Pierre-Laurent Aimard talks about C. Bechstein at the Wigmore Hall

Pierre-Laurent Aimard performed on an C. Bechstein Grand Piano works by Franz Liszt, Alexandre Scriabin, Claude Debussy, Julian Anderson and Nikolay Obdukhov at the Wigmore Hall on March 11, 2017. The instrument was build by C. Bechstein in 1899 and just restored by technician Peter Salisbury.

In 1899 the German piano manufacturer began to build a new concert hall next to its London showroom on Wigmore Street. Busoni played at the Hall's inaugural concert in 1901. Scriabin, Rubinstein, Moiseiwitsch, Egon Petri and many other famous pianists and composer performed there too. As the British government ordered the confiscation of all subsidiaries of German companies in the UK, Bechstein Hall and its showroom were sold in November 1916. The building still functions as a concert venue — today’s Wigmore Hall.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard chose works from composers for his concert at the former Bechstein Hall, who felt close to Bechstein.
Aimard plays excerpts of his program in this video and explains the special sound of the C. Bechstein instrument and the connections between instrument and the acoustic of the hall. John Gilhooley, Director of the Wigmore Hall, piano technician Peter Salisbury and composer Julian Anderson speak also about the wonderful project.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard is one of the most famous pianists of our time. He just received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize. The award, which is given to artists for a life devoted to the service of music, includes a 250,000 euro grant.

Learn more:
https://www.bechstein.com/en/the-world-of-bechstein/tradition/1900-1914/
http://www.pierrelaurentaimard.com/

Видео Pierre-Laurent Aimard talks about C. Bechstein at the Wigmore Hall канала C. Bechstein (Bechstein1853)