I once visited a Toronto piano store and the gentleman I spoke to was super kind and accommodating . Although I’m a piano hack, I am an experienced guitarist and engineer. Not only did this salesperson answer ALL my questions, he also took me upstairs to where the pianos were $250 000+ and demonstrated each and allowed me to play too. A lifetime memory moment.
That's awesome to hear! That is a proper customer experience. Part of what we do and pride ourselves on is educating customers on pianos and empowering them with the tools and knowledge to make the best decision that fits their musical preferences and budget. :)
Joe Onofrio Piano Co had an upstairs too with many very unusual pianos. Onofrio sold the business to "Classic Pianos". I don't know if that unusual collection of unique pianos is still up there or not. One was a grand with aluminum legs that were designed to easily be removed so the the piano could be transported rather easily, at least in comparison to a standard grand piano. There were other modifications too that made the instrument lighter, but I can't describe them in detail other than to say the piano was entirely unique and completely customized.
I know these exceedingly expensive pianos have secondary cool/collectors value but I'm so glad I play guitar and drums.... you can get a *great* acoustic guitar for $5000 and a *great* drum kit for $10,000. Seems like great pianos don't start until the $30 grand mark. If I played piano on my budget I'd be constantly lamenting my shitty $10,000 piano.
I was not expecting this video to be as interesting as it was! I particularly appreciated that it wasn't just a list but that we were also able to get some of the associated history of these pianos.
Excellent! Thank you so much. I was very fortunate to take master piano classes in Vienna at Bösendorfer. One class was in 2013 when the Opus 50 was on display in their Wiener Neustadt factory showroom. It commemorated their 50,000th instrument produced. They have never produced more than 300 pianos a year. We were allowed to try any of the approximately 40 pianos in this show room. I got to play the opus 50! Thank you so much for including it inyour video. I’m surprised you didn’t include any of the Klimt Woman in Gold Bösendorfers. They have a beautiful inner hood replica of the famous painting. I bought my Bösendorfer 170 brand new in 1989 when I lived in Germany and it has been my pride and joy ever since. When I moved back to the USA Bösendorfer shipped a custom container from Vienna to Brussels where it was air freighted and only out of my sight for two days!
You're welcome! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experiences and insights. That is amazing that you had that opportunity! And congratulations on your Bosendorfer 170! I am very happy to hear that you have been able to keep it with you as you've moved around the globe. That is very cool! :)
The value of a piano is related to its musical achievement and never to any other feature. For me the Bösendorfer piano of Sir Andras Schiff is by far the best piano today.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Every piano customer is a little different and has different priorities! With that said, I personally agree with the philosophy that the musical experience an instrument provides is the most important thing. :)
We have had a few requests to tackle Nord models. We have added them to the list of potential candidates for upcoming review and comparison videos. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
Thank you for supporting our channel! We have added it to the list of potential candidates for future reviews/comparisons and will do our best to tackle it. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
My own grand piano, a baby-grand made in 1935 by the exceedingly prestigious Blüthner piano company in Leipzig, has some historical connexions to it. Before myself, the piano was owned by the chaplain of the Expos baseball team (when the team still was in Montréal). The Expos were all quite devout evangelical Protesant Christians. They used to give big gospel music concerts in Montréal and religion for them was something very important as a team. Their posters for the gospel music events that they gave are unusually attractive and should be worth much on the terms of that kind of printing. I have one of them.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Very cool! That kind of history undoubtedly gives the piano a little more "vibe" and nuance I'm sure! There is something very interesting about instruments and their capacity to retain a certain intangible magic and energy from all of the people that have played on it before (especially when used by truly magical players). :)
I once worked on a Chickering Upright in Hawaii that was said to have been owned by Queen Emma. It had two carved pineapples on the front side were the music desk is.
