needs first and foremost to lend
expression to Bösendorfer’s signature and tradition.
tial proportions in relation to instrument size could be opti-
mally used. For the lower midrange strings as well as for the
bass strings, the maximum available length can be used. This
was not possible for instruments built with straight string-
A two-part negative model is manufactured from mould-
ed sand with the aid of the casting pattern. The special
foundry sand is brought into a matched moulding box and
ing. What distinguished these instruments visually was the compressed. For grand piano frames, this process is per-
body’s slender, elongated shape, which made for an elegant
exterior, not compact construction. During this period, due
to the lack of space, grand pianos were often shortened by
cutting off the back end of the body and shortening the bass
strings to accommodate the remaining length. This neces-
sarily entailed significant compromises in sound quality, es-
pecially in the bass range.

Changing performance practice in the 19th century

T he cast iron frame developed out of the necessity of with-

standing the strings’ ever-increasing tensile forces. Early
pianos (fortepianos) were produced entirely without the
support of the rim construction. The acoustic construction –
rim, soundboard, bridge and stringing – were still very simi-
lar to the harpsichord’s; this means that significantly thinner
strings with less tensile force were used. Demands on pianos
increased through the changes in performance practice over
the course of the 19th century. Larger performance venues
demanded louder, more voluminous-sounding instruments,
which could be achieved only by increasing the cross sec-
tion and the tensile force of the strings. Since the wooden
rim construction could not withstand the total forces that
resulted from the stringing, first individual metal parts such
as metal struts were implemented to statically support the
rim construction. The number of struts increased in the first
step, and later the individual struts were in part connected
mechanically using horizontal plates in order to improve the
construction statically still further. Finally, with today’s full
frame (called Vollpanzer – an “armour” or “tank” frame in Ger-
man), the ideal concept for compensating forces was found.
In a modern grand piano, this amounts to a force of 20 tons!

C ast iron has established itself in piano manufacturing as

a suitable material for the frame. The quality of the grey
iron is defined at GG 20. Bösendorfer has never operated its
own foundry but rather obtained its cast iron frames from
suitable suppliers. However, all necessary casting patterns
were and will continue to be produced in Bösendorfer’s own
modeling department. The specific technical demands can
be best implemented and controlled in this manner. More­

| 14
formed with elaborate manual labour and requires great
manual dexterity and ability. Since the model needs to be
dissolved from the sand mould before molten iron is poured
into it, the pattern needs to be specially designed. This means
that all braces and formed parts of the master pattern need
to be tapered, since the pattern would otherwise not be able
to be removed without damaging the compressed foundry
sand. Since the molten iron contracts during the cooling
process, the casting pattern for sand moulding needs to be
built larger by this amount of shrinkage. Modern computer-
assisted construction programmes are able to simplify this
scaling process significantly compared to the old manual
method.

U pon delivery, the cast iron frame is stored in a covered

open area for at least three months and thereby delib-
erately exposed to natural temperature fluctuations before
further processing occurs. The material tensions generated
by the unhomogeneous cooling process after casting are
minimized via storage and potential and dreaded tears in the
frame are thus avoided.

Specialities of cast iron moulding at Bösendorfer

P rocessing of the frame occurs in part via a CNC-control-

led processing centre, which allows all of its drilling and
milling to be performed with the utmost precision and re-
producability. Setting the capo d’astro bar is in turn done by
hand. With Bösendorfer pianos, the capo d’astro can be fitted
precisely as a separately cast part. Possible reworking of the
capo d’astro edge at a later time is significantly facilitated via
this special construction.
A further speciality of Bösendorfer’s cast iron frame construc- Sparks fly when after at least three months’ storage time, work
tion is the design of the open tuning pin area. The advantage on the cast iron frame begins with grinding.
of this method is obvious, since the tuning pins can be fixed
to the maximum possible length in the pin block wood, ac-
companied by corresponding positive effects on the instru-
ment’s tunability and its ability to hold its tune.

