Mind-boggling Eye-watering Blüthners

HZPiano

Hello,

I said it quite a few times (here and there) already: I fell in love with the VSL Blüthner 1895.

From that notion, I am looking more and more into the real Blüthner realm -- in particular the historical models.

I find them mind-bogglingly, eye-wateringly beautiful beyond any comprehension. Listen to the sound samples ("Ausgewählte Klangproben") on this page:

https://www.klavierhalle.de/bluethner.html

These are 'just' simple in-showroom recordings of some restored instruments. Utterly well played, I might add.

My Good Gracious, what a beauty. Truly artful pianobuilding.

Cheers and happy inspiration,

burkey

HZPiano I agree, Blüthners have this distinctive enchanting quality to their timbre. You can see why Paul McCartney loved it.

Even my wife - who dislikes most grand pianos (too loud for her sensitive Mozart ears) - likes the Blüthner Model One.

Blüthners are by far the best thing to come out of Germany, and possibly even one of the seven wonders of the modem world: up there with vaccines, the internet, and Faziolis!

Danke schön 😀

David B

HZPiano These are 'just' simple in-showroom recordings of some restored instruments. Utterly well played, I might add.

It's pretty cool how my VSL Blüthner 1895 sounds exactly like the one in the video with the fella playing the Chopin Nocturne on the Blüthner Model 6, 1894.

I don't think any of VSL's other offerings are so unmistakably identifiable with their acoustic counterparts like the Blüthner is.

God Bless,
David

Ralphiano

HZPiano I find them mind-bogglingly, eye-wateringly beautiful beyond any comprehension. Listen to the sound samples ("Ausgewählte Klangproben") on this page:

https://www.klavierhalle.de/bluethner.html

These are 'just' simple in-showroom recordings of some restored instruments. Utterly well played, I might add.

My Good Gracious, what a beauty. Truly artful pianobuilding.

I wonder if what you are loving so much might be the "Aliquot" string that Bluthner has used in at least some of their grands. If I remember correctly, the Aliquot is a fourth string (on the three string notes) that is slightly elevated above the three primary strings so that the hammer does not strike it. It vibrates solely as a sympathetic string, and adds a lot of resonance (I may be using the wrong word there). I am not sure whether it is affected by the dampers, or left to resonate to its natural decay.

HZPiano

Hello,

burkey distinctive enchanting quality

That characterisation is spot-on.

😋

Cheers and happy enchantment,

HZPiano

Hello,

David B exactly

Yes, I heard the distinct resemblance as well. Great that you can confirm this from actual experience with the VSL instrument.

Cheers and a happy weekend,

QuasiUnaFantasia

Blüthner make their own digital pianos (or at least they put their name on them), and these come with samples from Blüthners. of course. In other words, it's not just VSL who have sampled Blüthner pianos. It would be nice if those samples were put into VI's …

HZPiano

Hello,

QuasiUnaFantasia Blüthner make their own digital pianos (or at least they put their name on them)

I didn't know that!

Cheers and happy learning,

HZPiano

Hello,

Ralphiano I wonder if what you are loving so much might be the "Aliquot" string that Bluthner has used in at least some of their grands.

I definitely suspect that to be a major factor in the whole attractiveness of the sound. Something that gets filled-in, gets rounded, gets completed that I miss in quite a few other pianos.

There is also that warmth, a hint of mellowness, and woodiness (am I describing a beautiful single-malt here? 😁 ) that I just love so much.

I haven't yet seen the Aliquot system up close, but I suspect the dampers (just like the hammers) don't/can't reach the extra strings so they'll decay and sustain on their own. They are excited/activated at a lot lower intensity than the actually struck strings, so wouldn't overpower or disturb following/changing harmonies.

From what I've heard so far, the 6--7' Blüthner instruments seem to be my favorites, for a touch more intimacy and self-containment than the 'concert' sized grands.

Cheers and happy discoveries,

burkey

Ralphiano I wonder if what you are loving so much might be the "Aliquot" string that Bluthner has used in at least some of their grands

The first thing I disabled in Pianoteq was the aliquot stringing - they don't materially contribute to the pure bell-like tone. Indeed I feel they add impurity to an otherwise superb character.

Ralphiano

burkey The first thing I disabled in Pianoteq was the aliquot strings - they don't materially contribute to the pure bell-like tone.

Are you referring to an acoustic Bluthner? Or, VSL or other VST? How nice it would be to have an acoustic Bluthner!

HZPiano

Hello,

burkey The first thing I disabled in Pianoteq was the aliquot stringing

I have been checking out Pianoteq every now and then over the last two or three months. Nothing in it even remotely sounds like the utter joy I get from listening to actual Blüthners.

Cheers and happy playing,

HZPiano

Hello,

Ralphiano How nice it would be to have an acoustic Bluthner!

Boy Oh Boy it would be!

Cheers and happy dreams of gorgeous instruments,