Hi Stu & Crew Excellent background, feel almost unreal, i bet that someone someday will question it's realness, will say that it's a blue-screen. (i think that it comes [at least partially] from the lighting Stu's hair from the back) That's perfect. Make people wonder, and than, one day just stand up and go to the piano at the back to prove it's realness. Establishing medium shot where i can see elbows and a natural sitting position (so i can picture myself sitting in similar position as an listening audience) than a jump-cut to a little close-up, and then second angle. So we have alll ingridients that one could expect from the professional YT production. 2:18 Automobil, i can see what Stu is describing, it's all very lively and engaging. 10:00 strong light on hands is interesting, in union with gesticulations creates some kind of reference to anime magic powers or a manifestation of jedi force, very interesting, worth exploring. As an aperitif a little tease of what we can expect and then one of the best naturally grown scenarios where expectations are raising, we see one amazing piano after another, hear it's history, and at the end we have a bomshell, subverted expectations, the most expensive piano is... not a piano! It's a prop! Oh, wait, no, it's a misfire :-( Guys, you have sinned a cardinal sin, you have started from "And they lived happily ever after, but before that..." Montage suffers at the end, was it done under pressure of time? Feels like it. If you could give yourself more time to massage this content, work on transitions, properly use all of the material you have and make a reupload - in a week or two... Toptenz have high "watchability" you guys have a piece that potentially can be counted in milions, this stuff has long legs. All ingridients are there, but it needs more coocking. --- About this Schimmel Pegasus in Toronto, can you make a Christmas Special? Is there someone good in calligraphy. Handwritten letter on some fancy paper that has a French smell, send to the owner, with a humble request to visit (with a video and audio crew) to make a special episode where Stu prepares an hour (at least) of playing with it (which requires about 3-4 hours of filming...) and (possibly) short conversation with the owner (is it a chance to talk to some "famous" pianist?) Anyway, you guys are so close, in the intro Stu have reminded us how he can reveal a true nature of the creature (in this case C. Bechstein 212) Stu I'm here to see how you do it to all 12 of them (and more :-)
Hi! Brent here! Thanks for taking the time to tune in and share your thoughts! I assure you that the background is real. That is a live shot from one of our showrooms. ;) Thanks again and all the best!
That would definitely be a very cool topic to explore! With that said, it would be highly subjective as every player has different tastes when it comes to tone and touch. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
Pegasus was designed by the legendary designer Luigi Colani, the father of organic design. He's also famous for a lot of other organic objects (in his motto non of the design should have any straight line). It is because I saw the Pegasus and Mr.Colani early in 2002, which inspired me to study design and end up in the Royal College of Art Industrial design, all thanks to him :)
Good subject for a video. I don't know the cost of those Stuart & Sons extended range pianos of recent years, but I know they are definitely very expensive. A video on those would be great, even though an in-person review is unlikely.
Guys, do not overestimate me. My daughter do have real grand piano at her school. Real piano at home. The electronic one is for her composition tasks to be written. And yes, 10 or 20K$ is not a problem.
Wow! What an amazing and informative video. I can happily say, there is only one of these that I'd want in my home. Time to set up a go fund me page for a "Fibonacci" - incredibly beautiful!
Was cutting through the new outside area of MSG to get to Moynihan Station NYC in August. Plunked literally in the middle of nowhere was Billy Joel’s piano from his residency at the Garden. The plaque said “Billy Joel at The Garden Billy Joel’s piano. Dedicated in celebration of Billy Joel’s 100th lifetime performance at Madison Square Garden, the World’s Most Famous Arena. Most sold out performances in a single arena by any artist worldwide” dated July 18, 2018.. I’m not sure it was the grand actually used for the performances because it looked more like a studio size and not a major venue size. The sign was deftly worded to make it look like it was the actual concert grand. It also had his show lineup for July 18, 2018 starting with “Big Shot” and ending with “You May be Right” 25 songs. It sits in a display case by one of the escalators. His adjustable swivel stool DW sat in front of it. I think the 2 pieces ( piano & stool)could have been in his dressing or practice areas. His last MSG show #150 was in July 2024.
I'm just a barroom hack bassist who started a rabbit hole with stradivarius violins today and said to myself "what about pianos"? Cool video for sure and I'd a thought the higher priced ones would be even higher priced..🤔 I'll sub and keep an eye out for more material from you.
Thanks so much for the sub! We really appreciate it. And we're glad you enjoyed the video! Naturally, you can always spend more money on a piano, especially when it comes to custom made items. :)
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Haha fair enough! Everyone is different when it comes to aesthetics. I tend to agree with you and prefer a more modest, traditional look. :)
I LOVE the look of the Fibonacci and the second Bösendorfer! Given the number of super rich people who might like a piano as an “objet d’art” in their living room, I’m actually surprised that there haven’t been more collaborations between master woodworkers and some of these high-end piano builders.
Absolutely! There are some really interesting and stunning instruments in this list! Perhaps, there are more one-off custom builds that are going under the radar. In any case, these exclusive pianos are a lot of fun to check out!
Very interesting. There was me thinking you would be discussing some of the best pianos tonally that one can buy only to be confronted with the most expensive potentially being one that may not have created any sound at all! But, you did say they were the most expensive pianos on the world! I have to agree with you though, whilst I found the C Bechstein Louis XV quite remarkable, and of course one as to think of the era in which it was made and for whom, the Steinway’s “Fibonacci” Piano is really special. That said, I love the 'Pictures at and Exhibition' piano, given it actually is adourned to reflect a composition.
