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BSENDORFERThe magazine by Bsendorfer Austria N0. 8 | 2013/2014

Postage paid | Publishers post office: 1010 Vienna, AustriaL. Bsendorfer Klavierfabrik Gm bH, Bsendorferstrae 12, 1010 Vienna, Austria, [email protected], www.boesendorfer.com | If undeliverable, please return to sender

Interviews: Freddie Ravel / Maria Mazo

185 years of Bsendorfer

Viennese Sound


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B S E N D O R F E R The magazine by Bsendorfer Austria

Bsendorfer Grand Piano Opus No. 50.000 in neo-classical de-

sign; above: The 24 carat gold plated commemorative plate

Ignaz Bsendorfer founded his eponymous piano company in 1828 dedicated to simply makingthe best possible instruments. It has been a 185 year journey to reach this milestone.

Opus No. 50.000 Good things are worth waiting for

In an age of mass production, we take great pride to be ex-clusive and original and to continue to create instrumentsthat truly reflect our Viennese heritage, with our pure andinspiring sound Der Klang, der berhrt.

From early in our history, Bsendorfer has not only focusedon making performance instruments, but also on art casegrand pianos for collectors and lovers of fine design. OurOpus No. 50.000 is inspired by two instruments that werecreated for the 1867 World Exhibition in Paris. Both instru-

ments were neo-classical in concept. One was designed byTheophil Hansen, the famous Danish architect (this year isthe 200thanniversary of his birth), who designed many majorbuildings in Vienna including the world famous concert hallMusikverein with its extraordinary Golden Hall and BrahmsSaal. The other was designed by Anton Grosser who incorpo-rated golden caryatids similar to the ones in the Musikvereinin his design.

Our Opus No. 50.000 is a neo-classical instrument for the21st century. One major aspect of the neo-classical de-sign is the extensive use of gold. We have embraced this ideanot only by using gold leaf mouldings on the piano, but alsoby painstakingly covering the entire piano frame by handwith gleaming gold leaf. In addition, the front of the instru-ment features 2 bronze cast 24 carat gold-plated caryatids,using the traditional lost wax casting method. The designwas inspired by the gold caryatids of the Musikverein andfrom the Grosser piano.

Bsendorfer has a tradition of excellent piano cabinetrywork using precious veneers. To showcase this skill, ourdesign uses 4 different veneers: burr French walnut, Frenchwalnut, pear wood and maple. In addition, the treble side ofthe instrument has a marquetry inlay featuring a harp de-sign. A specially designed 24 carat gold plated commemora-tive Opus No. 50.000 plate is inserted into the key block.

Opus No. 50.000


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E D I T O R I A L

Contents

Dear Reader,

Editorial

2013 was a very special year forBsendorfer it was the 185th

anniversary of the founding of ourcompany by Ignaz Bsendorfer in1828, and it was also the year thatwe built Opus No. 50.000.

We are the oldest manu-facturer of premium pi-anos, and both our founder IgnazBsendorfer, and his son Ludwig,were dedicated to making the finest possible instruments.They followed the Viennese tradition of piano making using

the resonance case principle where the whole body of theinstrument supports sound creation like a violin. In an ageof mass production, we take great pride to be exclusive andoriginal and to continue this tradition. Indeed, it has actuallytaken us 185 years to reach the milestone of Opus No. 50.000 good things are worth waiting for!This magazine features stories about the making of OpusNo. 50.000 and our exciting 185thJubilee concert that saw itslaunch in October.

There is also a feature about the 14th InternationalBeethoven piano competition that took place in Vienna

in June, showcasing exceptional young talents, and an inter-view with the winner, Maria Mazo.

Our cover article is an interview with the well knownAmerican Bsendorfer pianist, Freddie Ravel, who ownsa 290 CEUS, and like many performers, is passionate aboutour Bsendorfer sound.

There is also an article about the Wiener Klang (TheViennese sound) and the development of grand pianos ingeneral. Please enjoy this magazine but also please look out

for the latest stories on our new Facebook accountwww.facebook.com/Boesendorfer.Klavierfabrik

Brian Kemble, MBE MA

Managing Director

Imprint Editor, media proprietor, publisher: L. Bsendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH, Bsendorferstrae 12, 1010 Vienna, Austria, Tel. 01.504.66.51-0 Design and layout: FineStudios e. U., Wien.Produced and printed in Austria. Distribution: self-distribution to Bsendorfer friends and interested parties. Editorial office address: L. Bsendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH, Attn.: Brian Kem-ble, Gymelsdorfergasse 42, 2700 Wr. Neustadt, Austria. Senior editor: Marion Alexander. Authors: Marion Alexander, Prof. Jan Jiracek von Armin, Dest-Bsendorfer Taiwan, Ferdinand Bru,Anne-Sophie Desrez, Brian Kemble, Prof. Baruch Meir, Simon Oss, Stefan Radschiner, Markus Walther, Madame Tussauds Wien, Yamaha Music Latin America. Photos: Michael Becker, NancyHorowith, Imperial Hotels Austria GmbH, Harri Mannsberger, Betty Master, Universitt Mozarteum / Christian Schneider, David M. Peters, Juan G. Ramirez, Shao Tingkuei. Cover: Doug Ellis.Translation: Albert Frantz. Primary direction and disclosure according to media law: Magazine for persons interested in m usic and friends of Bsendorfer in Austria. Errata and printing errors,etc., including price quotations, excepted. No liability is assumed for unsolicited pictures and manu scripts submitted. Reprints permitted exclusively upon written consent of the publisher.All rights reserved. Contributions marked by name present the authors opinion, not always that of the publisher. No legal action will be countenanced for sweepstakes.

Opus No. 50.000 Good things are worth waiting for ......... 2Editorial Imprint ................................................................................... 3Maria Mazo wins the 14thInternnational BeethovenPiano Competition 2013 in Vienna .................................................. 4Inauguration of the Bsendorfer Hall at Salzburg

Mozarteum ............................................................................................... 6Martha Argerich judges USASU Piano Competition ............... 6JJ Lin ............................................................................................................. 7Wubertiade in the house ................................................................. 7The space between the notes is as important asthe notes themselves .......................................................................... 814thInternational Beethoven Piano Competition 2013in Vienna .................................................................................................. 10

Celebrating 185 Years of Bsendorfer and introducingOpus No. 50.000 .................................................................................... 12Concert Series in the newly restored 1873 HalleNsalonin the Hotel Imperial ........................................................................... 14First Performance on the Bsendorfer Grand Piano

dedicated to El Sistema ................................................................... 15Viennese Sound and the Vienna Schoolof piano making .................................................................................... 16Udo Jrgens Alter Ego ....................................................................... 18Bsendorfer Model Beethoven ....................................................... 19Bsendorfer Model Hummingbird ............................................... 19


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BSENDORFER:You have already won several international pi-

ano competitions. What significance does the Beethoven Com-

petition in Vienna hold for you?Maria Mazo: For me it is something very special. On thatnote I have to say that Beethovens music has impressedme ever since I was little. I just like playing Beethoven mostof all. It was therefore rather self-evident that I should takepart in this competition. I already had the whole programmeand already played it in concert. Due to this circumstance,it was quite a special feeling to go to this competition andplay the composer with whom I feel particularly good. Eight

years ago, I won a little Beethoven competition in Germany.And now Im of course very happy that I also won the bigBeethoven competition in Vienna. The significance is also so

great for me because there was a natural developmental pro-cess behind it, also pertaining to my repertoire. It was, so tospeak, a crowning achievement to present myself with thisprogramme.

