C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik
Encyclopedia
C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik AG (also known as Bechstein) is a German manufacturer of piano
s, established in 1853 by Carl Bechstein.
Carl Bechstein set out to manufacture a piano able to withstand the great demands imposed on the instrument by the virtuosi of the time, such as Franz Liszt
. In 1857, Hans von Bülow
(Liszt's son-in-law) gave the first public performance on a Bechstein grand piano by performing Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor
in Berlin.
By 1870, with endorsements from Franz Liszt and Hans von Bülow, Bechstein pianos had become a staple in many concert halls and private mansions. By that time three piano makers, all of which were founded in 1853, became established as the industry leaders across the world: Bechstein, Blüthner
and Steinway & Sons
.
In 1881 Bechstein began supplying pianos to Queen Victoria. A gilded art-case piano was delivered to Buckingham Palace
, followed by several more Bechstein pianos to Windsor Castle
and other royal residences. By January 1886 they were among the piano manufacturers holding a Royal Warrant
as a supplier to the Queen. Several British embassies across the world acquired Bechstein pianos.
In 1885, Bechstein opened a branch in London, that eventually grew to become the largest showroom and dealership in Europe. By 1890 showrooms had been opened in Paris, Vienna, and Saint Petersburg
. On 31 May, 1901, Bechstein Hall
, built at a cost of £100,000, was opened next to the company's London showroom at 36-40 Wigmore Street
. Between 1901 and 1914, C. Bechstein was the largest piano dealership in London. At that time, Bechstein was patronized by the tsars of Russia, the royal families of Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Austria and Denmark, and other royalty and aristocracy. The list of royal clients of Bechstein may be found on the soundboard of vintage Bechstein pianos made before the Second World War. The list is part of the original Bechstein trademark logo; it can be seen under the strings in the center of a piano's soundboard.
The years from the 1870s through 1914 brought Bechstein their most dramatic increase in sales. In 1880 a second Bechstein factory was opened in Berlin, and the third factory was opened in 1897 in Berlin-Kreuzberg
. Production reached 3700 pianos annually in 1900, and 4600 in 1910, making Bechstein the largest German manufacturer of high-end pianos. At that time, about three quarters of production went to international markets, especially Britain and the Commonwealth, and Russia.
Carl Bechstein died in 1900, and the Bechstein company continued to operate under the management of his sons.
Between 1900 and 1914 C. Bechstein was one of the leading piano makers in the world, employing 1200 craftsmen and workers by 1913 and making five thousand pianos per year.
, and his wife Queen Mary
were cancelled on 13 April 1915. Bechstein was not the only musical concern to be affected by growing anti-German sentiment: there were earlier attempts, led by William Boosey, to boycott German music altogether. In 1915, despite being a Baronet
and Privy Counsellor, Sir Edgar Speyer
, who was then funding the Proms
, was forced to leave the country. Following the passing of the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act 1916 the British arm of the company was wound-up on 5 June 1916, all Bechstein property, including the concert hall and showrooms full of pianos, were seized as "enemy property" and closed. In 1916 the hall was sold as alien property at auction to Debenhams
for £56,500. It was renamed Wigmore Hall
, and then re-opened under the new name in 1917. All 137 Bechstein pianos at the Bechstein showrooms were confiscated too, and became property of the new owner of the Hall.
After a dispute with his brother, Edwin Bechstein left the company and was paid off.
The most successful models were the updated "A"-185 and "B"-208 grand pianos. The upright pianos became more popular after the war, and C. Bechstein were successful with its upright pianos Model-8 and Model-9, both of which have been considered the finest upright pianos.
As the company was changed into a joint-stock company 1923, Edwin Bechstein and his wife Helene, bought themselves back into the company as shareholders.
In 1930 the company collaborated with German electrical goods manufacturer Siemens
under Nobel laureate
Walther Nernst
to produce one of the first electric piano
s, the "Neo-Bechstein" or "Siemens-Bechstein" electric grand
, using electromagnetic
pickups.
Edwin Bechstein and his wife, Helene Bechstein, who was an ardent admirer of the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler
, bestowed many gifts on Hitler including his first luxury car, a red Mercedes
costing 26,000 marks.Helene Bechstein and her friend Elsa Bruckmann
introduced Hitler to Germany’s cultural elite in Berlin and Munich. "I wish he were my son," she said.