When it comes to musicality and performance, there is so much subjectivity at play. While this video was a bit of a break of format, we felt that it would be a super interesting and engaging topic to cover. We're very glad to see such a positive response! Thanks for tuning in! :)
Steinway's "Fibonacci" piano is stunning! So is the Bosendorfer Opus 50. Both are elegant. My question would be, does the veneer affect the sound at all? Bechstein's Louis XV is a work of art. As for the rest, there's no accounting for taste.
Absolutely! These are all incredible instruments with stunningly eye-catching aesthetics! In my personal opinion, the external veneer would have a very minimal impact on the overall sound. This is a hotly debated topic though, especially when people are discussing tonal differences between satin and high gloss finishes for instance. For me, it has been quite negligible, but beauty is in the ear of the beholder of course.
Some of the most fascinating pianos I have come across (and I have no idea whether their price would have gotten them on this list) are the Stuart & Sons pianos from Australia. The Stuarts have absolutely stunning cabinet and veneer work often using woods growing only in Australia, and very innovative technical solutions. I am especially thinking of their patented bridge aggrafes. They also have four pedals.
Absolutely! The Stuart & Sons pianos are incredibly interesting and exciting! There is a good example of a company constantly pushing the boundaries of what we perceive a piano to be. :)
I wrongly assumed one of the Steinway & Sons pianos would be Richard Wagner’s quite opulent 1876 walnut concert grand at Bayreuth. I think he composed Parsifal (1882) on that instrument. Amusing to see which pianos made it on the list, since some were never sold, but all were rare.
That would certainly be an instrument worthy of making this list as well! Needless to say, there are a lot of very exciting and rare pianos out there. Perhaps, we will have to do a follow up video in the near future on this topic! :)
Marilyn's piano reminded me of something from Kimball. I can't remember noting any Baldwins with legs like that. It honestly could've been any brand though as many American brands they had at the time.
From a visual perspective, (from this video), Piano #4 Steinway's "Pictures at an Exhibition" Piano is so very interesting. There are so many beautiful details that adorn this piano, waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. I wish that I could see it in person. There is a RUclips video of this piano. The artist, Paul Wyse, is to be commended.
The second Steinway is adorned with the Golden Mean; aka Fibonacci Sequence or Fibonacci Spiral or "nature's secret code", which results in the Golden Ratio = 1.618. It's very sophisticated and a very appropriate application to a piano. It is represented in the base clef and in great European music. And it is represented in and by the Universe. But I digress as is my wont.
Thanks for tuning in! While the piano is perhaps a bit too bold for my tastes, Muggorsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" is a beautiful collection of tone poems and musical movements. :)
@@MerriamPianos It is rather garish and kitschy, isn't it? Regarding those movements, I'm sure that poor Modest was insanely jealous of his obscure rival's superior versions. :-)
I played on Swarovski Crystal Bosendorfer. It was not the entire case, just a few patterns inlaid into the case.A dealer out here in Hawaii made one. 800k, I believe.
Thank you for this educational and fascinating video. I enjoyed it immensely. I can understand the appeal, desirability and value to the John Lennon and the Marilyn Monroe, and maybe even the Casablanca one, but almost all of the other piano's in your video I found to be gaudy, and terrible eyesores. Especially the Louis XV, the Galaxy, the Kuhn, and Pictures at an Exhibition. Yuck! However I found the Fibonacci to be one of the most beautiful piano's I have ever laid eyes on. I loved every curve and variation in the woodwork. Just beautiful. I also really liked the Sphinx, but not nearly as much as the Fibonacci. The last one, the M. Liminal, from the front view looked a lot like the front design of an iMac computer. The M. Liminal from a side view looked to me like a modern Japanese fancy toilet. But since art is subjective, that is my take on the pianos.
You're very welcome! We're glad you enjoyed the video! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say. Aesthetics are very subjective and that is certainly the case with these instruments/musical art pieces as well. :)
Our family piano is an identical one to the John Lennon Z frame (minus the famous owner part...so far :D ). It is a very pleasant piano and seems very well-built, but otherwise it's quite unremarkable. 60years old and still holds 440hz without effort :)
@@MerriamPianos not necessarily if I am playing it :D Thank you for your informative videos. No longer living at the family home, I'm thinking of getting back into piano playing (I was a dot reader in my youth and played the afore mentioned acoustic piano up to Grade 8 AB). Thanks to your videos, I'm about to pull the trigger on a Roland FP30X, as the action is very important to me, even after many years of lapsed playing. Your videos have proved invaluable, even though we are separated by an ocean. I wish I could have found the same level of information over here ❤
That Casablanca horror of a piano (or more likely, a piano substitute) is even smaller, with less range, that the usual 66 keys miniature piano (with organ-range keyboard of 66 keys) that one hears in some dance bands or similar circumstances. I had to play one of these cretinous pianos in a dance band in the early 1960s and it was so frustrating even just to bang enough dynanics out of its timid li'l self that I had to brutalise my hands just to be audible. I got so angry and furious that when a solo came among for piano improvisation, I whacked and flailed at the cut-off-short keyboard with the force of everything that my 19 years old self could muster. I was in a state of sheer frenzy, foaming at the mouth. Afterwards the guys told me that this was the best solo that I ever did!