BSENDORFER:You made your debut with the Moscow Cham-

ber Orchestra with Mozarts Concerto, K. 414 at the age of nine.

Do you still have memories of that day? Were you very nerv-

ous?

Maria Mazo:That was quite easy. Youre so little, after all, andalso not that nervous because you dont know that some-thing can go wrong. Of course, I practised the concerto agreat deal and prepared it with my teacher. The conductor

gave me helpful tips for playing with orchestra and in a largehall, and how the sound develops. But I cant remember be-ing nervous. My parents said I was quite normal the wayI always played for someone. Maybe youre just much too

young and therefore dont realise what it means to play withan orchestra. Luckily I didnt had any pressure at all, neitherfrom my parents nor from my teacher. The opportunity aroseand I wanted to play.

BSENDORFER:Was it clear to you from the beginning that

you wanted to be a pianist?

Maria Mazo:The decision formed slowly. There wasnt a par-

ticular moment in which I decided now Im going to be apianist. When I was four or five, my mother discovered that Ihad perfect pitch and could sight read very well. These were

good prerequisites for taking up piano. Then I commencedwith the Russian school. In Russia you practise a great deal,

and that simply went well. Thats how everything developedquite naturally. And at 18 I already had a good repertoire.

BSENDORFER: You won the Jury Award at the Van Cliburn

Competition in the USA and recorded the documentary In the

Heart of Music with three other musicians, in collaboration

with the TV station arte. What was that like?

Maria Mazo: That was really funny, because it again in-volved Beethoven this time the Hammerklavier Sonata.I did something that apparently no one else had ever done.In this competition there are several rounds with a solo pro-gramme. In the first round you play for 50 minutes. Practi-

cally all participants play pieces by several composers. I wentthere and said, Im playing the Hammerklavier Sonata pe-riod. Besides me, no one had done that. Of course, peoplediscussed whether that was even possible. It was a risky de-cision, but it was in accordance with the competitions rulesand it worked well. I thereby qualified for the next round anddrew quite a lot of attention to myself. In the documentary,I discuss this with Menahem Pressler. He was particularlytaken with my interpretation and the fact that I already hadsuch a good overview of this great work at the time I wasonly 22 years old. For the other musicians, the topic was morethe situation of the competition in itself and the attendantworlds of feeling. The fact that in this documentary my part

was about this work, the music and the composer was reallygreat for me!

BSENDORFER:You are here today to select your Bsendorfer

grand piano, the competitions trophy. In your opinion, what

differentiates the sound of a Bsendorfer grand from that of

other grand pianos?

Maria Mazo:Im always a bit afraid of generalising. I believethat independently of the brand, every grand piano is differ-ent and personal, and whos playing it also makes a big differ-ence. What I especially like about Bsendorfer is the pianossinging quality. This is particularly strong in the piano that I

just selected. Out of all these wonderful grand pianos, thisone sings the best. This quality is particularly important tome. If I play Brahms, for instance, this singing quality is an

Maria Mazo was born in Moscow and began playing the piano at the age of five. She stud-ied with several professors at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory while she was still inHigh School. She made her orchestral debut with Mozarts Piano Concerto, K. 414 at the ageof nine. She completed her studies under Arie Vardi and Matti Raekallio at the Hochschulefr Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover. In 2004, she won the Beethoven Piano Com-petition in Mannheim. She has won numerous prizes, including in the Honens (Canada),Busoni (Italy) and Van Cliburn (USA) piano competitions. Already at an early age, Maria Mazowas fascinated by Beethovens music. This deep connection helped her to win this yearsBeethoven Piano Competition in Vienna. In an interview with Marion Alexander, she offersseveral personal insights into her life in music.

Maria Mazo wins the 14thInternational Beet-hoven Piano Competition 2013 in Vienna

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absolute must without it nothing works. Ill soon have thisbeautiful singing sound every day Im really looking for-ward to it. It is simply important that you have a good soundavailable every day. When you do, a very different idealisationof sound develops.

BSENDORFER:What is the most important thing in making

music to you?

Maria Mazo:I cant select a single most important thing justlike that. I have to start from the beginning. First of all, thereis quality or professionalism, which for me means that I mas-ter the work and understand the structure. Only then can Ishape the sound and interpret it. And during a concert, thecommunication with the audience is added to it.

BSENDORFER:The audience thereby plays an important role

for you does contact with the audience play an important

role as well?

Maria Mazo:Of course, playing in front of an audience is veryimportant, thats what you work for as a pianist. And thecontact with the audience is also important, meaning howdo I reach the audience and what impression am I leavingbehind? You have contact in all sorts of ways. You can developit externally, through gestures or a sort of show wherebyin this case I dont mean show in a negative sense and ofcourse through the quality and understanding of the work.I always wish for my audience to leave the concert hall withsomething special, that they can take something with them.

BSENDORFER: What do you wish to achieve personally in

your life? Is there a very big goal?Maria Mazo:For me, the primary goal as a pianist is to havemy audience who likes me as a pianist, my way of playingand my interpretations. As a pianist, I wish to give the audi-ence many beautiful and touching moments at my concerts.Whats very important is to continue developing, not stand-ing still. And then its particularly wonderful to share thispersonal and musical development with the audience.

BSENDORFER:How much do you practise? Does practice time

and the way you practise change with experience?

Maria Mazo: That varies; pure practice time is about sixhours a day, of course depending on what I have coming up.

I practise more purposefully prior to a concert. I need thistime to practise. Good preparation gives me security, whichthen permits more leeway for interpretation and expression.Works which I have already prepared I practise differently,though I notice that I dont practise any less. And the moreIve played a work onstage, the more I have to clean it up. Icall it cleaning up, by that I mean polishing it technically, tocheck whether what I wanted to express was successful orwhere I still want to improve or change something.

BSENDORFER:Do you play and listen only to classical music?

Maria Mazo:On stage I only play classical. I really like listen-

ing to jazz. I did jazz improvisation for some time privately formyself. This is great fun, though now I unfortunately donthave any time for it.

BSENDORFER:What do you do to get distance and recharge

your energy?

Maria Mazo:Naturally, theres not much time in addition to

music. But recently I moved to Munich and I really like themountains. I already look forward to hiking in the mountainsand to discovering the surroundings. I also like baking a lot Im pretty good at it. I really like trying out new recipes; I canrelax a great deal when doing so.

BSENDORFER:Do you have a current project in addition to

your concerts?

Maria Mazo:A major project for me is the planned CD withworks of Beethoven. The contents arent yet entirely set instone, but the Hammerklavier Sonata will definitely be partof it. The CD should be released in the autumn of 2014.

BSENDORFER:Thank you very much for this interesting con-

versation.

Maria Mazo, winner of the 14thInternational Beethoven Com-

petition in Vienna

NancyHorowitz


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For many years the University Mozarteum in Salzburg andthe piano manufacturer Bsendorfer has maintained

a good working relationship and an intensive exchange ofexperience. This led to the idea to dedicate a concert hall toBsendorfer. The inauguration was celebrated with a mag-nificent piano recital on 24th October 2013 played by selectedpiano students of the Mozarteum, followed by Prof. PaulBadura-Skoda giving a master class.