After Edwin Bechstein died in 1934 in Berchtesgaden
, where he had a villa named "Bechstein" in a short distance to the Obersalzberg
, his body was transferred to Berlin. He was buried following a state funeral attended by Adolf Hitler and NSDAP politicians, including Wilhelm Frick
and Max Amann
.
C. Bechstein eventually increased piano production to about a thousand pianos per year during the 1950s and '60s. However, the new economic situation in the post-war world was hard for the piano business. In 1961 the Bechstein piano factory was affected by the construction of the Berlin Wall
. The ownership of C. Bechstein had changed several times.In 1963 all the shares were sold to the Baldwin Piano Company
. Up until the reunification of Germany, the company was making fewer pianos, although the quality of craftsmanship remained high.
In 1953, the centennial of Bechstein was celebrated by the Berlin Philharmonic under Wilhelm Furtwängler
and Wilhelm Backhaus
. Many entertainers and concert pianists, such as Leonard Bernstein
, Jorge Bolet
, and Wilhelm Kempff
, favored Bechstein pianos. The State Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union made a contract to supply major state philharmonic orchestras and concert halls across the USSR with three brands of pianos - Steinway & Sons
, Bluthner, and Bechstein. Bluthner and Bechstein were also made the staple practice pianos at the Leningrad Conservatory and Moscow Conservatory, while most other music schools of the USSR were limited mainly to the Soviet-made pianos. Concert pianists, such as Dinu Lipatti
, Shura Cherkassky
, Tatiana Nikolaeva, Vladimir Sofronitsky
, and Sviatoslav Richter
, among others, often chose Bechstein pianos for their studio recordings.
, the land formerly belonging to the Bechstein factory was used for new construction in the capital. In 1992 Bechstein started a new factory in Saxony for C. Bechstein and Zimmermann instruments. With investment of 15 million Euros this manufacturing site has become one of the world's most state-of-the-art factory for premium class instruments. Visitor groups are welcome.
In 1996, C. Bechstein went public. In 2003, Bechstein formed a partnership with Samick
, in order to improve overseas distribution. Today, after the successful capital increase in 2009, Samick no longer has any shares. Nowadays major shareholders are Arnold Kuthe Beteiligungs GmbH as well as Karl Schulze and his wife Berenice Küpper, all Berlin investors.
By 2006, the company opened eight upscale showrooms and increased the number of Bechstein dealerships in major cities across Europe, North America and Asia. New Bechstein center were opened in recent years in New York, Moscow, Shanghai as well as partner centers in Kiev, Seoul, Sydney, and the Netherlands.
In 2007, the new C.Bechstein Europe factory was opened in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. Bechstein has invested millions of Euros to build up a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing site especially for W. Hoffmann instruments. All brands and instruments made by C. Bechstein now exclusively originate from Europe.
Along with the company's economic success, C. Bechstein's concert grand pianos are making their comeback on international concert stages and in recording studios.
In 2006, the first international C. Bechstein Piano Competition took place under Vladimir Ashkenazy's patronage. National C. Bechstein competitions regularly foster the musical development of young artists.
Alexander Scriabin
owned a concert-size Bechstein at his Moscow home, which is now a national museum, and Scriabin's piano is still played at scheduled recitals. Tatiana Nikolaeva preferred the Bechstein for her acclaimed recordings of the music of Bach
. Sviatoslav Richter
grew up studying piano on a Bechstein and remembered his experience with that piano as stimulating and rewarding.
Anna Ivanova (2011) played Liszt's personal 1880 Bechstein which is displayed in the Liszt Haus in Weimar (Germany). Recordings of her playing both this grand piano, and the Bechstein 576 (which was delivered March 17, 1862 to Franz Liszt) which presently is being displayed at the Bechstein Centre in Berlin, can be found on YouTube.
Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman (famous thanks to the movie The Pianist directed by Roman Polański
) used Bechstein piano until 1941 in his family private apartments in Warsaw
.
For his studio recording of the music of Chopin and Beethoven, Dinu Lipatti
used a Bechstein piano.
