Liszts cherished Bosendorfer piano makes Korean debut

By Do Je-hae

Hungarian-born pianist and composer Franz Liszt (1811-1886) had a lifelong relationship with the Bosendorfer, one of the world’s oldest handmade piano manufacturers.

The Austrian piano maker was introduced to the Korean market for the first time, Thursday, through its Japanese owner Yamaha. Bosendorfer’s Korean debut coincides with Liszt’s bicentennial. To mark the occasion, the handmade piano maker has produced 25 Liszt models and one of them is currently in Korea.

Based in the classical music capital of the world, the Bosendorfer runs an exclusive exhibition hall at the Musikverein, the world’s foremost music halls and home to the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic).

“The level of music, both in classical and pop, is very high and is getting better,” Hitoshi Fukutome, president of Yamaha Music Korea, said during a launching event at Coex, Seoul. “We believe that Bosendorfer pianos will enhance the quality of local stages.”

Several notable Korean pianists, including Han Dong-il, were present for the occasion.

A young female pianist Kim Hyung-jung played a Liszt transcription of Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre,” a fitting selection to demonstrate the power and brilliance of the classic Bosendorfer sound.

History of innovation

The Bosendorfer has a 180-year tradition of innovative piano-making.

It is the creator of the Imperial Grand, which has 97 keys. The invention is an extension of the typical 88-key keyboard model. Some concert pieces require these additional keys for more depth and color of sound.

The Imperial Grand was initially built as a custom-built piano for the legendary Italian pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924). This flagship model became extremely popular and now ranks among the world’s most sought-after concert grands.

In 1839, Emperor Ferdinand I granted founder Ignaz Bosendorfer the title of “Imperial and Royal Fortepiano Purveyor to the Court,” the first such title for a piano maker.

Bosendorfer currently exports within Europe and overseas and is expanding its reach into the Asian market.

Cultivating its devotion to design, Bosendorfer has a penchant for working with prominent architects of their time.

The handmade piano builder has been associated with many extraordinary artists, including U.S. composer, conductor and pianist Leonard Bernstein and pianists Wilhelm Backhaus, Arthur Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter, Andras Schiff and Paul Badura-Sloda, among others.

Tight connection with Liszt

While the Bosendorfer was adored by many elite musicians, it has harbored a particular pride in being the lifetime instrument of Liszt, the virtuoso pianist and composer who transformed the course of classical music in the 19th century.

No one loved the piano like Liszt, who was also a conductor and although largely unknown, a passionate teacher of the instrument.

“My piano is for me what his frigate is to a sailor: it is my very self, my mother tongue, my life. Within its seven octaves it encloses the whole range of an orchestra, and a man’s ten fingers have the power to reproduce the harmonies which are created by hundreds of performers,” Liszt wrote in an open letter to Adolphe Pictet, written in Chambery, September 1837 and published in the Gazette musicale of Feb. 11, 1838.

In his youth, Liszt’s impulsive, flamboyant playing wrecked nearly every piano made available to him. Upon the advice of some colleagues, he tried a Bosendorfer grand.

Liszt inherits spiritually from Beethoven the idea of a piano as an orchestra, not so much as just an instrument for piano music, but an instrument that evokes and emulates a whole orchestra, according to U.S. Liszt expert and pianist Garrick Ohlsson.