The Bsendorfer Hall is a further contribution to presentthe variety of sound. A special type of distance learn-ing the so-called piano skyping takes place also in this

hall together with partner institutions in Kobe, Japan andBeijing, China. Via video link the teaching of the professorsgets transferred to the local students. The CEUS system ofthe Bsendorfer grand piano records the piano playing withall fine facets by using high-quality light sensors. At thetouch of a button the CEUS grand piano is able to play backthe recorded music piece including the moving of the keysand pedals. With the LAN connection the Bsendorfer CEUSgrand pianos connect directly in a secure way over the Inter-net. The development costs for this CEUS internet connec-tion option were financed by the Red Bull Media House.

With the inauguration also the worlds first live concerttook place with a performance of the Goldberg Vari-

ations by Johann Sebastian Bach played alternately by stu-dents on a Bsendorfer CEUS grand piano in Salzburg, Viennaand Beijing.

Bsendorfer Hall at Salzburg MozarteumInauguration of the Bsendorfer Hall at Salzburg Mozarteum and the worlds first live concertwith Bsendorfer CEUS.

Universitt

Mozarteum/ChristianSchneider

I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Forty-two outstanding pianists from around the globemade their way to Tempe, Arizona in January 2013 as theUSASU School of Music in the Herberger Institute for Designand the Arts hosted the 6thBsendorfer and Yamaha USASUInternational Piano Competition in collaboration with thePhoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Arizona Young Artist Com-mittee, Bsendorfer, Yamaha, and the Arizona Piano Gallery. A

total of 198 pianists from 31 countries applied to compete.The 42 selected by a screening committee competed in thesemi-final and final rounds for prizes including over $50,000of cash awards, hand crafted medals, engagements with thePhoenix Symphony Orchestra, and recital performances inthe United States, Austria and Germany for the winners. Leg-endary pianist Martha Argerich joined the jury panel. Otherson the jury included Israeli pianist and Bsendorfer Artist Ba-ruch Meir who is the founder of the competition and chair-man of the jury Sergei Babayan, Choong Mo Kang, YaninaKudlik and Robert Hamilton.

For the first time since the inception of the competition in2006, the final of The Bsendorfer competition included

concerto performances of the finalists with The Phoenix

Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony Hall down town waspacked with its entire filled 2200 seats. Lindsay Garritsonof the United States took third Prize with a performance ofRachmaninoffs first Concerto, Jaekyoung Yoo of South Koreatook second prize with a performance of Brahms second pi-ano concerto, and American Eric Zuber took first prize withan outstanding performance of Chopins first piano concerto.

Martha Argerich judges USASU PianoCompetition

Choong Mo Kang, Martha Argerich, Sergei Babayan, Jaekyoung

Yoo, Eric Zuber, Lindsay Garritson, Yanina Kudlik

Ekaterina Taratorina plays live in Salzburg and Wanjin Ji was

broadcasted live per Video and CEUS System from Beijing

BettyMaster


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I n t e r v i e w

BSENDORFER:You are one of the most versatile artists of ourtimes. How would you describe yourself and how did your ca-

reer as a musician start?

Freddie Ravel: I guess Im a bit of a music synergist andcross-platform-communicator through music. My fatheris of Russian, German and Polish heritage, born in NY while

my mother is from Cali, Colombia. As I was growing up, itwouldnt be unusual for me to hear the Cumbia right nextto Mozart or the Samba next to Beethoven. My life has beenone of being a sort of a cultural bridge. My journey beganwhen I was hired by Sergio Mendes right after I graduated atthe age of 23, with my degree in composition from CaliforniaState University Northridge. There I was, in an all-Brazilianband. A few years later, I would become as I like to say the only white guy in an all black band that happened to becalled Earth, Wind and Fire (laughing). Also my second al-bum called Sol to Soul, is a bridge album. It has six differentgenres on it, spanning Samba to Salsa, RnB and even some

straight ahead Jazz. Ive always believed in blending stylesand thankfully, MUSIC offers an infinite combination of waysto access the soul.

BSENDORFER: Nietzsche said: Without music life would bea mistake.

Freddie Ravel:Thats a great quote man! Music is vibrationand frequency. To me, and I think to many human beings, weintuitively feel music when we hear the wind through thetrees, when we hear the sound of the waves crashing at theocean, when we hear the babbling of a brook. I mean, can youimagine life without that? It would be awful like a life with-out color. The other reason why we are so married to music is,

that we, as human beings, are nothing more than vibration;and the way we connect to each other has everything to dowith resonance. There is a poem I wrote last year in an at-tempt to capture the power of music called: If Music CouldSpeak. The opening line of the poem is: Music is the greatinvitation for mankind to transcend spoken word. To enhancehow we think and put into sync, so we hear what is mostlynot heard. It is my attempt at trying to get the power of Mu-sic into Spoken Word/Poetry. This all stems from my beliefthat Music allows us to have a taste of God in its own way.

BSENDORFER:Is there any personal key experience in your life

related to making music?Freddie Ravel:I was touring with Al Jarreau in July 2001 andwe were playing Take Five in Tabarka, 10 miles from the bor-

der with Algeria. And we are in an old outdoor theatre andeveryone is dressed in long, white traditional Arabic dressand the audience is looking at us and they are holding theirhands up whilst we are playing the classical American Jazzpiece. Take Five very passionate, very fast. They are listen-ing deeply to the music and there is so much love, you can

feel it in the air. Here we are, in Africa, in an Arabic country,playing classic jazz and people are receiving it with so muchlove and passion.That same night I came back to my hotel and I got a fax frommy manager: Freddie, your album with the single, SunnySide Up, has just hit number one in the United States. AndI am in the hallway of the hotel reading this and I start cry-ing in joy while two gentlemen from Tunisia are with me and

join me in an impromptu moment of prayer and gratitude forthe good news!Two months and a week later is 9/11/01. Two days later I getan email from one of them who writes:Freddie I dont know

what this is, but I am grateful for our friendship. And it reallybrought me strength to have this communication with thisman. I realized right then and there that music connected usbeyond politics, beyond war, beyond devastation. And I real-ized that the one thing that could get us out of this pickle ofmisunderstanding could be the worlds undisputed interna-tional language, Music! This is really where the origins ofTune UP to Success and Human Harmonics started.

BSENDORFER: You play digital as well as acoustic keyboardinstruments. Where do you see the qualities of each?

Freddie Ravel:We are sitting here in my studio in Los Angelesand I have an 88 note electric keyboard. Its a great tool, a

bit like a Swiss Army knife. But when I go to my 290, before Ieven sit down, I take a moment, I breathe in, and I go what ablessing and then I play. With my synthesizer I dont do that(laughing). No disrespect but when Im playing my electrickeyboard its nice but when I play the 290 its a completelydifferent expression. And to me it all comes down to the wayit vibrates. Its like a living organism, every aspect, the string,the wood, the felt hammers, the feel of the keys, the action.The synthesizer is very convenient when Im programmingand producing music. But for really deep heartfelt expressionIm going to go to my 290.

BSENDORFER:How did you find your Bsendorfer?Freddie Ravel:Freddie Ravel: Since I was about 16 Ive been atremendous fan of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett

In Interview: Freddie Ravel. With a keen ability to create cultural collaboration through mu-sic, Freddie Ravels career spans six continents and three decades of producing, recordingand composing with such diverse musical legends as: Earth, Wind & Fire, Al Jarreau, SergioMendes, Madonna, Prince, Quincy Jones and rock legend, Carlos Santana. In an interviewwith Simon Oss he speaks about bridge building, vibration, his belief in the force of music,and his unique Human Harmonics seminars and Keynote Concerts.