Edwin Fischer
chose a Bechstein piano for his pioneering recording of Bach
's Well Tempered Clavier, as did Artur Schnabel
for his cycle of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas. Both artists were very fond of Bechstein's pianos, as were many of last century's leading pianists, such as Wilhelm Kempff
, Wilhelm Backhaus
, Walter Gieseking
and Jorge Bolet
.
Freddie Mercury
of the British rock band Queen
played a Bechstein piano on the best-selling album A Night at the Opera
. (The liner notes to the album, as reprinted in the 2005 deluxe CD/DVD release of the album, credit Freddie Mercury with "Bechstein Debauchery.")
The Beatles
used a Bechstein concert grand piano for recording Hey Jude
and the White Album
tracks Dear Prudence
, Honey Pie
, Savoy Truffle
and Martha My Dear
, I Want You (She's So Heavy)
for the album Abbey Road, all at Trident Studios
.
Bob Dylan
played a Bechstein piano at the ABC Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland, 20 May 1966. He is mentioned on many Bechstein dealers' web pages as a regular Bechstein player. When Dave Stewart
of The Eurythmics listed his Bechstein piano for auction, he named Bob Dylan as one of the musicians who had played the piano.
Elton John
recorded "Your Song
" and many other tracks on a handmade Bechstein concert-sized instrument that was over one hundred years old at Trident Studios in London. Its classic sound was much sought after.
Oscar Peterson
played and owned a Bechstein throughout much of his career, publicity contracts with rival manufacturers notwithstanding.
, although the Bechstein sound is very different from Steinway's.
Bechstein is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
. Major shareholders are Karl Schulze and his wife Berenice Küpper as well as another private investor.
In 2010 C. Bechstein has opened a representative office in Shanghai, China.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
s, established in 1853 by Carl Bechstein.
Before Bechstein
Young Carl Bechstein studied and worked in France and England as a piano craftsman, before he became an independent piano maker. His first pianos were made for other companies.C. Bechstein
C. Bechstein piano factory was founded on 1 October 1853 by Carl Bechstein in Berlin, Germany.Carl Bechstein set out to manufacture a piano able to withstand the great demands imposed on the instrument by the virtuosi of the time, such as Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
. In 1857, Hans von Bülow
Hans von Bülow
Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. He was one of the most famous conductors of the 19th century, and his activity was critical for establishing the successes of several major composers of the time, including Richard...
(Liszt's son-in-law) gave the first public performance on a Bechstein grand piano by performing Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor
Piano Sonata (Liszt)
The Piano Sonata in B minor , S.178, is a musical composition for solo piano by Franz Liszt, published in 1854 with a dedication to Robert Schumann. It is often considered Liszt's greatest composition for solo piano. The piece has been often analyzed, particularly regarding issues of form.-...
in Berlin.
By 1870, with endorsements from Franz Liszt and Hans von Bülow, Bechstein pianos had become a staple in many concert halls and private mansions. By that time three piano makers, all of which were founded in 1853, became established as the industry leaders across the world: Bechstein, Blüthner
Blüthner
Blüthner, formally Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik GmbH, is a piano-manufacturing company founded by Julius Blüthner in 1853 in Leipzig Germany.- History :...
and Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
.
In 1881 Bechstein began supplying pianos to Queen Victoria. A gilded art-case piano was delivered to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, followed by several more Bechstein pianos to Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
and other royal residences. By January 1886 they were among the piano manufacturers holding a Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
as a supplier to the Queen. Several British embassies across the world acquired Bechstein pianos.
In 1885, Bechstein opened a branch in London, that eventually grew to become the largest showroom and dealership in Europe. By 1890 showrooms had been opened in Paris, Vienna, and Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. On 31 May, 1901, Bechstein Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
, built at a cost of £100,000, was opened next to the company's London showroom at 36-40 Wigmore Street
Wigmore Street
Wigmore Street is a street in the City of Westminster, in the West End of London, England. The street runs for about 600 yards parallel and to the north of Oxford Street between Portman Square to the west and Cavendish Square to the east....
