I’ve always imagined John Lennon writing Imagine on a white Steinway piano, a gift for loving wife Yoko. Baby’s in black, it’s a foggy day in England, words were flowing out like endless rain, as one of the world’s foremost dreamers played the C-F intro on an immaculately white instrument. Wrongly so.
“Actually,” informs Leng Tshua, Steinway Asia Pacific district sales manager, “Lennon wrote the song on an upright Steinway.” A brown, walnut beauty. Later on, it was auctioned off and George Michael bought it for $2.1 million. Tshua adds, “Just to keep it in England. And it’s currently on loan to the John Lennon Museum.”
In 2011, Steinway & Sons commemorated Lennon’s 70th birthday with the Imagine Series Limited Edition Piano. “It’s a white piano with a painting by John on the music desk. The word ‘Imagine’ and a portion of the lyrics are also on the instrument.”
John Lennon loved Steinway, but he was not the only one.
There is the Piano Man himself, Billy Joel. (He is the only non-classical music performer honored with a portrait at the prestigious Steinway Hall in New York.) There is Harry Connick Jr. who said that because of the rich tone of Steinway pianos, he would “never be afraid of the dark.” Jazz artist Diana Krall is another one.
Even the classical masters composed on Steinway pianos, according to Alexander Melchers, director and GM of C. Melchers GmbH & Co in Singapore. He rattles out a few names that you might be familiar with: Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, among others. (God, Mozart!)
Melchers tells me there was an exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore featuring the Wagner Piano, similar to the one presented to German composer Richard Wagner in 1876, as well as a faithful replica of Steinway No. 1, the very first grand piano created by Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (who later changed his name to Henry Steinway when he migrated to America) in his kitchen in 1836. That was the first chord struck.
“(Polish-born pianist Ignacy Jan) Paderewski was hired by the Steinway family in 1888 to tour America and promote music because back then, there were no radio and recordings,” says Tshua. Paderewski was so popular he had his own version of Beatlemania dubbed after the fact as “Paddymania.” (I saw an original Steinway Pianos 1924 print ad on Amazon featuring the man, and it said, “Instrument of the Immortals.” He was probably the Jimi of his era; or the Jaco.)
“So he sort of became the second Steinway artist. The first one was Arthur Rubinstein,” Tshua shared. “A lot of legendary names played Steinway pianos. Even inventor Thomas Edison; his letter to the company is still in our archives. He wanted the best — and he would know because he’s an engineer and a scientist. That was why he got a Steinway. Bill Gates owns a Steinway, too.”
Filipinos now have the opportunity to own a Steinway — or, in my case, gawk at one thing of beauty after another, or secretly play the Jealous Guy riff, as Steinway opens its the first exclusive boutique in Manila as a result of the partnership between luxury brand purveyors Lucerne and C. Melchers GmbH & Co.
“The opening of Steinway Boutique Manila is a milestone for Steinway & Sons’ inroad to the Asia Pacific regional market. It is the right time for Steinway & Sons to have a strong presence in the country especially as we recognize the Filipinos’ passion for music and the arts. The boutique will also present Boston and Essex brands, which belong to the family of Steinway designed pianos,” says Tshua.
Ivan Yao, managing director of Lucerne, says, “We are delighted to bring another world-renowned brand into the market. The presence of Steinway & Sons has long played an important role in shaping the world’s musical heritage. It is a masterpiece conscientiously crafted with its value increasing over time — an heirloom that can be passed on from one generation to the next.”
“With the country’s vibrant cultural landscape, we are confident that this partnership will be a successful one,” agrees Celine Goh, general manager of Steinway Gallery Singapore. She adds, “With a successful business model in Singapore, I am pleased that Steinway & Sons entrusted us with a new representation in the Philippines. We also hope to continue our mission to support and be part of the artistic development of the musical and cultural scene here in the country.”
STEIN BY ME
“This is a Steinway Model B grand piano made from Canadian Birch wood stored for a year in Germany. You see this outer rim? This is made from one piece — hand-bent. The production process takes another year — bending, gluing, etc. — 100 percent made by hand,” points out Melchers.
In one year, a thousand Steinway grand pianos are produced in Germany, and another thousand in America. In contrast, with today’s technology, precision engineering and robotics, other manufacturers can churn out one piano in 78 hours. A big Japanese company can make 800 pianos a day. Steinway takes it slowly.
“Our piano is based on designs made more than a hundred years back by Mr. Steinway. He invented this piano as it is. Since then, nobody has really improved it, despite new technology or design principles. Steinway invented a perfect piano. You see this fairly odd shape? Other (manufacturers) try to change that, but they never get the same sound.” Yes, there is an element of inexplicable physics involved.
“There is a consistency and reliability in Steinway pianos,” Melchers concludes. “There are so many crafts involved — die-cast for metal, woodcraft, setting the sound, selecting the strings, picking the wood. The combination and integration of so many different crafts, considering their complexity, are simply amazing. Ninety-nine percent of all concert halls around the world have Steinways.”
Imagine just how physics, craft, and aesthetics can come together to play beautiful music.
As John and Yoko did.
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Located at the ground level of 6750 Retail Arcade, Ayala Avenue, Makati, the Steinway Boutique Manila presents a collection of Steinway & Sons pianos, including the Steinway-designed Boston and Essex. For appointments, call 892-7508.