The Space between the notes is asimportant as the notes themselves


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and Joe Zawinul. I loved their approach to the piano. Andwhen I got to age 29 to record my first album deal for Poly-dor, Japan, they asked: Where would you like to record yourfirst album? And I said: Lets do it at Chick Coreas studio!When I got to Chicks Mad Hatter Studios and this is in theearly 90s he had two pianos. I tried both and I just loved theBsendorfer Imperial. I loved the way the top end of the pianocould sing. The sound sustained like a bell, better than any-thing else I could find. So I would call it the cantabile, like byBellini. The singing quality of the 290 was what got it for me.And of course the low end on it was incredible; I love the ex-tra keys. At this point I started also performing lots of showssuch as the NAMM music show in Los Angeles. As a producerI use different microphones, different synthesizers, differentspeakers, so every year I am invited by different companiesto perform. But every time I left the floor at NAMM I wouldgo sneak into the Bsendorfer room. Because thats where Iwould spend my time, because thats the instrument I love.

So one thing led to the other and it became time to decidewhat piano to get and I decided Lets just get the greatestpiano on earth.

BSENDORFER: From the many collaborations you had withother artists, are there any that struck you in particular?

Freddie Ravel:Well, Ive been really, really blessed Simon. Ofcourse Earth, Wind & Fire, Bobby McFerrin and Madonna, inher own way. I didnt spend so much time with her, but it wasvery profound. I did the piano work on the Evita project.To work with Carlos Santana was an incredible experience aswell as working with my very good friend Al Jarreau. These

are not just human beings, they are like treasures. They areliving legacies; they artistically paint in real time, take thecraftsmanship of music and give you pictures of life instantly.The one thing about working with Al Jarreau is that he is achameleon; he can do everything. He is the only artist in theworld that has won Grammy Awards in three completely dif-ferent categories: Pop, RnB and Jazz nobody else has donethat. So when you sit with Al Jarreau you get multiple worlds.Carlos Santana is also very cosmic. What makes them trulyspecial is that they are both bridge builders.

BSENDORFER:You have also a very interesting project calledHuman Harmonics.

Freddie Ravel:I believe, if we are all tuned-up and focused onour passion and our purpose, we can bring quality and valueto each other. So I decided to bridge music with a businessmodel. Business to me is not about making a killing in thestock market nor just about making shareholders happy, itsabout creating win-win environments. And I think the great-est music works the same way. If I am sitting here with AlJarreau or Carlos Santana or Yo-Yo Ma, we are helping eachother with the desire to get to the best result possible. Weare playing from collaboration and the listener hears thethird energy, the synergy. Synergy is where the whole isgreater than the sum of its parts.

So I began to present live interactive performances andevents that I call a keynote concert. I speak about melody,harmony, rhythm: Melody as a leadership idea, harmony

about being collaborative, while rhythm is all about timemanagement. If you have really good leadership, syngergisticcollaboration and solid time management, you get success.

Thus far weve been able to present it to people at MorganStanley, Walmart, NASA, Apple, Red Bull, Google and also pri-vate organizations such as the Parkinsons Resource Network.We pretty much use music for entertainment and to escape,which is fine, but I also want to ask: How are you using yourmelody today? What if we take your passion and your pur-pose, and call that The Melody? How are you going to ex-press that today? How are you going to harmonize and col-laborate with your colleagues today? What kind of listeningskills are you going to use to make your relationships moreimportant and Harmony come alive?

BSENDORFER:Its interesting that you stress listening

Freddie Ravel:Remember the old saying: Stop and smell theroses? Its about the pause. In our ever racing world that ismoving at light speed and ever-accelerating, we need to takea moment to pause and smell the coffee, smell the flowers,enjoy each other. And music will remind us about that. Be-cause music suspends time and helps us be more presentand available to one another. Music can truly be a medicineand so my closing thought is The Space between the notesis as important as the notes themselves.Thats where the real gems and jewels of our existence live.Its in that harmonic resonant vibration that music offers us.And Im glad to have my Bsendorfer to get me there.

To learn more about Freddie Ravel and Human Harmonics,visit: www.freddieravel.com

Harmonics Maestro Freddie Ravel at his Bsendorfer 290 Ceus

Doug Ellis


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The International Beethoven Piano Competition in Viennais the oldest and most important piano competition inAustria and is organised and presented by the MDW Uni-versity of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. Due not least ofall to the Viennese piano tradition taught at this institution,it enjoys a high international standing and is among the topmusic universities worldwide.

F

ounded over 50 years ago by Professors Richard Hauserand Josef Dichler, since then every four years selected

young pianists have gathered in Vienna to demonstrate theirskills in front of an international, top-level jury and the Vi-ennese audience. From the beginning, the goal has been tooffer outstanding musicians a platform on which they canpresent their artistry to a broad audience.

It is not the usual competition repertoire, from the virtu-oso etude to the thunderous Rachmaninoff concerto thatis requested at this competition. Rather, the programme iscomposed exclusively of works by Beethoven. By preparingfor the competition and thereby via the intensive engage-ment with the compositions of Ludwig van Beethoven, the

path to interpretive maturity evens out for many young mu-sicians this path is the goal. The compositions of Beethovenrepresent a supporting pillar in the training of all budding

concert pianists: In studying the piano works of Beethoven,one encounters difficulties, questions and problems, theovercoming of which forms not only part of the pianistic, butalso the entire artistic, indeed human education of a musi-cian (Edwin Fischer).

The exclusive instrument played at this competition is aBsendorfer which guarantees the unique Viennesesound. By tradition, the finale takes place with orchestra inthe Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein. The artistic re-

nown of this competition is confirmed by prizewinners suchas Mitsuko Uchida, Avedis Kouyoumdjian, Stefan Vladar andJasminka Stancul.

For the 14thcompetition in 2013 under the patronage ofAustrian Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer more than250 young pianists from 43 nations applied to participate.This high number of applications is a further index of theinternationally outstanding significance of this competi-tion. The pre-selection rounds for the main competition tookplace in January and February 2013 in international musicmetropolises: New York City, Tokyo, Berlin, Bonn, London, Paris

and Vienna. 36 young musicians were selected to participatein the three rounds of the competition, held between June 10and 20, 2013.

The artistic standing of performing musicians is to a large extent determined by the qualityof their Beethoven interpretation. This unique Viennese competition enables young pianiststo demonstrate their musicality and display their artistic maturity. Jan Jiracek von Arnim,Artistic Director of the competition and Chair of the jury.

14thInternational Beethoven PianoCompetition 2013 in Vienna

C o m p e t i t i o n

Prize ceremony in the Musikverein, Golden Hall, on June 20, 2013

NancyHorowitz


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The 2013 competition commenced on June 10 in the Gl-serner Saal of the Musikverein with a lecture by pianolegend Paul Badura-Skoda, who, in a touching and highlypersonal manner, expressed his lifelong engagement withBeethoven. In his lecture, he quoted Edwin Fischer, who onceoffered his students the following life lesson: Do not de-stroy this world born of the subconscious, accord it its place:dream, look, have visions, do not allow yourselves to playrecords until you become a gramophone record yourselves,always repeating yourselves; but rather suffer, love, live anever-renewing life! An unforgettable evening for everyonewho could be there!

