Million Dollar Kuhn Bosendorfer Played by Valentina Lisitsa

[brucegbean]

Just curious Valentina, have you ever played the Mason & Hamlin grands, and what do you think of them? Love all of your posts....they make my day.

[Evil5ymphony]

give me two please :)

[fluterampal]

I think Steinways are not better than Bosendorfer or the other way around. Both are superlative in their own right. A perfectly regulated Bosendorfer will rival a perfectly regulated Steinway. Being brilliant and mellow can be controlled by an excellent technician.  Saying that 9 out of ten pianists play a steinway is like saying 9 out of ten americans drive a toyota over a mercedes. These two pianos are gems. Lets focus on the music.

[clitomaniac]

@fluterampal Many professional Steinway players have a Bosendorfer at home !

[quinn244]

Oh the bosendorfer pianos wonderful but in my opinion it's tone is to sharp. Steinway piano have a mellower and to me much richer sound. But bosendorfer is probably the second best piano maker in the world. steinway being the first. 9 out of 10 live performers use steinway pianos which in its own right indicated there superiority.

[barbrawalters1]

@quinn244 maybe in america...but in europe (home of classical music) most use bosendorfer

[quinn244]

@barbrawalters1 well it is a very European brand. But Steinway and sons is also a European brand. after all it originated in Germany. I havn't had the chance to play bosendorfer yet.

[ANTONZANESCO]

@quinn244 and the Hamburg steinway is superior in may ways.

[quinn244]

@ANTONZANESCO Not surprising.

[uulker]

@quinn244

you'r forgiven...

[MeggiethetinyWolfy]

I must admit....this song isn't really that pretty.

[quinn244]

@MeggiethetinyWolfy I agree 100%

[lhrmeonom]

@allstar77nt Yamaha uses very heavy hammers, which creates the bright tone, but to bright for me... that's why I chose Steinway.

[mortalfrog0815]

as viennese i'll always love bösendorfers of course but i have to say, i'm not always friend of the viennese mechanism of the bösendorfers! it's really hard to press the keys, whereas english mechanism of steinways makes it easily controlable... but i just love the bösendorfer sound!

[Ed1whatruwearing]

@ArchiteuthisDux "WHAT?" I certainly hope I have interpreted your use of the word, "GAY," incorrectly. You sound like you're using it as a negative! Hopefully, I'm misinterpreting you. Regardless, you could not come up with a more descriptive and accurate phrase, other than that it is, 'just gay?" Vladimir Horowitz was gay. But no one would ever have described him as adding too much "bling" in his interpretations! (FYI, check out "Shirley Q Liquor" here. She'll put you in yo' place!" :-)

[Rastaleus2]

@Ed1whatruwearing you idiot! that is the modern vernacular for "Stupid". (kind of makes sense...) Where have you been? (besides, since when do you homo....s "own" this word..it means to be "happy"...something most of you do not appear to be.

[jimleak007]

Lol @ people judging the sound quality with just a 360p *video*.

And wow, piano with diamonds. Intense.

[Reddigitalmusic]

Very nice piano skill!

[AhImStuck]

The difference between bosendorfer and steinway is that bosendorfer gives a more even sound.

[baumliebhaber]

i also want one , a white one with black keys and some diamonds on it ^^

[kjrmdfacs]

Brava, Valentina. I performed this on a Bosendorfer Imperial and then on a Hamburg Steinway D last year. Boseies are must better for Rach. One of my favorites and I love your nuanced interpretation.

[Handeltasche]

@labcdaire bösendorfer is best piano company in the whole world....furthermore they make the most expensive grand----> musicstore.de......look for the 210000€ one

[hk47829]

I know this place! They are playing it where I am getting my piano, The guy helped design it his name is Richard Rugerro

[kenshing86]

I will kill for a piano like that..... oautstanding.

[flugelmaniac]

the trouble with modern Bosendorfers is they have a vey thin treble.........older ones from the 20s-30s are often vastly better

due to the fine quality soundboards.

[jorgeliebermann]

Ayer tocó en Buenos Aires.Un agregado a los genios: Brailowsky,Rubinstein,Solomon,­Serkin

,Wild,Lisitsa.Le obsequié una foto con esta dedicatoria:"Mon Coeur s'ouvre a ta Piano"...!

[briank4251]

Oye, don't scratch that piano Valentina. That'll put a dent in your checking account!!

[PuptoPetra]

Gorgeous piano sound. Here in the UK we mostly only get to hear Steinways in concert nowadays, which to me sound harsh in comparison.

[acorntechnique]

Interesting comment. The reason why Steinways sound harsh 'nowadays' is because they have elected to buy in their actions from Yamaha and have done for a few years.

If you put a standard concert grand Bösendorfer and standard concert grand Steinway side by side the Steinway will sound nice - but the Bösendorfer 'sings' and has a MUCH sweeter, richer tone.