I n August 2010, Bösendorfer initiated a collaboration with

a new supplier for all of its upright and grand piano cast
iron frames. Wagner Schmelztechnik GmbH&Co in
Enns is an Austrian company specialising in com-
plex, hand-formed grey cast iron moulded parts.
Ties to suppliers from various Czech foundries
have generally been discontinued.
W ith the Wagner company we have not only found
a reliable partner with a long-term orientation, we
could also simultaneously noticeably improve the quality of
our cast iron frames. Through the use of a state-of-the-art
moulding method, improvements in dimensional accuracy
and surface quality could be achieved; the uniform metallur-
gic structure improves the static properties and stabilises the
material’s influence on the sound.

Ferdinand Bräu

The cast iron frame of the Bösendorfer model 200

with hand-set capo d’astro

15 |
 B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria

S O F T W A R E

BOEdit, Editing Software Exclusively

for CEUS
Shift notes in 2-millisecond steps, correct the length and volume of notes, optimise the ­velocity
– with BOEdit, all this is now child’s play for every pianist.

T he Bösendorfer CEUS is the highest-quality reproducing

piano on the global market. All movements of the keys
and pedals are recorded and accurately reproduced using
special sensors.
To be able to reproduce the precision of the recordings as
well, Bösendorfer developed a proprietary data format (BOE),
since the prevalent format, MIDI, is far from being up to
CEUS’s demands.
BOEdit first offers a complete optical presentation of piano
pieces that were recorded on a Bösendorfer CEUS grand pi-
ano. Even the slightest movements of the keys and pedals
are recorded and displayed graphically. Using this display, the
recorded piano pieces can be edited as the pianist desires. The blue and purple beams represent the quiet keystrokes; the
harder the keystroke and louder the sound, the more the colour

T he new editing software is separated into two workspac-

es, the note editor and the track editor.
In the note editor, the individual notes are presented in a
changes to red and then yellow. In this screenshot, the orange-
coloured beams represent the damper pedal.

real-time grid. At the highest zoom level, the times of the ments of the pedal are displayed, even those that have no
keystrokes can be displayed in a grid at a resolution of two direct influence on reproduction.
milliseconds. In addition, depending on the option selected,
either the note length view or the velocity view can be dis-
played graphically.
In the note length view, the individual notes are arranged in
W ith the Track Editor, an entire concert recorded on CEUS
can be edited. The possibility thereby arises of remov-
ing pauses in order to create individual tracks that can then
different colours according to volume. If the curve descrip- be edited in the Note Editor.
tion display is selected, the individual keypress events are
graphically subdivided.

The green area shows the attack curve of the key, the lowest
point is yellow, the length of time the key is held is displayed in
orange and the key release is red.
With the Track Editor, the user maintains an overview of the en-
tire recording. A window with information on interpreter, com-
poser, title and model of piano of the original recording can be
displayed at any time.
Bösendorfer has designed the programme to be as simple

U pon selecting and opening the action window, all notes

can be edited using the mouse or keyboard commands.
During editing, the work steps are registered and can be re-
as possible. It should enable users without prior knowledge
of editing music to learn quickly and work without problem.
The new editing software will be available for free to every
called at any time so that the user does not lose track while CEUS customer starting in January 2011.
editing the selected piece.
What about editing the pedals? No problem: The representa- Jan Sauerzapf
tion of the pedals can be shown or hidden (also individually)
as needed. In the pedal window, even the slightest move-

| 16
 E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Bösendorfer disklavierTM E3,

the Entertainer
Presenting a traditional grand piano from Bösendorfer with the perfect entertainment elec-
tronics from Yamaha – with an impressive result. The Bösendorfer disklavierTM E3 is not only
a reproducing piano, it is also the first product designed and realised jointly by Yamaha and
Bösendorfer and that is now being presented to the public. It will be available in the US and
Canada starting in Q2 2011; the launch date for the rest of the world will be announced.

W ith the Bösendorfer disklavierTM E3, music lovers can at

last enjoy to the fullest all the benefits of Yamaha’s
comprehensive entertainment offer – previously the exclu-
sive domain of Yamaha customers – with the sound of a
Bösendorfer grand. Operation is simple and self-evident. The
control panel is used like a CD player and the system can be
controlled comfortably from the couch using a clearly ar-
ranged remote control. Turn on the Bösendorfer disklavierTM
E3, insert a CD and go: Your Bösendorfer plays for you. That’s
how easy it is to get your Bösendorfer to sound – if desired,
with musical audio accompaniment as well, thanks to the
speakers mounted on the lower surface. The offering of the
comprehensive Yamaha Library encompasses all the usual
genres and is constantly expanded by Yamaha. If the Bösend- Bösendorfer E3
orfer disklavierTM E3 is connected to the internet, it can access
live musical broadcasts by Yamaha Disklavier radio stations
and thus make for a varied entertainment programme.