For both the international jury (with members includingJasminka Stancul, Markus Schirmer and Andreas Hae-fliger) and the interested audience, these were enriching daysthat demonstrated how high the artistic level of the younggeneration is. This generations dedication to the challenges

of Beethovens piano works is remarkable. The demands werehigh: All participants were required to prepare works from allof Beethovens creative periods and to put two piano con-certos in their programme which would be prepared for thefinale. Two days before the finale on June 20, a lottery thendetermined which of the two prepared concertos the threeselected finalists had to play. Some listeners even travelledfrom countries such as South Africa and Japan specifically forthe competition.

The final concert with orchestra in the Golden Hall of theVienna Musikverein was the highlight this year as well.For the first time in 13 years, an Austrian was among thefinal three participants competing for the first prize: Valen-tin Fheodoroff (b. 1993) impressed listeners with a sensitiveinterpretation of the Piano Concerto, Op. 37, insightfully ac-companied by the Camerata Salzburg under its principalconductor Louis Langre. In addition to him, two Russianparticipants were in the finale, Maria Mazo (b. 1982) and An-drey Gugnin (b. 1987). In the end, Maria Mazo won the firstprize (8000 euros), donated by the MDW, and a BsendorferModel 200 grand piano symbolically presented at the prizeceremony by Managing Director, Brian Kemble. Maria Mazohad already impressed the jury during the first two roundswith her artistic maturity. In the finale, she was also able to

convince the jury with her interpretation of the Fourth PianoConcerto. Fheodoroff and Gugnin shared the second prize. Inaddition there were numerous special prizes and invitationsto prizewinner concerts. The Beethoven Piano Competition isa unique platform and makes it possible to encounter youngtalents prior to their leap to a major career. For the youngpianists, it is an unforgettable moment to present their skillson stage in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein withorchestra for the first time in their lives. For the developmentand unfolding of their talent, it is essential to find an audi-ence and to be heard. For this reason, the promotion of to-morrows artists is very important.

Outstanding talents will deserve our attention in thefuture too, as well as our active support! The great au-dience popularity and the approbation of the audience en-couraged the participants of the 14thInternational BeethovenPiano Competition in Vienna along their paths. A competi-tion of this magnitude can only be possible via support frommany parties. Already on the evening of the finale, therewere commitments by sponsors to support the next, 15th,Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna in 2017. Preparationsare already underway. For further information on the Inter-national Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna, visit www.beethoven-comp.at

Jan Jiracek von Arnim, born 1973 in Hannover, studied pi-ano with Hans Leygraf in Salzburg and Berlin and wonnumerous competitions. He has been a professor of pi-ano at the University of Music and Performing Arts inVienna since 2001. He gives regular masterclasses in theUSA, Asia and Europe and is a jury member at interna-tional piano competitions. In 2012 he received an honor-ary professorship from the China Conservatory in Beijing.In addition to training the next generation, communicat-ing classical music is especially dear to him. In special

programmes, he introduces school children to classicalmusic and creates programmes combining speaking andmusic for concert halls such as the Glserner Saal of theVienna Musikverein. His biography of Franz Liszt waspublished by Residenz Verlag in 2011.In 2011, Jan Jiracek von Arnim was named Artistic Direc-tor of the International Beethoven Piano Competition inVienna by the head of the University of Music and Per-forming Arts Vienna, succeeding its Director of many

years, Prof. Heinz Medjimorec. For further information,visit www.jiracek-von-arnim.com

Jan Jiracek von Arnim

DavidM

.Peters


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The gala concert for the double anniversary, titled FromClassical to Modern, brought a widely diversified pro-gramme through various musical genres with a selection of

outstanding artists, some of whom have been closely con-nected to the Bsendorfer company for a very long time. Oli-ver Graber, composer, pianist and currently dramaturge forthe Vienna State Opera Ballet, led the audience through thisspecial evening.

In the first part of this gala, the artists played on aBsendorfer Model 280 concert grand. The event wasopened musically by the bearer of the Bsendorfer Ring, PaulBadura-Skoda. He is after Wilhelm Backhaus only the sec-ond person to bear this distinction, which is handed downin the tradition of the Iffland-Ring. At age 86, he continuesto be active on four continents. He is among the last repre-

sentatives of his generation for whom music represents thecore of European culture. Paul Badura-Skoda also gave a com-memorative speech and subsequently played the Rosam-unde Variations by Franz Schubert.

The pianist Valentina Lisitsa, born in Ukraine, followedwith Ave Maria and the Erlknig by Franz Schubert inthe transcriptions by Franz Liszt. With the Erlknig, she alsoprovided the musical background for the latest Bsendorfervideo The Birth of Opus No. 50.000. With over 60 millionviews on YouTube, Valentina Lisitsa is among classical mu-sics frontrunners on the web. For her, the internet is among

the most important factors of her career. She has not onlymade her public concerts publicly accessible, she has doneso for her practice sessions as well, and thereby provided

audiences with good insight into her life as an artist. At thepress conference which took place in the morning, she said,Bsendorfer has a unique, special sound: not only a voice of

its own (it speaks, it sings), but it also carries a special tradi-tion a historic legacy. Bsendorfer is part of who I am.

In honour of the anniversary, Carlo Grante played ChopinsScherzo No. 1. He is among the leading Italian concert pia-nists and, with over 50 CDs, is among the artists with themost CD recordings. The repertoire he has recorded coversboth known and unknown piano works. He is also an enthu-siastic proponent of Busoni, which is reflected in his discog-raphy. And as is well-known thanks to Busoni, Bsendorferbuild the Imperial grand piano with its full eight octaves.Carlo Grante describes the Bsendorfer grand piano as myfriend.

The young Russian, Maria Mazo, followed. The winner ofthe 14thInternational Beethoven Piano Competition 2013made her orchestral debut already at the age of nine withMozarts Piano Concerto, K. 414. She played a piece by herfavourite composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, the first move-ment of the Appassionata Sonata. At her apartment in Mu-nich, Maria Mazo is already enjoying the winners trophy ofthe Beethoven Competition, her new Bsendorfer grand pi-ano. When selecting the piano, she revealed: I look forwardto being able to play and hear this wonderful singing soundevery day.

In addition to musical words, there were also spokenwords. Bsendorfer Managing Director, Brian Kemble,

With great ceremony and a gala concert, Bsendorfer celebrated the companys 185 thanni-versary in the Vienna Musikverein on October 22, 2013.

Celebrating 185 Years of Bsendorfer andintroducing Opus No. 50.000

Kristina Ermolenok and Jasmin Avissar unveiled the Bsendorfer grand piano Opus No. 50.000

Photos:DavidM

.Peters

C e l e b r a t i o n


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greeted the guests and enticed them to take a little tripthrough time and the Bsendorfer company. It is wonderfulto celebrate our anniversary with so many artists and guests,some of whom have been very close to the Bsendorfer com-pany for many years. He also conveyed the congratulationsof the Federal President of Austria, Dr. Heinz Fischer. Repre-senting Yamaha Corporation of Japan, Yasuaki Gyoten ex-pressed words of recognition and appreciation from Bsen-dorfers parent company. He highlighted Yamahas duty to theViennese sound and Austria as the site of production. TheAustrian Chamber of Commerce, represented by Dr. RichardSchenz, awarded Bsendorfer a distinction for its 185 years of

business activities.

