The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[ahinton]

Oscar Peterson once demonstrated on TV those extra notes down to low C to a sceptical André Previn. Previn grimaced and slapped the lid shut. He was not impressed.

Shame upon him, especially given what a gifted musician he was! Actually, though, it's at least as much a matter of how the presence of those bass strings impacts upon the sounds that the instrument can produce across its range as it is of those bass notes themselves. It's a matter of personal taste, obviously but, to my ears, the best Bösendorfer 290 seems a very hard act to follow - and it's the way in which its very topmost notes can resonate and carry even at relatively low dynamic levels that is one of its plus points...

[Ein Heldenleben]

Shame upon him, especially given what a gifted musician he was! Actually, though, it'sat least as much a matter of how the presence of those bass strings impact upon the sounds that the instrument can produce as it is of those bass notes themselves. It's a matter of personal taste, obviously but, to my ears, the best Bösendorfer 290 seems a very hard act to follow - and it's the way in which its very topmost notes can resonate and carry even at relatively low dynamic levels that is one of its plus points...

I think he was right with the massive proviso that a TV speaker can’t really reproduce the sound.Also Previn was standing over the strings so getting the full blast. On a more general note though I have no problem with Bach on the piano and I like all the “inauthentic “ virtuoso transcriptions there is no comparison with the organ in terms of overall impact. In the right acoustic the overall impact is shattering.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

You might not immediately note their extended range. The lowest few piano keys are normally hidden under their own little lid.

[Bryn]

Interesting. The Imperials I have encountered have has a separate cover (lid) for the additional low keys Certainly, that at The Warehouse, Waterloo, does. I think that I recall at Conway Hall did (does?) too.

This offers an interesting comparison between some renowned modern grand models:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2GYYV8JSqM

[ahinton]

Interesting. The Imperials I have encountered have has a separate cover (lid) for the additional low keys Certainly, that at The Warehouse, Waterloo, does. I think that I recall at Conway Hall did (does?) too.

They have one there? I didn't know that! There wasn't one there - but I really do wish that there had been! - when Jonathan Powell premièred my Sequentia Claviensis there way back when, because it uses the G# immediately below the usual lowest A on several occasions and he had to fake these! Jonathan is well accustomed to the Bösendorfer 290 because he used one for all of his recordings of Sorabji's piano works for the Altarus label.

[ahinton]

The only Bösendorfers that I've encoutered with such a lid have a range that extends to F below the usual lowest A although there might well be 290s that go down to C that have one - I've just never seen one.

[Bryn]

They have one there? I didn't know that! There wasn't one there - but I really do wish that there had been! - when Jonathan Powell premièred my Sequentia Claviensis there way back when, because it uses the G# immediately below the usual lowest A on several occasions and he had to fake these! Jonathan is well accustomed to the Bösendorfer 290 because he used one for all of his recordings of Sorabji's piano works for the Altarus label.

The one at Conway Hall that I knew of was favoured by John Tilbury. They also have at least one Steinway.

[kernelbogey]

I wish - O how I wish! - that presenters of playlist programmes in particular, in their anouncements - and not just in back-announcements - of pieces that are just one movement of a longer work would say so!

I am resigned <sigh emoji> to the playing of what we used, in more outraged days, to call 'bleeding chunks'. But at least admit it, no matter what else is said about the work: e.g. Here is its slow movement; or It ends with this dazzling finale....

I'm wondering whether the habit of not admitting immediately that it's only a bit of the whole, longer, work originates with some ukase from the suits.

[smittims]

Yes, it goes along with the popification of Radio 3: 'On the show today... here's a track from her latest album...she's won an indecent number of awards...' etc. And of course, shouting over the applause at the Lunchtime concert ' an incredibly exciting performance there...' whenall we want is the facts, friendly and accurate. Tom Crowe and Patricia Hughes managed to do that with little difficulty.

[kernelbogey]

'On the show today... here's a track from her latest album...she's won an indecent number of awards...

Purely out of interest, Smits, who said this and when?

[cloughie]

Yes, it goes along with the popification of Radio 3: 'On the show today... here's a track from her latest album...she's won an indecent number of awards...' etc. And of course, shouting over the applause at the Lunchtime concert ' an incredibly exciting performance there...' whenall we want is the facts, friendly and accurate. Tom Crowe and Patricia Hughes managed to do that with little difficulty.

Well Tom had more difficulty than Patricia - she was very precise but he was prone to the odd blooper!

[smittims]

Ah, it was a compilation. The first two I've heard frequently on 'Essential Classics', but the third was our old friend Katie Derham on 'In Tune' about seven or eight years ago (I'm often a few years out with my meories..)

[cloughie]

Purely out of interest, Smits, who said this and when?

…and was the singer Adele, Dua Lipa or Taylor Swift?

[kernelbogey]

…and was the singer Adele, Dua Lipa or Taylor Swift?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The only Bösendorfers that I've encoutered with such a lid have a range that extends to F below the usual lowest A although there might well be 290s that go down to C that have one - I've just never seen one.

The only one (at Castle Howard) I’ve played went down to F but, like the one illustrated, didn’t have any kind of lid - just blacked out “white” keys.