. Between 1901 and 1914, C. Bechstein was the largest piano dealership in London. At that time, Bechstein was patronized by the tsars of Russia, the royal families of Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Austria and Denmark, and other royalty and aristocracy. The list of royal clients of Bechstein may be found on the soundboard of vintage Bechstein pianos made before the Second World War. The list is part of the original Bechstein trademark logo; it can be seen under the strings in the center of a piano's soundboard.
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg, a part of the combined Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte since 2001, is one of the best-known areas of Berlin...
. Production reached 3700 pianos annually in 1900, and 4600 in 1910, making Bechstein the largest German manufacturer of high-end pianos. At that time, about three quarters of production went to international markets, especially Britain and the Commonwealth, and Russia.
Carl Bechstein died in 1900, and the Bechstein company continued to operate under the management of his sons.
Between 1900 and 1914 C. Bechstein was one of the leading piano makers in the world, employing 1200 craftsmen and workers by 1913 and making five thousand pianos per year.
First World War
C. Bechstein suffered huge property losses in London, Paris, and St. Petersburg during World War I. The largest loss was in London. Although the company's position in the United Kingdom was initially unaffected, with the company still listed as holding a Royal Warrant in January 1915, Warrants to both King George VGeorge V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
, and his wife Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
were cancelled on 13 April 1915. Bechstein was not the only musical concern to be affected by growing anti-German sentiment: there were earlier attempts, led by William Boosey, to boycott German music altogether. In 1915, despite being a Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
and Privy Counsellor, Sir Edgar Speyer
Edgar Speyer
Sir Edgar Speyer, 1st Baronet was an American-born financier and philanthropist. He became a British subject in 1892 and was chairman of Speyer Brothers, the British branch of his family's international finance house, and a partner in the German and American branches...
, who was then funding the Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
, was forced to leave the country. Following the passing of the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act 1916 the British arm of the company was wound-up on 5 June 1916, all Bechstein property, including the concert hall and showrooms full of pianos, were seized as "enemy property" and closed. In 1916 the hall was sold as alien property at auction to Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
for £56,500. It was renamed Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
, and then re-opened under the new name in 1917. All 137 Bechstein pianos at the Bechstein showrooms were confiscated too, and became property of the new owner of the Hall.
After a dispute with his brother, Edwin Bechstein left the company and was paid off.
Between the wars
Eventually the Bechstein factory resumed full-scale production during the 1920s. At that time, technical innovations and inventions of new materials and tools, as well as improvements in piano design and construction, had allowed Bechstein to become one of the leading piano makers again.The most successful models were the updated "A"-185 and "B"-208 grand pianos. The upright pianos became more popular after the war, and C. Bechstein were successful with its upright pianos Model-8 and Model-9, both of which have been considered the finest upright pianos.
As the company was changed into a joint-stock company 1923, Edwin Bechstein and his wife Helene, bought themselves back into the company as shareholders.
In 1930 the company collaborated with German electrical goods manufacturer Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
under Nobel laureate
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Walther Nernst
Walther Nernst
Walther Hermann Nernst FRS was a German physical chemist and physicist who is known for his theories behind the calculation of chemical affinity as embodied in the third law of thermodynamics, for which he won the 1920 Nobel Prize in chemistry...
to produce one of the first electric piano
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
s, the "Neo-Bechstein" or "Siemens-Bechstein" electric grand
Electric grand piano
An electric grand piano is a particular type of piano manufactured and marketed by Yamaha, Kawai and Helpinstill during the 1970s and 1980s, although experimental instruments of similar type were made as early as the late 1920s...
, using electromagnetic
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
pickups.
Edwin Bechstein and his wife, Helene Bechstein, who was an ardent admirer of the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, bestowed many gifts on Hitler including his first luxury car, a red Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
costing 26,000 marks.Helene Bechstein and her friend Elsa Bruckmann
Elsa Bruckmann
Elsa Bruckmann , born Princess Cantacuzene of Romania, was the wife of Hugo Bruckmann, publisher of the racist writings of Houston Stewart Chamberlain. She held the "salon Bruckmann" and made it a mission to introduce Adolf Hitler to leading industrialists.-References:...
introduced Hitler to Germany’s cultural elite in Berlin and Munich. "I wish he were my son," she said.