Aspecial surprise gift, a golden sampan, was presented byone of the Bsendorfer companys longest-running busi-ness partners, Frank Lee, President of Tom Lee Music, HongKong. Decades ago, his father laid the cornerstone for thissteady business relationship. May Bsendorfers sails foreverbe filled with the winds of fortune and bring happiness andprosperity to all he wished the Bsendorfer company.

Jan Jiracek von Arnim ended the first half of the gala con-cert. However, he discarded his planned piece IsoldesLiebestod (Isoldes Love-Death) on short notice and ex-

plained: On such a lovely evening you shouldnt die, butrather dream and do so with Liszts help, the Liebestraum(Love Dream). Since 2001, Jan Jiracek von Arnim has beenthe youngest university professor of piano at the Institute ofKeyboard Music in Vienna and is now Artistic Director of theInternational Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna. Com-municating classical music is especially dear to him. He isthus working intensively with American organisations to in-troduce school children to classical music in special projects.

After the intermission, the second anniversary the50.000th Bsendorfer instrument was unveiled indance fashion by Kristina Ermolenok and Jasmin Avissar, per-forming to a composition written and performed by OliverGraber. The second half was thus characterised both tonally

and optically by the artwork Opus No. 50.000. The funda-mental stylistic elements of this grand piano in a neoclassi-cal design are the handcrafted marquetry and the compre-hensive use of gold throughout the entire piano.

The dance performance was followed by Daniel Serafin,a versatile artist with a broad opera and lied reper-toire ranging from Classical to modern works. For him, theBsendorfer sound is liquid amber. Accompanied on thepiano by Jan Jiracek von Arnim, he sang Mein Whnen (MyObsession) from Die Tote Stadt (The Dead City) by ErichWolfgang Korngold and Es muss ein Wunderbares sein (It

Must Be a Wonderful Thing) by Franz Liszt.

The Cuban jazz musician Marialy Pacheco showed withmodern Latin American Jazz how wonderful theBsendorfer harmonises with this music. My music comesfrom the heart; it is the only way I can truly express myself.The only thing I want to do in life is to play the piano. MarialyPacheco won the renowned Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Com-petition in 2012 and was the first woman ever to win thisspecial prize. She would have loved to have taken Opus No.50.000 home with her and said: Bsendorfer has the perfectsound for what I play.

In the end, the Janoska Ensemble presented the Bsendorferfrom its fiery and temperamental side. They finished with

their own version of the Czardas Variations by VittorioMonti. The ensemble was founded by the brothers Ondrej,Frantisek, Roman and rpad Jnoska and family member Ju-lius Darvas, all of whom have already played as soloists andensemble members in other groups.

It was a wonderful, brilliant gala concert, supported by themany guests, friends, business partners, employees, and ofcourse by the artists, their passion for music, their dedicationand their lifeblood. What would the world be without them?

If a Bsendorfer piano could speak, it would perhaps lean onMarialy Pachecos words and say, The only thing I want to doin life is to play.

At the end, the artists once again received passionate applause


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A great concert was performed on 10thNovember 2013 in the Simn Bolivar Hall at the NationalCentre of Social Action for Music by a young pianist, Kristhyan Bentez, who was the first toplay the Bsendorfer Grand Piano Model 280 since it was brought to be used exclusively by ElSistema, with an inscription in Spanish that reads (To Play and To Fight).

P l a y & F I G H T

The motto of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System,para Tocar y Luchar (To Play and To Fight) reflects thedetermination and effort which has always characterised itsmembers and which has led El Sistema to become the mostimportant orchestral and social project in all of Venezuelanmusical history. From the beginning, when we set up thefirst youth orchestra, we knew we had to overcome many ob-stacles, and that we could not just dedicate ourselves to play-

ing. We had to struggle a great deal during the early years tomake every aspect of this musical education reform, as wellas its social and cultural benefits, known to all in order for itto grow and become a sustainable programme, a goal whichwe have successfully accomplished. This is how MaestroJos Antonio Abreu explains his slogan To Play and To Fight,which defines the spirit of El Sistema pioneers and of thecurrent generations.

Jos Antonio Abreu, a manager, entrepreneur, distinguishedMaestro and tutor of several generations of Venezuelans,and founder of the National System of Youth Orchestras

and Choirs of Venezuela should be defined in one word asa Visionary. This Venezuelan musician, a sower of hopes andbuilder of dreams, has carried out a task that exceeds allmusical and cultural horizons, and has set himself the taskto rescue and educate the Venezuelan and Latin American

youth.

For Plcido Domingo Maestro Abreu is a unique being ashis idea is being accomplished in many parts of the world.All Venezuelans should be very proud of him, of his orches-tras, and of the fruit of his work, including one of the greatestconductors in the world, Gustavo Dudamel. I cannot cease topraise El Sistema, which is why I carry my admiration every-

where.

And Sir Simon Rattle says about Maestro Abreu: He hasdedicated his life to changing the lives of many youngmen and women through music and El Sistema. Thanks tohis influence, more and more youngsters around the worldcan benefit from the power of music to reach people every-where and make things change. Working with these youngmusicians is a privilege and a great pleasure, and it helps toput ones feet on the ground.

After 38 years of relentless work under the motto To Play

and To Fight, the National System of Youth Orchestrasand Choirs of Venezuela shows a reality that has been de-scribed as the Venezuelan musical miracle: 400.000 chil-

dren and adolescents, most of whom come from low socio-economic backgrounds, are involved in the study of music,enjoy learning about art, play classical music, and have beenincluded in a personal and collective education system,where social, moral, and spiritual values are instilled, whichis the main purpose of the programme.

This population of 400.000 Venezuelan children andyouth is distributed among approximately 285 pre-schoolorchestras (with ages between 4 and 6 years), 220 school-age

orchestras (between 7 and 16 years), 180 youth orchestras (be-tween 16 and 22 years), 30 professional orchestras, 360 choirgroups, 1,355 affiliated choir groups, 20 lutherie workshops,and 15,000 teachers throughout the country. This Venezue-lan experience has caused a great cultural and social impactupon countries seeking to reduce their levels of poverty, illit-eracy, marginalisation and exclusion among their young pop-ulations. By 2013, over 35 countries have established orches-tral ensembles and music teaching programmes inspired bythe Venezuelan programme.

The first performance of this Bsendorfer grand piano further

consolidates the relationship and 15-year alliance betweenEl Sistema and Yamaha Music Latin America and Yamaha Mu-sical de Venezuela, who are Bsendorfer distributors.

First Performance on the BsendorferGrand Piano dedicated to El Sistema

Kristhyan Bentez with Venezuelan Youth Orchestra at SimnBolivar Hall

Juan G. Ramirez, Yamaha Music Latin America


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F A C T O R Y

Viennese Sound

The term Viennese Sound represents those tonal charac-teristics which are relevant both for musical creation in

this city in general, and for Viennese Instruments and theconnected tonal style of Viennese Orchestras in particular.This unmistakable and typical Viennese sound is determinedon the one hand by the specific tradition of Vienna as a lead-ing musical centre and the naturally arising style of musicalexpression there. On the other hand it is also determinedby the peculiarity of Viennese instruments, which have de-veloped their own individuality independently from others.In the field of orchestral instruments the Viennese horn andthe Viennese oboe for instance are well known representa-

tives of individual forms. Generally one can say that Viennesesound prefers a broad spectrum of sound colours. This is oneof the key reasons why Viennese instruments have developedindependently. Viennese makers up to now have continouslyavoided certain developments in musical instrument design,which aim at easier playability or higher volume, whilst atthe same time also restricting the richness of partial notesand colours, as well as the instruments differentiability. Tak-ing it all together the distinctive characteristic of Viennesesound can be described as being somewhat more profoundand at the same time very colourful, whilst conveying a cer-tain warmth, which is embodied uniquely in this city and

cannot be found to the same extent in any other place in themusical world. Founded in 1971 there exists a dedicated In-stitute for Viennese acoustics at the University of Music andPerforming Arts, Vienna, where the singularity of Viennesesound is analysed and studied on a scientific basis.