Haha go figure, right? I suppose sometimes resistance and adversity brings out the best of us! ;) Thanks so much for tuning in and sharing your story with us and the community! We appreciate it!
What about a video of the most expensive digital pianos? These are some of them with Roland and Kawai tone generators and actions: 1) Whaletone: Royal Digital and Grand Hybrid. Price: at least $110,000. They use the SuperNATURAL tone generator. The Royal Digital uses a discontinued Roland action. The newest addition to the lineup (Grand Hybrid) is using an action that "is based upon the use of full mechanics of a classical hammer mechanism". The amplifiers on the original one were rated at 350/1100 watts per channel. The power consumption was rated at 2,000 watts. 2) EXXEO: luxury digital piano with Kawai tone generator and action Not completely confirmed, but these are apparently the specs: * Tone generator: SK-EX Rendering and Harmonic Imaging XL * Action: Grand Feel III * Speakers: 9 speakers and 200 watt amplifiers developed by Onkyo * Built-in Lithium-Ion battery on the tail that lasts 20 hours 3) Roland GPX-F1 Facet Piano * PureAcoustic Piano Modeling technology and multi-speaker Acoustic Projection System. This piano has, I believe, a very complex array of speakers around the "soundboard rim" (to call it somehow) and on the base. The specs on the Kawai-inspired EXXEO reminds me of the Kawai CP1, which also has 9 speakers and 200 watts of amplifier power. I have played the Kawai CP200 (Concert Performer series also with 9 speakers and 200 watts), and while the sound at the sample level is outdated (it is an old model of probably 15 years ago), the speaker system is impressive. It was next to a Yamaha GC1 (I think) and it had pretty much the same presence sound-wise, although the Yamaha did have more mid-bass (not necessarily the speaker system fault, as it is likely to be the old sample). The EXXEO is not a Kawai digital piano, but rather a digital piano designed with Kawai's tone generator inside. Same goes for the Whaletone piano.
Very cool! I love that idea! Thanks for the suggestion and for all of the insights regarding these very cool and extravagant digital pianos! We will do our best to tackle the subject in a future video. :)
Liberace's Baldwin grand covered with small mirrors was on display at Onofrio's Pianos for a short time Every now and then you see an elaborate hand decorated Steinway on the showroom floor. Denver was a city with a lot of wealth in the silver mining days. Even Leadville Colorado has a very expensive theater organ that is still on display.
I think the Casablanca Piano is a real piano that is smaller with less keys. There was one like exactly it at Canyon Village in Yellowstone Park when I played there in the early 60's. It was in the employee's cafeteria. Honestly I recognize it as being real.
@Konstantin Ridaya Well you arer right and wrong. The piano I saw and played was very small, and exactly like the one pictured. It does fit your criteria of being small enough for Bogart to tower over. Given that I saw it and played it many times, I know it exists. I think it had 48 keys, but that number could be wrong. The piano was narrow and not very tall, but properly proportioned with standard sized keys. It sounded like any upright but just had less keys. It was not like the Casio mini keyboards that are common today.
Was hoping this video was going to be a review of the most expensive *production* models of each of the high end brands but was an interesting video nonetheless.
Highest end of musical school in Russia. My daughter in 6th year of musical school tried Kawai ES920. Onkyo sound is OK. Keys are too light. Is there anything electronic with real keys? Please advice, money is not an issue.
Kawai offers the MP11SE stage piano, which has an all 88 note wooden key action and a grand piano length pivot. It is a fantastic instrument that would be a meaningful step up from the ES920 in terms of its touch. With that said, it does not have onboard speakers, so an amplifier or external speakers will be required.
It depends on your definition of "real keys". Do you just want wooden keys or the entire piano action? If you get wooden keys only without the rest of the action, do you want them to be the length of a real acoustic piano keys or can they be shorter? There is a spectrum of choices in this topic. You mention that money is not an issue, in which case you might want the entire action, not just wooden keys. There are only two manufacturers that meet that criteria: Yamaha and Kawai. As M-B E430AMG mentioned, you might want to try the Yamaha AvantGrand series or the Kawai Novus series. Both companies put an entire action in their digital pianos, and they call this combination a "hybrid" piano. You can go a step further, since you say money is not an issue: the Yamaha TransAcoustic or Silent pianos, or Kawai Anytime or AURES pianos. I would personally chose a Yamaha TransAcoustic or Kawai AURES. They are the best of both worlds: you get a real acoustic instrument with strings that can be turned off and used as an electronic keyboard. They have the best speakers in the world: the soundboard! Plus, you can use headphones. They are a much better option than, let's say, a Yamaha N3X or Kawai NV10S. Why? Because you get a real acoustic grand piano + all the electronic stuff.
