Classical Court

RE: I also see that the final volume of the FP Zimmermann / M Helmchen Beethoven Violin Sonatas. . .

98.14.180.171

Mel

A

In Reply to: RE: I also see that the final volume of the FP Zimmermann / M Helmchen Beethoven Violin Sonatas. . . posted by Chris from Lafayette on August 31, 2021 at 00:41:13

If it's OK I though I'd ask our piano man about this piano.

As your ears are probably finely tuned to the sound of particular pianos, I'd ask if you can recognize a Maene piano from a recording.

Also, do you know if the single stringing of the Maene provides more stable tuning then does traditional stringing?

Finally, do you know of any other maker moving to straight stringing?

Thanks. Who would have thought there's room for the development of the piano?

Follow Ups:

The surprising answers. . . - Chris from Lafayette 10:11:10 08/31/21 (2)
. . . I'd ask if you can recognize a Maene piano from a recording.
I listened to the first volume of the Zimmermann/Helmchen set without knowing that Helmchen was using a Chris Maene piano. I only read the "CD" booklet later. And the truth is that I did not hear anything particularly unusual - even the claimed distinctiveness of each register. As with audio equipment, if you listen for it though, you can hear it! But in this case, it's still very subtle. My own experience is that the technician who cares for each individual piano often has more of an influence on how the piano sounds than the original manufacturer of the piano does. I would not feel confident in generalizing about the "sound" of a Chris Maene piano until I'd heard additional examples. The same is true about the Steingraeber piano used on the Franziska Pietsch / Detlev Eisinger recording of the Prokofiev Violin Sonatas, which I also posted about recently. My point is that it's hard to generalize from a single instance. The Chris Maene piano used on the BIS recordings does have a transparent sound, but other pianos can have this quality too. Moreover, transparency is often just as much a result of the playing as of the instrument itself. In fact, it's really the intersection of the instrument with the playing (i.e., how the player adapts to the instrument).

. . . do you know if the single stringing of the Maene provides more stable tuning then does traditional stringing?
The only relevant "selling point" made in the brochure for Chris Maene pianos is that the strings are individually attached (i.e., the single stringing you're referring to), for which greater stability is claimed.

. . . do you know of any other maker moving to straight stringing?
No - I suspect that the inclination of the Chris Maene company to move to straight stringing on a modern piano could be related to the fact that they also make a lot of reproductions of fortepianos (e.g., Beethoven's Broadwood) which were straight strung. They would seem to have a lot of experience with this aspect of the manufacturing.
- RE: I appreciate your insight. - Mel 10:53:57 08/31/21 (1)
  Given your remarks I had to mosey over to:
  - Review: Steingraeber & S�hne (Open in New Window)
  Edits: 08/31/21
  - Thanks - I learned something there myself - an interesting article by a credible author [nt] - Chris from Lafayette 14:29:36 08/31/21 (0)

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