Naturally this differentiation of Viennese sound can alsobe found in the piano. Bsendorfer instruments arepart of this development in two ways on the one handthe development of the pianos and the brand was directlyinfluenced by Vienna as an extraordinarily active musicalcity with its numerous prominent protagonists and onthe other hand Bsendorfer itself became synonymous with

and a key element of the unique and unmistakable Viennesesound. For Bsendorfer pianos the same attributes like rich-ness of sound colours, differentiation and tonal warmth areessential parameters to define the specific character of theinstruments. For 185 years Bsendorfer has been loyal to thistradition of Viennese sound philosophy and therefore dis-tinguishes itself from all other piano manufacturers in theworld. Bsendorfers resonance case principle supports thistonal nature in an ideal way and requires a high degree ofspecific craftsmanship. A maximum use of resonating spruceis an important precondition for the achievement of this par-ticular sound quality.

At the production facilities at Bsendorfer Wiener Neus-tadt modern technologies like CNC operated machineshave been integrated into the manufacturing processes. Yetthis technology does not conflict with the traditional craftprinciple of the resonance case, but actually is able to com-plement individual craftsmanship perfectly by allowing thepossibility of benefiting from extremely precisely manufac-

tured basic components made from wood or metal.

Development of the Vienna School of piano making

In the long history of piano making from the invention ofthe Fortepiano around 1700 by Bartolomeo Christoforiat certain times different local centres of competence havedeveloped. Between the end of the 18th century until ap-proximately mid 19th century Vienna held the technologi-cal leadership in piano making. The Viennese piano makersinstruments were played and highly valued at that time bythe most significant musicians and composers like Haydn,Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Leading names on thescene were among others Gebrder Stein, Conrad Graf,

Anton Walter and Andreas Streicher.

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B S E N D O R F E R die Zeitschrift von Bsendorfer sterreich

Viennese Sound and the Vienna Schoolof piano making

Maximum use of resonant spruce tonewood here at the

inner rim and key bed.

Fortepiano by Johann Baptist Streicher, Vienna


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The acoustical foundation of the so called fortepianowas strongly based on predecessors like the cembalo.Differently to the modern piano relatively thin strings wereused having much lower tensional force. Over a period stringdiameters and tensional force were gradually increased inorder to better meet the requirements of higher volume anddynamics. Technical developments were pushed on also inthe field of the extension of the tonal range such as thatwhich was required by Beethovens Hammerklaviersonateop. 106. Composed in 1817/18 the piece compassed 61/2 oc-taves which exceeded the key range of pianos at that time.Instruments equipped with a tonal range of 61/2octaves werebuilt subsequently from 1820 for the first time!During this time also the Viennese action was establishedwhich introduced an individual and flexible release elementfor the mechanism. Due to this innovation a new and im-proved standard for piano actions was defined.

The Viennese action allowed for the time being an unri-valled quick, responsive and light play. Only by the end of

the 18thcentury was the Viennese action gradually supersed-ed by the English action. Due to this invention and the in-troduction of the cast iron frame suddenly even much higherstring tensions were possible to achieve. Naturally this ten-dency was accompanied by both wider string diameters andenormously higher stiffness of the entire string assembly.Necessarily greater weight of single action components likethe hammers caused a negative impact on the Viennese ac-tion system and the touch became increasingly inert andstiff, so the initial advantages were lost.

Within the blossoming of this glamorous Viennese pi-ano making era Ignaz Bsendorfer founded his com-pany in 1828 by taking over the small manufacturing work-shop of his predecessor Joseph Brodman. Despite the strongcompetition of very well established piano makers IgnazBsendorfer could develop his position on the market andincreasingly managed also to win recognition. In particularthe fact that the local rising star Franz Liszt clearly preferredBsendorfer instruments to all other pianos allowed the rep-utation of Bsendorfer as a brand to develop ideally and alsohelped the commercial success of the company. Bsendor-fers production facilities had to be moved several times to

larger locations within the city in order to meet the increas-ing demand.

Viennese piano makers were producing their instru-ments first and foremost for the Viennese bourgeoisieat the heyday of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, who hadenough income to afford good pianos. A piano was countedas a must have item for any advanced middle class house-hold. Ludwig Bsendorfer however was also trying anotherapproach by building a new alliance with pianists and artists.He focused on the concert scene, and opened his own suc-cessful concert hall. He accompanied artists like Franz Liszt

and Anton Rubinstein on their concert tours.

All together the Viennese piano manufacturing scene wasof a small structure. There were numerous piano mak-ers with only a few staff producing a small number of instru-ments per year. At the same time at the end of the 19th cen-tury big piano production arose in the course of the commonindustrialization and due to strongly rising internationaldemand for pianos which left the Viennese makers quicklybehind in terms of production volume. Production numberswere growing rapidly in England, Germany and most notablyin the United States and later also Japan. The manufacturingprocess became organized much more industrially and pianodesign was adjusted to this kind of manufacturing method.

All Viennese manufacturers stayed faithful to the tradi-tional solid wood based construction, whilst interna-tionally the manufacturing of the lamination hardwood rimsystem for grand pianos became a standard, which seemedto be better suited for mass production. Within this detail

we can see clearly a parallel development to the Vienneseorchestral instruments which in the same way did not followthe various changes in design and construction in order topreserve their specific tonal attributes, even if the changesbecame standard everywhere else.

For many of the protagonists of the Viennese school of pi-ano making a negative effect arose from insistently us-ing the no longer accepted Viennese action. The instrumentswere not competitive anymore and a big number of makershad to give up their business at this time. Only those manu-facturers which have decided to go for the English action in

due time could hold their ground within the global pianomarket. Along with Bsendorfer there were other brands likeEhrbar or Stelzhammer and all these manufacturers wereable to produce sufficient quantities to remain competitive.In comparison to the big industrial production companiesthough the volumes of Viennese manufacturers remainedrather moderate, but with very high quality.Bsendorfer has continuously done further developmentand has introduced new models over the years in order tomeet the timely requirements and expectations of pianistsand customers. Despite all necessary developments andchanges the unique Viennese sound of Bsendorfer pianosas well as the sound of the Viennese philharmonic orchestras

remain alive and unmistakable.

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For approximately four months, a team of artists worked oncreating a double of the musician in order to make it as au-

thentic as possible. Fixing the hair alone required 160 hours.All in all, it involved intricate work on the wax figure, whichcost a total of 200,000 euros. Udo Jrgens alter ego is sittingat a Bsendorfer grand piano. Over the course of his career,the star has played Bsendorfer many times and one of hismost treasured possessions is a Bsendorfer grand piano onwhich he composed many of his famous hits. Upon unveil-ing the wax figure, Arabella Kruschinski, Managing Directorof Madame Tussauds Vienna, remarked, As a visitor, you cansit at the piano and have a photo taken at the piano with your

idol. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Bsendorfer com-pany, who made this piano available to us.