Interesting, though I don’t think that this over design pianos can sound better because of it’s excesive adornements. The cristal Kawai seems to be particularly silly, and the fact that LL played it confirms it. The Bechsteins are quite too much, in special the QV one. The Fazioli is rare but not nice, quite the opposite. It’s not an accident that the pianos used in concerts and recordings are plain and black (though if I could buy any I would prefer to see the veneer): at last the only important thing in a piano is the music you play in it, it’s a vehicule for something else.
Much of the extra costs for these very extravagant instruments are associated with aesthetics of course. It would be interesting to sit and play some of these ornate pianos to see how their musical experience compares to some of the tried, tested and true standard concert pianos most of us are familiar with. :)
I am not sure if there have been any appraisals on Horrowitz's piano. However, there is a story about the piano on Steinway's website, which you can view here: www.steinway.com/news/features/horowitz-piano-tour#:~:text=The%20piano%20has%20been%20used,more%20than%20seventy%2Dfive%20cities.
Merriam: I too have always been wowed by the Bösenwoofer ... I mean Bösendorfer ... particularly the top of the line Bösendorfer Imperial Grand (Model 290), which has 97 keys (eight octaves) ... 97 keys reminds me of the Cheshire Cat in "Alice In Wonderland" ruclips.net/video/G4fHre-yRPY/видео.html
How about a video on the world's more expensive pianos IN PRODUCTION! Limiting it to Regular / Standard Black Pianos, that anybody can buy NEW today from an Authorized Dealer. I'm pretty sure the list would be dominated by 9' Plus Concert Grands from the usual suspects. The only fair way to do it is based on MSRP, not on Street Pricing, or with fancy upgraded finishes (Say Ebony High Gloss Finishes, most piano makers offer that). While any manufacture can slap any price on their pianos for sale, it doesn't mean that it will sell for that, but this would still prove to be an enlightening list if you made it at least 15 to 20 deep. Top Ten won't reveal as much.
Thanks for the video, Stu! Just went down a huge rabbit hole about the "Crystal" piano. I watched Lang Lang's performance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics video, Please please tell me why the piano he plays on is White and not clear 😂. doesn't make any sense. I'm starting to believe this Crystal piano this is just a made up story. There is no acrylic or crystal piano that's worth 3.2 million and that was only played once, let alone at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. DOESN'T EXIST.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Haha while I understand where you're coming from, I can verify that the crystal acrylic piano does in fact exist. I have had the opportunity of seeing one in person during my trip to Kawai's factory in Japan last year. You can check out the specs and details on Kawai's CR-40 here: kawaius.com/product/cr-40/
@MerriamPianos Thanks for the response, Brent! That's awesome! I understand that "Crystal" pianos are made, but, Is there a "Crystal" acrylic piano worth 3.2 million though, and that was played only once during 2008 Beijing Olympics? That's what I'm stumped on. It's interesting to me that the only video of the olympics shows a white piano being played.
Hi, Stu. I don't have any money problem, I can spend any quantity I want (obliously, that isn't true, but take the joke). I want to buy the better grand piano un the world. Not the most expensive, but the best. Can you propose us the five better piano models un the whole world? And, if de can to heard it... Thank you very much.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! We have had a few requests to cover that topic. However, it is a highly subjective topic to cover as everyone's musical preferences are a little different. With that said, we have added the topic to the list and will do our best to tackle it in the near future as best we can. :)
Where is Chopin's piano? Mozart or Beethoven? Or Cristofori piano? What is the worth of the oldest piano that still exist? The price tag has nothing to do with piano but it's all about uniqueness as a collectible as you mentionned, not about playability. Erard, Pleyel or Chickering are not making the list, but they each paved the way to modern piano.
Perhaps, that is a topic for another video! ;) I definitely know what you mean though. Some of the instruments you mentioned have such historic importance that associating any value or price to it would be nearly impossible. Thanks for the video concept though! We will add it to the list of potential video topics for the future.
One is Chopin's pianos is in Poland and still being played in recitals to this very day. Its keys are somewhat narrower. I believe you can find RUclips vidoes of it. The Musiem in in Munich had many old pianos on display. When I went there in the 60's you could still play them. When I went back in 1978 they were roped off.
@@JoeLinux2000 I've read somewhere that he played a piano with rabbit skin on the hammer instead of felt... There was a Chopin's piano in England for a time. And yes, the narrower key would make perfect sense. Chopin didn't have large hand but there is some important span in his pieces for what I heard because I'm no where near his repertoire.
