You may have heard that we have an exciting Concert event coming up featuring prominent Germany-based pianist Haiou Zhang to be held at the Singapore Conference Hall’s SCO (Singapore Chinese Orchestra) Concert Hall, but did you know that recital will also be a christening of sorts for the new Grand Piano that will be installed there?
This calls for a Story Time!
On January 20th, 2022, renowned pianist Haiou Zhang travelled to the C. Bechstein Headquarters in Berlin with a very special and demanding task: selecting a C. Bechstein D 282 concert grand piano for the Singapore Conference Hall.
The noble C. Bechstein Concert upright and grand pianos are handmade masterpieces, made in Berlin, Germany since 1853. C. Bechstein have a reputation for their quality of craftsmanship and sound, being the piano of choice for composers like Edvard Grieg, Alexander Scriabin, Maurice Ravel, and Béla Bartók.Claude Debussy is even quoted to have said “Piano music should only be written for the Bechstein”.
The Singapore Conference Hall is a music oasis in the bustling Central Business District of the city of Singapore, and is home to the SCO Concert Hall, one of the most advanced concert halls in the city. It is no wonder they decided to select a C. Bechstein D 282 concert grand, the king of the C. Bechstein grand pianos, to fill this venue with music.
Designed with today’s pianists’ demand for power and dynamism and the unique, beloved C. Bechstein sound in mind, the D 282 combines skilled craftsmanship, exquisite materials and unparalleled depth of production. Not even the smallest detail is left to chance – another reason why contrary to industry standards, even such crucial parts as the hammerheads are made in-house and individually weighted and matched to bring out the maximum potential of each instrument.
Haiou Zhang had the pleasure of having 7 brand new, neatly lined up D 282 concert grands to himself for one whole day. He was however entrusted with no easy task: selecting the right one for the SCH Concert Hall. As Haiou Zhang says, “every single instrument is like a person”, with its own individual character. No wonder, considering that each instrument takes over 500 hours to be completed and needs the personal attention of highly skilled craftsmen, who share a part of their own personality with each instrument
After intensely and intently playing all the instruments presented to him, Haiou Zhang was finally able to narrow the selection down to the instrument he found to be the most suitable for the SCH. “I always need an extremely wide range – colorings, emotions and possibilities and the D 282 goes over my expectations”, says Haiou Zhang, noting the difficulty to find the one instrument that “has a little bit more to tell on stage”.
The C. Bechstein craftsmen have now readied the instrument for delivery and a highly skilled C. Bechstein technician will be delivering the instrument and applying the final touches on location, before Haiou Zhang takes the stage in Singapore to inaugurate the new grand piano on May 14th.