The musicians suit, shirt and shoes are also original. Thestar appeared thrilled and was happy to be immortalisedin wax. However, at his visit to Bsendorfer Downtown Show-room, he also stated: Its so frighteningly similar to me. Fromcertain angles you cant really say who the real one is. Thatmakes for a nightmarish feeling, how someone looks over atme and knows that the figure is not alive. This triggers veryunique associations. But it s of course an honour for me.

Udo Jrgens is the 72nd wax figure in the Madame Tus-sauds Vienna museum and is located in the music room

next to other greats such as Falco, Christina Strmer, MichaelJackson and David Hasselhoff.

Udo Jrgens Alter Ego

Udo Jrgens next to his wax double

The Austrian singer Udo Jrgens presented his wax double at Madame Tussauds Vienna inMay 2013.

MadameTussaudsVienna

W A X W O R K

Udo Jrgen Bockelmann

Born in Klagenfurt, Austria on September 30, 1934; studiedat the Klagenfurt Conservatory starting in 1948; wrote hisfirst songs in 1949 and won first prize out of 300 submis-sions at the Austrian Radio Composers Competition at age16 with his song Je taime.

His artist name Udo Jrgens came about in 1956; in 1957, hetoured Russia for four weeks with the Max Greger Orches-tra and in 1960 he composed the worldwide hit Reach forthe Stars for Shirley Bassey; starting in 1961 he also be-

came active as an film actor. In 1966, on his third appear-ance on the show, he won the Grand Prix Eurovision de laChanson with the song Merci Cherie in Luxembourg. UdoJrgens has had major successes worldwide with manyawards over many years. He sings for up to 75,000 listen-ers and his recordings reach audiences in the millions. Hisode to the piano, Was ich Dir sagen will, sagt mein Klavier(My Piano Tells What I Want to Tell You) reached No. 1 inJapan, and major tours have also brought him to Japan onmultiple occasions.

In 1975, his hit Griechischer Wein (Greek Wine) became

a sort of Greek folksong, for which he was honoured by

the Greek government. Bing Crosby made this the titlesong to his last LP. In 1978, he recorded a song titled Bue-nos Dias Argentina for the Football (Soccer) World Cham-pionship in Argentina, with which he had the biggest suc-cess of his career.

Sold-out tours with hundreds of thousands of listenershave led him throughout all of Europe, to Canada, Aus-tralia, Japan and South America. Performing together withinternational stars such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the

Vienna Symphony, as well as receiving distinctions fromthe worlds of culture and politics, all bears witness to anincredible and long-lasting career. His latest successes arethe outstanding film The Man with the Bassoon and themusical Ive Never Been to New York. In 2013, Udo Jrgenswas immortalised in Madame Tussauds wax figure muse-um in Vienna. In November of 2013, he received a Bambiaward for his lifes work.

His new CD will soon be released, and he will go on tour in2014 as well. Udo Jrgens has sold over 100 million records.

For more information, visit www.udojuergens.de


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COLLECTORS ITEMS

Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770 and first visited Vi-enna in 1787, originally planning to study under Mozart.He was obliged to return home almost immediately as hismother became ill. He returned in 1792, after the death ofMozart, and began studying with Joseph Haydn. Prior to hisdeparture, his patron Ferdinand von Waldstein wrote to himDear Beethoven! You are going to Vienna in fulfilment of

your long-frustrated wishes. The Genius of Mozart is mourn-ing and weeping over the death of her pupil. She has founda refuge but no occupation with the inexhaustible Haydn;through him she wishes to form a union with another. Withthe help of assiduous labour you shall receive Mozarts spiritfrom Haydns hands. Your true friend, Waldstein. Beethovenlived and worked in Vienna for the rest of his life (he diedin 1827), helping it to further consolidate its position as the

musical centre of Europe. He composed all of his immortalmasterpieces there.

Ignaz Bsendorfer started his piano factory in 1828, the yearfollowing Beethovens death, and his ideas of sound werevery much shaped by Viennas cultural environment that wasprofoundly influenced by Beethoven. Many distinguished art-ists have chosen Bsendorfer pianos for their performance ofBeethovens works.

Our Beethoven model celebrates the great composer. Inclose cooperation with Beethoven-Haus Bonn, we havesilkscreened onto the inside of the grand piano lid the open-ing measures of the Presto agitato from Beethovens Moon-light Sonata, Op. 27 No. 2, taken from the original autograph.

In keeping with this Moonlight theme, we have usedmoonlight colour mother of pearl for our Bsendorfernames and for a logo of Beethoven on the music desk. Asan optional extra it is also possible to have a silver colouredframe and chrome plated metal work.

This model is limited to an individually numbered edi-tion of thirty-two units, the number of Beethovens Pi-ano Sonatas. Included with each instrument is a facsimileof the original Moonlight Sonata manuscript publishedby Beethoven-Haus Bonn. Also included is a boxed HybridSACD set of the complete recording of all the Piano Sonatas(32 plus the early Sonatas without opus numbers) by pianistPeter Takcs, hailed as a marvellous pianist by the New YorkTimes, performed on a Bsendorfer Imperial grand.

This unique instrument, destined to become a collectorsitem, is available in both200 and 214 sizes.

Beethoven Model

Marquetry the use of many pieces of different types ofwood veneer to create images and design has alwaysbeen a very skilled and time consuming process, and was tra-ditionally seen as a symbol of wealth. That is why you find

many fine examples in the Imperial palaces of Vienna; whilstmany art case historical pianos have included marquetry de-signs.

The Austrian Imperial Family was also delighted by exoticimages of nature as can be seen at Schnbrunn Palace,their Viennese summer palace. The walls of its intimate mu-sic room are covered with wonderful jungle scenes, whilstthere is also a complete suite of rooms with delightfullyexotic garden panoramas commissioned by Empress MariaTheresa and hand painted by the celebrated 18thcentury Bo-hemian ornamentalist painter, Johann Wenzel Bergl. The six-

year-old Mozart performed in front of Empress Maria The-resa at Schnbrunn. Empress Elizabeth (Sissi) had her ownsuite there and would have enjoyed these murals.

Our hummingbird model pays tribute to this exotic worldof empire and fantasy and is a contemporary reinterpre-tation of these traditional images of nature.

Marquetry, music and the exotic


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Modell 214

Independent Capo dastro:Unique, designed by

Bsendorfer inAustria

Open pin block:Handcrafted

by Bsendorferin Austria

The keyboard:Made in Germany

to Bsendorferspecifications

The action:Renner, Made in Germany

to Bsendorferspecifications

The soundboard:Mountain spruce from

the Austrian Alps

The bass strings:

Handspun byBsendorfer inAustria

The cast-iron frame:Hand moulded

in Austria

The bridge:Handcrafted


The resonating case:Handcrafted


The inner rim:Handcrafted


The tonewood:Airdried, top Alpine

quality

THE BSENDORFER ORIGIN GUARANTEE

Every Bsendorfer grand piano is made by hand in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.All parts of a genuine Bsendorfer grand piano are European:

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Model 214

bsd_magazin_2013_en.pdf

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