We have many videos that are demonstration/performance videos. This video is an overview of the most expensive pianos in the world (most of which would be quite difficult to have access to as you can imagine).
@@MerriamPianos , sorry, my comment was a little bit too short. But I was frustrated by not hearing any sound from those instrument. Would have been far more interesting. Thanks.
What "crystal" would this thing be made from? Firstly, crystal is not a material but a description of molecular structure. There are all kinds of crystal structures. If we are going to assume that it's a quartz crystal, which can be clear and colorless (like acrylic plastc)plastic, then the crystal would be enormous. And crystal quartz found in nature is not clear. It's dirty and nasty. You have to cut it, like a diamond, to see the beautiful clear planes. Anyway, a large quartz crystal is 6", not 9 feet. So maybe they embedded a crystal of some sort where Lang Langs delicate fingers pass over, who knows. But that thing is not crystal - its plastic or maybe glass in parts.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! The Kawai CR40 Crystal Grand's outer cabinet is made almost entirely of clear acrylic material. It is referred to as a "crystal" grand because of its appearance opposed to being a suggestion that the piano is made of "crystal". Thanks for tuning in! :)
I once visited a Toronto piano store and the gentleman I spoke to was super kind and accommodating .
Although I’m a piano hack, I am an experienced guitarist and engineer.
Not only did this salesperson answer ALL my questions, he also took me upstairs to where the pianos were $250 000+
and demonstrated each and allowed me to play too.
A lifetime memory moment.
That's awesome to hear! That is a proper customer experience. Part of what we do and pride ourselves on is educating customers on pianos and empowering them with the tools and knowledge to make the best decision that fits their musical preferences and budget. :)
Joe Onofrio Piano Co had an upstairs too with many very unusual pianos. Onofrio sold the business to "Classic Pianos". I don't know if that unusual collection of unique pianos is still up there or not. One was a grand with aluminum legs that were designed to easily be removed so the the piano could be transported rather easily, at least in comparison to a standard grand piano. There were other modifications too that made the instrument lighter, but I can't describe them in detail other than to say the piano was entirely unique and completely customized.
I know these exceedingly expensive pianos have secondary cool/collectors value but I'm so glad I play guitar and drums.... you can get a *great* acoustic guitar for $5000 and a *great* drum kit for $10,000.
Seems like great pianos don't start until the $30 grand mark. If I played piano on my budget I'd be constantly lamenting my shitty $10,000 piano.
I got to play Horowitz's piano once. Very quick action.😊
I was not expecting this video to be as interesting as it was! I particularly appreciated that it wasn't just a list but that we were also able to get some of the associated history of these pianos.
Thanks so much! We're glad you enjoyed it! :)
I’m watching this as I look over at my scratch and dent Roland ds88. Side note, I went with the Roland after watching another of your videos.
There is nothing wrong with a road worn instrument! It has character! ;)
Congrats on your DS88! It is a fantastic synth!
It would be nice to see the top 10 or 12 standard concert instruments by price.
We have had a few requests to cover that topic! We have added it to the list and will do our best to tackle it in the future. :)
Excellent! Thank you so much. I was very fortunate to take master piano classes in Vienna at Bösendorfer. One class was in 2013 when the Opus 50 was on display in their Wiener Neustadt factory showroom. It commemorated their 50,000th instrument produced. They have never produced more than 300 pianos a year. We were allowed to try any of the approximately 40 pianos in this show room. I got to play the opus 50! Thank you so much for including it inyour video. I’m surprised you didn’t include any of the Klimt Woman in Gold Bösendorfers. They have a beautiful inner hood replica of the famous painting. I bought my Bösendorfer 170 brand new in 1989 when I lived in Germany and it has been my pride and joy ever since. When I moved back to the USA Bösendorfer shipped a custom container from Vienna to Brussels where it was air freighted and only out of my sight for two days!
You're welcome! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experiences and insights. That is amazing that you had that opportunity! And congratulations on your Bosendorfer 170! I am very happy to hear that you have been able to keep it with you as you've moved around the globe. That is very cool! :)
You know your piano when you play it. That's how I got my Bosendorfer.
Thanks, I can’t buy any piano on your list but I like to hear about them.🎼🎶😎
You're very welcome! Thanks for taking the time to tune in! :)
The Fibonacci Steinway sure looks amazing
Absolutely! It is a very cool looking piano! :)
This looks interesting. Will watch it later🎹🎶
Sounds good! Thanks so much! :)
The value of a piano is related to its musical achievement and never to any other feature. For me the Bösendorfer piano of Sir Andras Schiff is by far the best piano today.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Every piano customer is a little different and has different priorities! With that said, I personally agree with the philosophy that the musical experience an instrument provides is the most important thing. :)
I have a Bosendorfer and love it. I am 78 and have played since age 6. I can't imagine my life without the piano.
