Bösendorfer Pianos
Bösendorfer pianos have long been one of the great piano manufacturers in Europe, with its founding in early 19th century Vienna, the heart of culture for several hundred years. Its was in this setting that Bösendorfer began making pianos with only the highest quality Austrian spruce and a high level of attention to detail. The pianos soon became the favoured instrument for many famous musicians, most notably piano virtuoso and composer Franz Liszt, who became a quick convert on first playing.
Construction
Today, Bösendorfer is still held in high esteem by top pianists the world over. Their pianos have super responsive actions and a resonance that is rich and powerful. This may have something to do with Bösendorfer adhering to ‘the Viennese piano making tradition’. This idea suggests that the whole body, and not just the spruce soundboard, supports sound formation, like the body of a violin or acoustic guitar. The manufacturing techniques of Bösendorfer have this principle firmly in mind, and you can read more about this fascinating process, from wood to finished piano here.
Not an every day piano
Bösendorfer’s are not pianos you see everyday, partly because they are such high end pianos, and partly because for many year they were manufactured in comparatively small numbers. So when you do see them they are often a treat to play. We are lucky in the Piano Shop Bath to have had a couple of restored Bösendorfer 170 grand pianos in the showroom (pictured right), and they were both quick sellers, so revered is the name among piano buyers. We are fortunate to currently have in stock the Bösendorfer 130 upright piano, quite possibly one of the best upright pianos we have in the showroom right now, and possibly one of the best upright pianos we have every played.
Tone and Touch
It has a large cabinet, and from the moment you play a chord you can feel that immersive, resonant sound that Bösendorfer have gone to great lengths to achieve. As well as that deep growl of the bass and rich trebles, the tone is surprisingly soft and delicate when required. The action is extremely responsive and allows for repeated notes and rapid pianissimo playing, as and when required.
It is a truly enjoyable playing experience. Bösendorfer’s literature says it sounds like a grand piano in an upright case, and while the jury will always be out on such claims, there is no doubt that this piano gets very close. The bass alone is worth such comparison, with a deep resonant growl that is neither muddy or overbearing. Just a very clean, deep chiming sound.
If you pop by our showroom, this is definitely a piano you should go out of your way to play! We hope to see you soon.
