Seen in the Sunday Times

[Alan]

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Wow! I LOVE that sound!
=20
(Maybe it's just because it's such a treat after most of the pianos I
tune here in the Ozarks. You know the brand: genuine "Crapiolas."
=20
Alan R. Barnard
Salem, MO

-----Original Message-----
From: Edward Meijer [mailto:edwardmeijer@home.nl]=20
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 2:10 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: Seen in the Sunday Times


Its amazing.
A Tasmanian devil in sheep clothes !

Found their site at: www.stuartandsons.com
Some sound samples at www.beethoven-sonatas.com

Greetings,

Edward Meijer
Netherlands

Michael Gamble heeft op maandag, 10 nov 2003 om 20:04 (Europe/Amsterdam)
het volgende geschreven:



"Purer" Australian piano sparks musical discord
A Tasmanian farmer's son who claims to have created a piano with a purer
sound than the Steinway - the instrument of choice for the world's
greatest pianists - is dividing the music world, writes Paul Ham.
Wayne Stuart's piano has become a source of national pride for
Australians, but its tone has provoked confrlicting responses from
musicians.
Withonly 20 built so far, the Stuart is slowly winning converts around
the world. One is at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in
Cardiff; another is owned by Rowan Atkinson, the comedian.
Stuart, who chose to become a cabinet maker instead of helping to run
the family farm in Devonport, Tasmania, had a childhood fascination for
the piano. In the 1970s he trained as a piano technician in Japan and
studied at the Bechstein factory in Germany. The industry, he decided,
was "bankrupt of ideas".
He said his goal was to "take the piano away from the 19th century.
There's a lot of noise in a Steinway and it gives poaople the impression
of power. But in fact it's not powerful - it's just noise".
His pianos, which cost =A356,000, have strings clamped in a vertical
rather than horizontal position. The result, Stuart enthusiasts claim,
is a less "muddy" sound that lingers longer than that of a conventional
piano.
With a range of eight octaves, thanks to nine additional keys, and an
extra pedal, the piano certainly stands out. Stuart has also used his
cabinet-makling skills, cloaking his instrument in maple, beech,pine,
spruce and red cedar. It is being developed with the help of Robert
Albert of J Albert and Son, one of Australia's largest independent music
publishers. Albert has invested =A3650,000.
Australian pianists such as Simon Tedeschi and Gerard Willems have
selected Stuarts for recent recording sessions. Willems, who also
lectures in keyboard studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has
made the first Australian recording of Beethoven sonatas and concertos
using a Stuart piano.
However, he confessed that the unusually clear sound of the Stuart might
put off some pianists as it makes their mistakes all too evident.
Even in Australia the instrument has its detractors. Michael Brimer, the
Sydney-based professor of music, said he was disappointed by the
homegrown rival to the Steinway: "It sustains the sound. But I find it
almost does that for too long."
Stuart has some way to go before he can challenge the 5,000 pianos
produced every year by Steinway, but he is undeterred by criticism.
"The 20th. century was probably the period of greatest technological
change and the piano makers just ignored it." he said.
Copied from the Sunday Times, part 1. section 26 WORLD NEWS
Michael G (UK)=20


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