A Steinway & Sons piano is recognised universally as the world’s finest instrument. But for many years, South Africans wishing to audition a new Steinway had to travel abroad. That is, until recently, when Deon van Vuuren, a local Steinway owner, founded Pianoforte (Pty) Ltd and secured the sole rights to import the Steinway & Sons family of pianos. The imported range comprises Steinway, and the Steinway designed and engineered mid-level Boston and entry-level Essex uprights and grand pianos. Pianoforte offers prospective owners a choice of over 100 styles and finishes to select from.
“Steinway pianos are, and always will be, the finest piano the world has ever known,” explains van Vuuren. “Independent surveys show that Steinway pianos are used in 98 per cent of all concerts and recordings. Forbes magazine lists Steinway pianos in its top ten ‘great investments’. Steinway instruments have also been the preferred instrument of the world’s leading composers and pianists, as attested by the names appearing on the Steinway & Sons Artists Roster.”
What makes a Steinway & Sons piano so special?
The secret lies in Steinway & Sons’ uncompromising selection of materials, notably the timbers, production methods and principles of construction. Since 1853, Steinway & Sons has revolutionized piano making with its 115 patents which affect virtually every one of the 12,000 parts which go into each piano. There is the legendary Steinway action, for example, that is effortless, noiseless and instantly responsive. There is also the Steinway pin-block which is specially designed to keep the instrument in tune longer. Steinway also invented the Duplex Scale on the principle of enabling the freely oscillating parts of the string, directly in front and behind the segment of the string actually struck, to also resound. The outcome is a unique timbre, an exceptional dynamic range and fullness of overtones – one of the marvels forming the inimitable Steinway tone.
The basic principles of construction developed by Steinway are virtually unaltered and still apply to the modern manufacture of upright and grand pianos all over the world. However, greatly innovative, Steinway has always been a pioneer in exploring and establishing more efficient production methods and continues to register new patents. This is why one often hears “the best Steinway is a new Steinway” from performing concert pianists.
How is a Steinway & Sons piano constructed?
Each and every Steinway is both an original and a work of art. It takes, for example, a year to build a Steinway grand, and more than 80 per cent of the piano is still handcrafted. Every Steinway-designed piano has unique, proprietary “secrets” that make it far superior to competitors’ pianos.
Only materials and components offering optimal transmission and reproduction of sound are used; wood is processed under tension, and nothing but wooden connectors join the individual parts. In this way, sound can ripen and grow to the full. As a result, the Steinway and its unmistakable tonal characteristics retain unparalleled excellence for decades.
This is also of particular importance for South Africans: when the pianos are shipped abroad, they are able to adapt to different climates because the wooden connectors ensure that all the parts expand or contract at the same ratio, thereby never affecting the sound adversely. This is also the reason why a Steinway piano can retain its unmistakable tonal characteristics for decades.
Why does every Steinway sound unique?
No two Steinways are alike. The Voicer’s paramount task is to discover and create the tonal individuality of each instrument. The expansive, almost unlimited range of expression offered by a Steinway enhances the broad spectrum of musical composition. A Steinway not only so perfectly embodies the tonal ideals of classical music, but also those of jazz, rock, musicals and pop music.
STEINWAY & SONS AND PETER LYNGDORF LAUNCH THE WORLD’S FINEST FULLY-INTEGRATED DIGITAL SOUND SYSTEM IN SOUTH AFRICA
Steinway Lyngdorf has launched the Model D Music System, the world’s finest fully-integrated digital sound system, in South Africa. The system is a collaboration between Steinway & Sons, creators of the world’s finest pianos, and Peter Lyngdorf, Europe’s pre-eminent developer and manufacturer of high performance digital sound systems.
Announced in New York earlier in May 2007, the collaboration sets a new high for the audio industry through the introduction of a new, ultra-prestigious category for discerning consumers worldwide. The Model D Music System is developed primarily for the home as well as for prestigious commercial properties.
Created by a team of international designers, technicians and engineers led by Peter Lyngdorf, the Steinway & Sons Model D Music System has taken more than two years to develop and delivers an outstanding reproduction of music akin to a live symphony orchestra in concert.
Each Model D Music System includes twin speakers, which are painstakingly crafted through more than 170 hours of precision machining, and the entire system takes approximately seven weeks to assemble. The system has distinctive luxury design details, including the Steinway & Sons lacquering found on the world’s best pianos.
At the time of installation, a Steinway Lyngdorf service specialist will visit the user’s location to utilise the RoomPerfect™ technology and “voice” the Model D System. This is done by mapping the acoustics of the given environment using a microphone. After the measurements have been uploaded, the system calculates a room correction that is applied to ensure perfect tonal balance and acoustics in any part of the listening space.
The Model D Music System is the first of its kind to employ fully digital amplification with RoomPerfect™ adaptation technologies. As a completely integrated music system, all components were carefully selected and designed from the outset to complement each other perfectly.
The Model D Music System is available for demonstrations at Pianoforte’s new showroom in Sandton. The showroom is situated on the first floor of the Design Quarter in Fourways. The Steinway Lyngdorf Model D Music System costs approximately R1.2 million depending on ruling exchange rates.
Steven Ambrose
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