Works as easily as a CD player: the Bösendorfer disklavierTM E3

self-playing device for grand pianos

F or those who prefer to play themselves, the disklavierTM

E3 naturally contains a record function. Pianists have the
option of saving a recording to a USB stick in addition to the
internal memory. Recordings can thereby also be played on
other Disklaviers entirely straightforwardly. With the Bösend-
orfer disklavierTM E3 it is possible to change tempo and key at
any time while the piano is playing. When recording, only the
left hand can be recorded and subsequently the right hand.
These features are very helpful when learning new pieces.
When playing back pieces of music with audio accompani-
ment, there is the possibility of turning off the piano track in
order to give free reign to one’s creativity and play the piano The Bösendorfer disklavierTM E3 self-playing device can also be
part oneself. Jan Sauerzapf retrofitted into a piano.

17 |
 B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria

b u d a p e s t

Franz Liszt, Europe and Bösendorfer

Franz Liszt, the great composer with Pannonic roots, is often described as “the first European.”

H aving grown up in the multicultural climate of the im-

perial Danube monarchy, his life as a pianist, composer,
conductor and teacher led him all across the continent. How
much time Franz Liszt spent in uncomfortable horse-drawn
carriages and later in demure rail cars can perhaps be gath-
ered from a comment that can be found in his Austrian pass-
port of 1840: “Celebritate sua sat notus est” – “He is amply
known due to his active travel.” His pronounced cosmopoli-
tanism was atypical at a time that was so enduringly marked
by the idea of the nation state, which was elevated to an
identity-defining category. Liszt, by contrast, was at home in
all of Europe: in Hungary and Austria just as much as in Ger-
many, Italy and France. The manifold cultural influences that
he encountered thereby found their expression numerous
times in his works.

I n the second half of his voluminous output, there were

three cities to which Franz Liszt was especially devoted:
Starting around 1869, Liszt spent several months at a time
Franz Liszt’s study and bedroom in Budapest

in Rome, Weimar and Budapest, without giving up the rest
of his travels. Every now and then there was a year during
which he did not visit Weimar and another time he stayed
clear of Rome, yet there was never a year in which he omitted
Budapest from his stays up to his death (in 1886). Franz Liszt
initially found accommodation at the rectory in the inner city.
Afterwards he moved into apartments near the Szèchenyi
Promenade or on Hal-Platz (Fish Square) before receiving, in
1881, a representative and long-term residence from the Hun-
garian Ministry in the newly constructed, noble building of
the (old) Academy of Music. Liszt always occupied the three
rooms on the first floor of the Academy whenever he stayed
in Budapest (mostly during the winter months). Here, in his
“service flat,” the master gave his students piano lessons, of
which the sign displaying Liszt’s teaching times reminds visi-
tors to this day.
Franz Liszt Museum Budapest
T oday, the former Liszt apartment serves as the Franz Liszt
Museum. On display are personal effects, instruments,
musical scores and manuscripts from the final years that
Franz Liszt stayed in Budapest. The instrument on which
he taught in the salon is among the collection’s most valu-
able treasures. For the past year, the Liszt Museum has of-
fered its visitors audio guides by the Tonwelt company. When
Tonwelt employees installed the audio guide system on-site,
they showed the director, Dr. Zsuzsanna Domokos, a very
special treasure: the seven-octave Bösendorfer grand piano
on which Franz Liszt taught, and alongside it another Bösen-
dorfer grand piano in the possession of the virtuoso, which
continues to be used regularly for concerts (primarily by stu-
dents of the Academy of Music) today.

