In 2010 Markson Pianos launched their Markson Concert Series which has since taken off and become an extremely successful string of musical events. Markson Pianos are a London based Piano Company founded in 1910 and have since gone on to become one of the UK’s leading piano specialists. Last month as part of their ongoing series, Markson introduced Bosendorfer’s Vienna Concert Grand 280VC at Conway Hall in central London. The evening was hosted by none other than Simon Markson, the Managing Director of the company.
The evening was very well received as spectators came to watch Polish concert pianist and president of the Chopin Society in the Federal Republic of Germany, Aleksandra Mikulska perform. Mikulska was born and grew up in Warsaw where she started her first piano lessons aged 6. Since then Mikulska has gone on to become one of the world’s leading representatives of young pianists earning a multitude of international accolades.
Not long after Markson unveiled Bösendorfer’s new ‘Vienna Concert’ Grand 280VC to the audience, the pianist sat at the new 280VC and went on to play three classically skilled works. Mikulska began with Frederic Chopin’s Amdante spianato e Grande Polonaise billante, a piece originally composed between 1830 and 1834. After which there was a small pause before Chopin’s 1837 Scherzo No 2 in B flat minor began, a piece Robert Schumann professed to be “so overflowing with tenderness, boldness, love and contempt.” For her final piece, Mikulska performed Hungarian born pianist Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No 11 in A minor.
The performance was greeted with heavy applause for both the pianist and the immense sound demonstrated by the instrument. After, Ferdinand Bräu Bosendorfers Senior Product Designer went on to ask Mikulska what she thought of the grand. The pianist was very quick to exclaim how big of a sound the instrument provides and how it allows the artist ‘the opportunity to play this big sound with less power than you might need with other concert grands’.
In term of what makes this new Bosendorfer model different from its predecessors, there have been a variety of upgrades. These upgrades focus on making the experience as easy as possible for the pianist and improving the stability in a variety of contexts. Ensuring that the Viennese sound and unique design is maintained whilst creating balance to keep it in line with modern day expectations has been of paramount importance to the designers. The modern pianist, whether at home or performing at a venue will look not only for an immense range of sound but also the size. For it to fit comfortably into the home or to have easy accessibility in musical venues, the instrument cannot surpass a certain size.
After Mikulska departed from the stage, Bräu went on to further explain more about the two models. The upgrades include improved stability in tuning, action and voicing for a variety of environmental changes such as when it is being transported or there are changes in humidity and temperature. Ultimately, the new Bosendorfer Vienna Concert Grand 280VC is a piano built to make the life of concert pianists easier with no compromise on the renowned Viennese aesthetic and sound.
For more information on the Bosendorfer 280VC, and the services offered by Markson Pianos, visit our website.