After Edwin Bechstein died in 1934 in Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
, where he had a villa named "Bechstein" in a short distance to the Obersalzberg
Obersalzberg
Obersalzberg is a mountainside retreat situated above the market town of Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, Germany, located about southeast of Munich, close to the border with Austria...
, his body was transferred to Berlin. He was buried following a state funeral attended by Adolf Hitler and NSDAP politicians, including Wilhelm Frick
Wilhelm Frick
Wilhelm Frick was a prominent German Nazi official serving as Minister of the Interior of the Third Reich. After the end of World War II, he was tried for war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials and executed...
and Max Amann
Max Amann
Max Aman was a German Nazi official with the honorary rank of SS-Obergruppenführer, politician and journalist.-Biography:Amann was born in Munich on November 24, 1891...
.
Second World War
In 1945, allied bombing raids destroyed the Bechstein piano factory in Berlin, along with the firm's stores of valuable wood, including the precious Alpine spruce used to make soundboards. The war also cost the company many of its experienced craftsmen. For several years after the war, Bechstein could not resume full-scale production of pianos and made only a few pianos per year.After World War II
After de-Nazification of the C.Bechstein Company, they started in 1948 to produce pianos again.C. Bechstein eventually increased piano production to about a thousand pianos per year during the 1950s and '60s. However, the new economic situation in the post-war world was hard for the piano business. In 1961 the Bechstein piano factory was affected by the construction of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
. The ownership of C. Bechstein had changed several times.In 1963 all the shares were sold to the Baldwin Piano Company
Baldwin Piano Company
The Baldwin Piano Company was the largest US-based manufacturer of keyboard instruments, most notably pianos. It remains a subsidiary of the Gibson Guitar Corporation, although it ceased domestic production of pianos in December 2008.-History:...
. Up until the reunification of Germany, the company was making fewer pianos, although the quality of craftsmanship remained high.
In 1953, the centennial of Bechstein was celebrated by the Berlin Philharmonic under Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler was a German conductor and composer. He is widely considered to have been one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. By the 1930s he had built a reputation as one of the leading conductors in Europe, and he was the leading conductor who remained...
and Wilhelm Backhaus
Wilhelm Backhaus
Wilhelm Backhaus was a German pianist and pedagogue.Born in Leipzig, Backhaus studied at the conservatoire there with Alois Reckendorf until 1899, later taking private piano lessons with Eugen d'Albert in Frankfurt...
. Many entertainers and concert pianists, such as Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
, Jorge Bolet
Jorge Bolet
Jorge Bolet was a Cuban-born but mostly American-resident pianist and teacher.-Life:Bolet was born in Havana, and studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he himself taught from 1939 to 1942...
, and Wilhelm Kempff
Wilhelm Kempff
Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff was a German pianist and composer. Although his repertory included Bach, Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms, Kempff was particularly well-known for his interpretations of the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert, both of whose complete sonatas he also...
, favored Bechstein pianos. The State Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union made a contract to supply major state philharmonic orchestras and concert halls across the USSR with three brands of pianos - Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
, Bluthner, and Bechstein. Bluthner and Bechstein were also made the staple practice pianos at the Leningrad Conservatory and Moscow Conservatory, while most other music schools of the USSR were limited mainly to the Soviet-made pianos. Concert pianists, such as Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from Hodgkin's disease at age 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy.-Biography:...
, Shura Cherkassky
Shura Cherkassky
Shura Cherkassky was an American classical pianist known for his performances of the romantic repertoire. His playing was characterized by a virtuoso technique and singing piano tone...
, Tatiana Nikolaeva, Vladimir Sofronitsky
Vladimir Sofronitsky
Vladimir Vladimirovich Sofronitsky was a Russian pianist, best known as an interpreter of the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, whose daughter he married.-Biography:Vladimir Sofronitsky was born to a physics teacher father and a mother from an artistic family...
, and Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
, among others, often chose Bechstein pianos for their studio recordings.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1986, Karl Schulze, German entrepreneur and master piano maker, bought Bechstein and continued the legacy of fine piano making. Due to reunification of Germany and elimination of the Berlin WallBerlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, the land formerly belonging to the Bechstein factory was used for new construction in the capital. In 1992 Bechstein started a new factory in Saxony for C. Bechstein and Zimmermann instruments. With investment of 15 million Euros this manufacturing site has become one of the world's most state-of-the-art factory for premium class instruments. Visitor groups are welcome.
