"New" Hamburg Hammers

[Michael Jorgensen]

jolly roger wrote:

>
> Talking to the Grad student, however, she much preferred the New D. Several
> in the group played both pianos,


    As of the pianists who played the two pianos at Cincinnati, I believe I
know several reasons she "preferred the new D".
She said, "I just feel a little more comfortable with it".  Like new software,
or a new car,  a more powerful piano with better touch response takes some
getting used to.  This just isn't done in twenty minutes infront of others.
     The second reason are those Giant Renner Gross-6 hammers.  This girls'
flagship work was a Scriabin Etude which  demands tremendous dynamic contrasts,
and great physical force and speed.    One of Howowitzs' flagship works,  it is
easiest played on a lacqueritus D with a light touch.  She was a small girl
asked to play this repeatedly, something most pianists probably couldn't do,
especailly with a higher touchweight.
       When I played, I perceived a slightly higher touch weight on the '29 D.
There was tremendous sustain (Wapin), and an almost uncanny evenness of
response (Stanwood).  It was possible to attain much lower Pianissimo without
risk. Without time with the piano, (like hours), it is not possible to fully
utilize that safely.   It was like playing in air, almost a surreal
perfection.  It did not feel like a Steinway, but similar in character to some
European pianos. The New D was like an old friend, very similar to our three
year old D, in tone and touch.  Eric reported its' strike weights were "All
over the Place" which I'm sure is typical.  I'll bet some hammer shanks are
doing ten swings which would help in that Scriabin.  It was like turning in a
nice new rental car for my aging Taurus, which like an old friend, is
comfortable with all its' faults.
      Evenness and delicate precision matters most in Mozart and other
classical period music, but is not fully noted in virtuoso heavy works .  The
Scriabin primarily sustains bass tones, (something even the poorest concert
grands do well).   A weak killer octave would be a problem in that work, but
neither piano appeared suffer that .  I don't believe the music allowed Wapin
to be fully displayed.
     Eric also mentioned that faculty are generally choosing the new D for
their concerts and he wishes they would use the '29 D more.  My experience has
been that pianos develop reputations which are not easily broken.  As it
evolved from an old rattle trap to its' present state in gradual stages, the
differences may not have been fully appreciated.  Pianists view their recitals
as life and death issues.  Would you care to ride an airliner that had a
history of problems or a "negative reputation" and had some experimental things
done to it?  This makes it an uphill battle and will take some objective
visitors.  Sadly, most visiting artists are going to get the "Scoop" on the
instruments on their ride in from the airport having their objectivity clouded.

-Mike