Fascinating. Thank you very much.
You're very welcome! Thanks for taking the time to check out the video! :)
Hope you do a review on the family of Nord pianos soon !
I’ve been looking for that review on the channel
We have had a few requests to tackle Nord models. We have added them to the list of potential candidates for upcoming review and comparison videos. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
That was absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much. Also, that old attempt at a piano by Cristofori at the Met has got to be worth something!!!
You're very welcome! We're so happy that you enjoyed it! Thanks for tuning in! :)
Any chance you review numa x piano GT, soon? Enjoying your detailed video reviews and comparisons. Very nice channel.
Thank you for supporting our channel! We have added it to the list of potential candidates for future reviews/comparisons and will do our best to tackle it. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
Very interesting video. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome! Thanks for tuning in! We appreciate it. :)
Interesting list with tons of variety. My favorite piano was the one with chuckoo clocks for legs!
Thanks! We're glad you enjoyed the video! :)
My own grand piano, a baby-grand made in 1935 by the exceedingly prestigious Blüthner piano company in Leipzig, has some historical connexions to it. Before myself, the piano was owned by the chaplain of the Expos baseball team (when the team still was in Montréal). The Expos were all quite devout evangelical Protesant Christians. They used to give big gospel music concerts in Montréal and religion for them was something very important as a team. Their posters for the gospel music events that they gave are unusually attractive and should be worth much on the terms of that kind of printing. I have one of them.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Very cool! That kind of history undoubtedly gives the piano a little more "vibe" and nuance I'm sure! There is something very interesting about instruments and their capacity to retain a certain intangible magic and energy from all of the people that have played on it before (especially when used by truly magical players). :)
I once worked on a Chickering Upright in Hawaii that was said to have been owned by Queen Emma. It had two carved pineapples on the front side were the music desk is.
Hi Stu & Crew
Excellent background, feel almost unreal, i bet that someone someday will question it's realness, will say that it's a blue-screen. (i think that it comes [at least partially] from the lighting Stu's hair from the back)
That's perfect. Make people wonder, and than, one day just stand up and go to the piano at the back to prove it's realness.
Establishing medium shot where i can see elbows and a natural sitting position (so i can picture myself sitting in similar position as an listening audience) than a jump-cut to a little close-up, and then second angle. So we have alll ingridients that one could expect from the professional YT production.
2:18 Automobil, i can see what Stu is describing, it's all very lively and engaging.
10:00 strong light on hands is interesting, in union with gesticulations creates some kind of reference to anime magic powers or a manifestation of jedi force, very interesting, worth exploring.
As an aperitif a little tease of what we can expect and then one of the best naturally grown scenarios where expectations are raising, we see one amazing piano after another, hear it's history, and at the end we have a bomshell, subverted expectations, the most expensive piano is... not a piano! It's a prop! Oh, wait, no, it's a misfire :-(
Guys, you have sinned a cardinal sin, you have started from "And they lived happily ever after, but before that..." Montage suffers at the end, was it done under pressure of time? Feels like it.
If you could give yourself more time to massage this content, work on transitions, properly use all of the material you have and make a reupload - in a week or two... Toptenz have high "watchability" you guys have a piece that potentially can be counted in milions, this stuff has long legs.
All ingridients are there, but it needs more coocking.
---
About this Schimmel Pegasus in Toronto, can you make a Christmas Special? Is there someone good in calligraphy. Handwritten letter on some fancy paper that has a French smell, send to the owner, with a humble request to visit (with a video and audio crew) to make a special episode where Stu prepares an hour (at least) of playing with it (which requires about 3-4 hours of filming...) and (possibly) short conversation with the owner (is it a chance to talk to some "famous" pianist?)
Anyway, you guys are so close, in the intro Stu have reminded us how he can reveal a true nature of the creature (in this case C. Bechstein 212)
Stu I'm here to see how you do it to all 12 of them (and more :-)
Hi! Brent here! Thanks for taking the time to tune in and share your thoughts! I assure you that the background is real. That is a live shot from one of our showrooms. ;)
Thanks again and all the best!
I am awarding you with a honorary doctorates degree from our community
Keep the the videos coming !
I will pass on news of the accolade to Stu on your behalf! ;)
So much piano lore 😍
Always!!! Thanks for tuning in! :)
Indeed. It's fascinating
I would love you to make a Vid of the top 12 pianos from a player's perspective - regardless of price!
That would definitely be a very cool topic to explore! With that said, it would be highly subjective as every player has different tastes when it comes to tone and touch. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
@@MerriamPianos using Stu's subjective taste would be sufficient. Thats what we get on his other videos.
This is so cool! I do not play the piano but your videos are making me want to!