Price?

The Bösendorfer costs about 50% more than a Steinway - That says it all really...

[labcdaire]

It's wrong, Steinways grand pianos are generally 20% more expensive than Bösendorfers for the same sizes, and they are not 100% handmade, unlike the Bösendorfers.

I agree with the much sweeter and richer tone of the Bösendorfers, they have more to say than the standard Steinways, especially in the higher range of the keyboard.

[acorntechnique]

I didn't actually suggest that the Steinways are 100% hand built. In actual fact rather little of a Steinway is hand built.

The only reason why Steinways are popular is because of their clever and very expensive marketing ploy after WW2.

If you like the sound of a Steinway, go and buy yourself a Yamaha and save thousands because at the end of the day, the modern Steinway isn't a better instrument, its just a lot more costly.

[ragtimesamtime]

steinway pianos are 80% hand made...it says in their brochure

[acorntechnique]

Any piano builder who buys their actions in complete and pre assembled from Yamaha cant be taken seriously and Steinway have been doing this for years.

[dirkworld]

your completely incorrect. steinways use the patented "accelerated action" by steinway. renner action is used by many other manufacturers.

[pianoplayeruk]

Actually dickworld YOU'RE completely incorrect.

Renner actions are often used in refurbishment projects in the US it is true, but Steinway have been using Yamaha parts in their new builds for a long time because they're good and above all 'cheap.'

Steinway doesn't like to broadcast this fact naturally, but it remains a fact nevertheless.

Acorn's comment is basically correct - modern day Steinways are over priced and no better than a medium build Yamaha.

That's a fact too.

[acorntechnique]

Whilst they may claim that their pianos are 80% hand made, what do they mean by that?

the frame represents 80% of the timber, but anyone can throw together a frame.

The days of the fine Steinway are gone. today you may as well just buy a Yamaha and save thousands.

[Oscarell]

@acorntechnique The Steinway has lost it's charm, the only real difference you can see is on the older Steinways, at least 20 year old units. They often have a marvellous sound, but today you can't see a big difference between a Steinway and a Yamaha.

[acorntechnique]

Which is exactly what i said below.

[bae215]

Maybe not see it, but you can certainly hear it! Still to this day, Steinways are made completely by hand - each piano takes a full year to leave the assembly line. The sound produced is amazing, and indescribable. Personally I find that the Yamaha has an annoying tone quality you cannot get rid of... On that note, the Bosendorfer sounded better before Yamaha bought them in 2008.

[ANTONZANESCO]

I worked long enough at the bosendorfer factory. I only can tell you that a bosendorfer takes a full year to be

build . sounds familiar ?

they do not have or need the marketing machine , but they know how to build pianos. and they do not need to mention

other makes. I think the piano Industry

is getting a shake up. they need to

once again build beautiful Instruments.

check out wendl & lung !

[nathanfornash]

Most other tier 1 pianos also take a year to build, Steinway is the only brand that harps on this as though it is the defining factor in the quality of an instrument

[Scrubsobsession]

i disagree, the steinway full grand i played had a beautiful and distinctly superior sound

[ANTONZANESCO]

and have a mediocre Instrument . you are

right.

[blankpianist]

and a more known name brand, along with the prestige you get for having one.

[moonstaff1234]

i think steinways typically sound a lot better than yamahas

[quinn244]

@labcdaire ya thats a matter of opinion. It takes a year to make one Steinway piano. The Bosendorfers sound board is broken up in sections. Were as the steinways is one solid piece of wood. Which probably makes the bosendorfers sound sharper.

[ANTONZANESCO]

@quinn244 the soundboard of the bosendorfer is build the same way as any other board exept the individual

idea of the company. like every other maker has their own ideas.

it is only a way of building the case shell that is build differnet then some.

and no soundboard is build out of one piece. there is no such tree.

it takes at least one full year to build even the smaler models at bosendorfer.

[LousyPianist]

favourite pianist, favourite piano brand, favourite composer. Thanks for posting!

[jebsievers]

Song?

[fionasapple]

it's a rachmaninoff prelude. i think it's in g sharp minor.

[MajorOlly]

Op. 32 No. 12.

[jebsievers]

Thanks for the answers.

[acorntechnique]

Song?

There's no song being played here.

[PuptoPetra]

It's a quirky american thing. They seem to call any piece of music a "song" - whether anybody's singing or not - even large scale orchestral works.

Thanks for the info re Bosendorfers & Steinways. Interesting! I wasn't aware of the Yamaha connection.

[kickkmyfaceinn]

yep. i didn't know it was an american thing, though. Yeah any musical piece is considered a song. Well in America I guess

[utubuser10]

@PuptoPetra the quirky thing is that we all talk about how well a piano, "sings" and when someone calls a work for solo piano a song we get bent out of shape...