Stuart & Sons: Sydney launch of the 8 Octave 2.2m grand

[Richard Brekne]

Interesting post Simon.

I was checking around the website and would have enjoyed a few pictures that
really revealed more about what the instrument looks like inside. There was
one closeup of the brigde aggraffes we've heard tell about. They look very
neat to be sure.

Would be nice if somebody could rip a cut or two from one of the CD's and
post them so we could get a sense of how this sounds.

I'm also looking forward to Ron Overs review as well.

Thanks again, and Cheers

RicB

Simon Bedak wrote:

> Dear List
>
> Last night I attended the launch of a Stuart & Sons 8 octave 2.2m grand,
> newly acquired by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust which
> commissioned the manufacture of three of these instruments. A recital of
> two hours took place at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. There were
> three of the instruments on the stage throughout the evening. From the
> program, the highlight for me was a premiere performance of Chu Wang
> Hua's "Three Fantasies on Chinese Folk Melodies" which, unlike other
> offerings, didn't attempt to play arrangements for all of the three new
> pianos at once, nor ride the sustain pedal hard into creating mashes of
> sound. Regrettably, it seemed to me any chance of hearing what
> subtleties a single Stuart & Sons was like (which I believed to be the
> reason for the concert taking place) seemed somehow lost to the
> excitement of having the launch. Not a single work on the program
> contained the stillness an intent ear might eagerly learn from. That
> said, I really do look forward to hearing the machine tackle different
> arrangements in the future.
>
> The most memorable and wonderful moment of the night came at the end
> when one of the pianists silenced the applause and invited Mr Wayne
> Stuart onto the stage. http://www.stuartandsons.com/ Simultaneously, Mr
> Stuart brought his piano factory workers along with him and about a
> dozen young men took their place under the burning lights to receiving
> genuine and warm applause. In turn, they grinned, laughed and marvelled
> at the fuss without being embarrassed about the hoopla.
> It was a remarkable moment.
> I had the thought that in this country, in any other age it's a fair bet
> that each of them  would've been shaping surfboards rather being
> manufacturers of full 8 octave 2.2m grands.
>
> Cheers
>
> Simon Bedak
> Sydney, Australia
> _______________________________________________
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--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
UiB, Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html
http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html