In 1996, C. Bechstein went public. In 2003, Bechstein formed a partnership with Samick
Samick
Samick is the name of a Korea-based musical instrument manufacturer, one of the largest in the world.The name refers to the entire Samick Musical Instruments, which owns several manufacturers of pianos, guitars, and other instruments. The company started as 'Samick Pianos' in 1958, manufacturing...
, in order to improve overseas distribution. Today, after the successful capital increase in 2009, Samick no longer has any shares. Nowadays major shareholders are Arnold Kuthe Beteiligungs GmbH as well as Karl Schulze and his wife Berenice Küpper, all Berlin investors.
By 2006, the company opened eight upscale showrooms and increased the number of Bechstein dealerships in major cities across Europe, North America and Asia. New Bechstein center were opened in recent years in New York, Moscow, Shanghai as well as partner centers in Kiev, Seoul, Sydney, and the Netherlands.
In 2007, the new C.Bechstein Europe factory was opened in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. Bechstein has invested millions of Euros to build up a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing site especially for W. Hoffmann instruments. All brands and instruments made by C. Bechstein now exclusively originate from Europe.
Along with the company's economic success, C. Bechstein's concert grand pianos are making their comeback on international concert stages and in recording studios.
In 2006, the first international C. Bechstein Piano Competition took place under Vladimir Ashkenazy's patronage. National C. Bechstein competitions regularly foster the musical development of young artists.
Artcase pianos
Bechstein has been known as a maker of one-of-a-kind artcase pianos since the 19th century. Artcase pianos were commissioned by interior designers for royal palaces and fancy mansions. Artists and craftsmen were hired by C. Bechstein to make special pianos decorated with gold, hand-carved details, and hand-painted art on the piano case. Some of the artcase Bechsteins are now museum pieces, while others are sometimes traded at musical-instrument auctions, mainly in London and New York.Performers
Students and followers of Hans von Bülow and Franz Liszt also developed loyalty to Bechstein pianos.Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
owned a concert-size Bechstein at his Moscow home, which is now a national museum, and Scriabin's piano is still played at scheduled recitals. Tatiana Nikolaeva preferred the Bechstein for her acclaimed recordings of the music of Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
. Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
grew up studying piano on a Bechstein and remembered his experience with that piano as stimulating and rewarding.
Anna Ivanova (2011) played Liszt's personal 1880 Bechstein which is displayed in the Liszt Haus in Weimar (Germany). Recordings of her playing both this grand piano, and the Bechstein 576 (which was delivered March 17, 1862 to Franz Liszt) which presently is being displayed at the Bechstein Centre in Berlin, can be found on YouTube.
Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman (famous thanks to the movie The Pianist directed by Roman Polański
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
) used Bechstein piano until 1941 in his family private apartments in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
For his studio recording of the music of Chopin and Beethoven, Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from Hodgkin's disease at age 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy.-Biography:...
used a Bechstein piano.
Edwin Fischer
Edwin Fischer
Edwin Fischer was a Swiss classical pianist and conductor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, particularly in the traditional Germanic repertoire of such composers as J. S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert...
chose a Bechstein piano for his pioneering recording of Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
's Well Tempered Clavier, as did Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel was an Austrian classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura...
for his cycle of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas. Both artists were very fond of Bechstein's pianos, as were many of last century's leading pianists, such as Wilhelm Kempff
Wilhelm Kempff
Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff was a German pianist and composer. Although his repertory included Bach, Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms, Kempff was particularly well-known for his interpretations of the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert, both of whose complete sonatas he also...
, Wilhelm Backhaus
Wilhelm Backhaus
Wilhelm Backhaus was a German pianist and pedagogue.Born in Leipzig, Backhaus studied at the conservatoire there with Alois Reckendorf until 1899, later taking private piano lessons with Eugen d'Albert in Frankfurt...