H owever, both instruments had not escaped the ravages

A museum treasure – the seven-octave Bösendorfer baby
grand on which Franz Liszt taught in Budapest
of time. In order to stop the damaging ageing process,
the action in particular had to be restored as soon and as ex-
pertly as possible. Since the Liszt Museum lacked the neces-
sary funds by itself, the dates for the restoration of the two
magnificient grand pianos would have remained uncertain.
Spontaneously, Tonwelt director Gürsan Acar – himself for-
merly a professional musician – decided to finance the nec-
essary restoration work and thereby secure the preservation
of this cultural inheritance.
After careful restoration of both instruments by the piano
workshop of the Hungarian Academy of Music, the museum
treasures were returned to the Franz Liszt Museum in May of
this year in a celebratory concert.
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt, Bösendor-
fer will be creating a limited edition version of our stunning
“Franz Liszt” model.
Rupert Löschnauer

| 18
 Miscellaneous

Romanian National Radio Plays Imperial

R omanian National Radio – Societatea Romana de Radiod-

Foto: Virgil Oprina

ifuziune – was founded as a public broadcaster in 1928
with the goal of preserving and promoting Romanian cul-
ture. The founding of the Orchestra Nationala Radio followed
that same year. The list of names of important Romanian and
international artists with whom the orchestra has collabo-
rated is long: conductors such as Kurt Masur, Vaclav Neuman,
Sergiu Comissiona; famous singers including Montserrat Ca-
balle, Angela Gheorghiu, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti;
eminent pianists including Radu Lupu, Sviatoslav Richter,
Elisabeth Leonskaja, Nikita Magaloff; great violinists such as
Yehudi Menuhin, Gidon Kremer, Isaac Stern, David Oistrach
and famous cellists, including Natalia Gutman and Mstislav Maestro Horia Mihail, solo pianist of the Romanian Orchestra
Rostropovich, to name but a few. Nationala Radio

I t is thus not surprising that Romanian National Radio has

decided in favor of Bösendorfer’s giant of the stage – the
famous model 290 Imperial.
The selection of this piano took place in September 2010 in
the new Bösendorfer Selection Centre in Wiener Neustadt.
The painstaking selection was made by the artistic director
of the Romanian National Radio, Oltea Serban-Parau, togeth-
er with the distinguished Romanian pianist and soloist of
the Romanian Radio Orchestra Horia Mihail.
T his is the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship
with this Bösendorfer Imperial which Romanian Na-
tional Radio just decided on. The moment finally arrived on
November 12, 2010 and the Bösendorfer grand made its de-
but onstage at Romanian National Radio under the hands
of Horia Mihail. Oltea Serban-Parau compared Bösendorfer
with Rolls-Royce: “a work of art, fabulous, a jewel, a magical
instrument…” were only some of the attributes which she
connected with Bösendorfer in her press, radio and television
statements. Ion Zaharia

Bösendorfer Downtown
B ösendorfer Downtown in Vienna’s Musikverein is a par-
adise for piano lovers who wish to get to know what
makes an instrument manufactured by Bösendorfer unique.
Bösendorfer Downtown’s elegant showrooms contain the
complete product line, with all of our grand and upright pi-
anos for you to examine, play and discover for yourself.

Artist studios – practise in the Musikverein

P ianists and piano teachers have both of our practise stu-

dios available to them: the large Salon Studio with Impe-
rial and model 280 concert grands, and the small Solo Studio
with a model 170 grand piano. The practise facilities are avail-
able for rent by appointment.

Competence centre for piano fans

W hether you’re seeking a low-priced introductory model

or a concert grand piano – you’re in good hands at
Bösendorfer. In addition to Bösendorfer’s own instruments,
Vienna’s Musikverein, famous worldwide for the Vienna Phil-
harmonic’s New Year’s Concerts

you’ll find interesting uprights and grands by Kemble and
Yamaha, as well as used instruments and pianos with a si-
lent feature. We guarantee professional piano sales with the
best price/performance ratio. All instruments are naturally
serviced by our excellent service team of Bösendorfer con-
cert technicians.
How to find us
B ösendorfer Downtown is located in the Vienna Musikv-
erein building: 1010 Vienna, Bösendorferstrasse 12 (Cano-
vagasse entrance). Telephone: 504 66 51- ext. 144, 310 or 311.
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Stefan Radschiner

19 |
B Ö S E N D O R F E R – The magazine by Bösendorfer Austria

SENDER: L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH · Bösendorferstrasse 12 · A-1010 Vienna

Postage paid. Publisher’s post office: 1010 Vienna