, Walter Gieseking
Walter Gieseking
Walter Wilhelm Gieseking was a French-born German pianist and composer.-Biography:Born in Lyon, France, the son of a German doctor and lepidopterist, Gieseking first started playing the piano at the age of four, but without formal instruction...
and Jorge Bolet
Jorge Bolet
Jorge Bolet was a Cuban-born but mostly American-resident pianist and teacher.-Life:Bolet was born in Havana, and studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he himself taught from 1939 to 1942...
.
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
of the British rock band Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
played a Bechstein piano on the best-selling album A Night at the Opera
A Night at the Opera (Queen album)
A Night at the Opera is the fourth studio album by the British rock group Queen, released in November 1975. Co-produced by Roy Thomas Baker and Queen, A Night at the Opera was, at the time of its release, the most expensive album ever recorded...
. (The liner notes to the album, as reprinted in the 2005 deluxe CD/DVD release of the album, credit Freddie Mercury with "Bechstein Debauchery.")
The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
used a Bechstein concert grand piano for recording Hey Jude
Hey Jude
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song widely accepted as being written to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce—although this explanation is not...
and the White Album
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
tracks Dear Prudence
Dear Prudence
"Dear Prudence" is a song written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released by The Beatles as the second track on their 1968 double-disc album entitled The Beatles, commonly known as The White Album.-Composition:...
, Honey Pie
Honey Pie
"Honey Pie" is a song by the Beatles, from their 1968 eponymous album The Beatles, also known as The White Album. Although credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was composed solely by Paul McCartney.-Interpretation:...
, Savoy Truffle
Savoy Truffle
"Savoy Truffle" is a song written by George Harrison and performed by The Beatles on their album The Beatles, also known as The White Album.-Origin:...
and Martha My Dear
Martha My Dear
"Martha My Dear" is a Beatles song written by Paul McCartney , which first appeared on the double album The Beatles . McCartney is the only Beatle to appear on this track.-Style and form:...
, I Want You (She's So Heavy)
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
"I Want You " is a song by The Beatles, from their album Abbey Road. It was written by John Lennon, although credited to Lennon–McCartney....
for the album Abbey Road, all at Trident Studios
Trident Studios
Trident Studios was a British recording facility, originally located at 17 St. Anne's Court in London's Soho district. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield a drummer of former 1960's group The Hunters and his Brother Barry....
.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
played a Bechstein piano at the ABC Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland, 20 May 1966. He is mentioned on many Bechstein dealers' web pages as a regular Bechstein player. When Dave Stewart
Dave Stewart
Dave Stewart may refer to:* Dave Stewart , former pitcher in Major League Baseball and 1989 World Series MVP* David A. Stewart , English musician and record producer best known for his work with Eurythmics...
of The Eurythmics listed his Bechstein piano for auction, he named Bob Dylan as one of the musicians who had played the piano.
Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
recorded "Your Song
Your Song
"Your Song" is a ballad composed and performed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by his long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin. It appeared on John's self-titled second album in 1970....
" and many other tracks on a handmade Bechstein concert-sized instrument that was over one hundred years old at Trident Studios in London. Its classic sound was much sought after.
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
played and owned a Bechstein throughout much of his career, publicity contracts with rival manufacturers notwithstanding.
Awards
- In 1862, C. Bechstein was awarded gold medals at the London International Exhibition.
- In 2007, C. Bechstein received the iF Gold Award for C. Bechstein Piano Model Millennium.
Competition
Bechstein was always in competition with Steinway & SonsSteinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
, although the Bechstein sound is very different from Steinway's.
Today
Frankfurt Stock Exchange
The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is the world's 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. Located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is owned and operated by Deutsche Börse, which also owns the European futures exchange Eurex and the clearing company...
. Major shareholders are Karl Schulze and his wife Berenice Küpper as well as another private investor.
In 2010 C. Bechstein has opened a representative office in Shanghai, China.
Further reading
- http://www.diss.fu-berlin.de/diss/receive/FUDISS_thesis_000000002477Hagen W. Lippe-Weißenfeld: Das Klavier als Mittel politischer Distinktion im Zusammenhang mit der Entwicklung des Klavierbaus in London und Berlin an den Beispielen Broadwood und Bechstein. The piano as medium for political distinction in connection with the development of piano manufacturing in London and Berlin based on the examples of Broadwood and Bechstein. Dissertation Berlin 2006.]