That is amazing to hear! We're glad the channel has been inspiring you to want to play. :)
Pegasus was designed by the legendary designer Luigi Colani, the father of organic design. He's also famous for a lot of other organic objects (in his motto non of the design should have any straight line). It is because I saw the Pegasus and Mr.Colani early in 2002, which inspired me to study design and end up in the Royal College of Art Industrial design, all thanks to him :)
That's awesome! It is a very cool and innovative design to say the least! I can certainly understand how that would inspire you to study design. :)
Sorry, I posted a link of it being played. I didn't know you had posted about it.
Amazing video
Thank you so much! We appreciate it! :)
I share your taste! The Fibonacci and the Opus 50 are also my favorites, and the Louis XV and Sphinx are striking.
They are quite remarkable masterpieces to say the least! :)
Good subject for a video. I don't know the cost of those Stuart & Sons extended range pianos of recent years, but I know they are definitely very expensive. A video on those would be great, even though an in-person review is unlikely.
Thanks for the suggestion! We are always looking for video topics and will definitely add it to the list. Thanks again and all the best! :)
Guys, do not overestimate me. My daughter do have real grand piano at her school. Real piano at home. The electronic one is for her composition tasks to be written. And yes, 10 or 20K$ is not a problem.
@Konstantin Ridaya 400,000 is more than I was expecting!
Wow! What an amazing and informative video. I can happily say, there is only one of these that I'd want in my home. Time to set up a go fund me page for a "Fibonacci" - incredibly beautiful!
We're so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for tuning in and best of luck with the Go Fund Me page! ;)
Was cutting through the new outside area of MSG to get to Moynihan Station NYC in August. Plunked literally in the middle of nowhere was Billy Joel’s piano from his residency at the Garden. The plaque said “Billy Joel at The Garden Billy Joel’s piano. Dedicated in celebration of Billy Joel’s 100th lifetime performance at Madison Square Garden, the World’s Most Famous Arena. Most sold out performances in a single arena by any artist worldwide” dated July 18, 2018..
I’m not sure it was the grand actually used for the performances because it looked more like a studio size and not a major venue size. The sign was deftly worded to make it look like it was the actual concert grand. It also had his show lineup for July 18, 2018 starting with “Big Shot” and ending with “You May be Right” 25 songs. It sits in a display case by one of the escalators. His adjustable swivel stool DW sat in front of it. I think the 2 pieces ( piano & stool)could have been in his dressing or practice areas. His last MSG show #150 was in July 2024.
That Bechstein 212 has (to me) the perfect piano sound.
The B212 is a truly remarkable instrument capable of immense expressivity!
I'm just a barroom hack bassist who started a rabbit hole with stradivarius violins today and said to myself "what about pianos"?
Cool video for sure and I'd a thought the higher priced ones would be even higher priced..🤔
I'll sub and keep an eye out for more material from you.
Thanks so much for the sub! We really appreciate it. And we're glad you enjoyed the video! Naturally, you can always spend more money on a piano, especially when it comes to custom made items. :)
Found the video very interesting! But give me the ordinary full concert grand Fazioli, or Steinway, or Shigeru Kawai anytime. 😂
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Haha fair enough! Everyone is different when it comes to aesthetics. I tend to agree with you and prefer a more modest, traditional look. :)
I LOVE the look of the Fibonacci and the second Bösendorfer! Given the number of super rich people who might like a piano as an “objet d’art” in their living room, I’m actually surprised that there haven’t been more collaborations between master woodworkers and some of these high-end piano builders.
Absolutely! There are some really interesting and stunning instruments in this list! Perhaps, there are more one-off custom builds that are going under the radar. In any case, these exclusive pianos are a lot of fun to check out!
Very interesting. There was me thinking you would be discussing some of the best pianos tonally that one can buy only to be confronted with the most expensive potentially being one that may not have created any sound at all! But, you did say they were the most expensive pianos on the world! I have to agree with you though, whilst I found the C Bechstein Louis XV quite remarkable, and of course one as to think of the era in which it was made and for whom, the Steinway’s “Fibonacci” Piano is really special. That said, I love the 'Pictures at and Exhibition' piano, given it actually is adourned to reflect a composition.
When it comes to musicality and performance, there is so much subjectivity at play. While this video was a bit of a break of format, we felt that it would be a super interesting and engaging topic to cover. We're very glad to see such a positive response! Thanks for tuning in! :)
Steinway's "Fibonacci" piano is stunning! So is the Bosendorfer Opus 50. Both are elegant. My question would be, does the veneer affect the sound at all? Bechstein's Louis XV is a work of art. As for the rest, there's no accounting for taste.
Absolutely! These are all incredible instruments with stunningly eye-catching aesthetics! In my personal opinion, the external veneer would have a very minimal impact on the overall sound. This is a hotly debated topic though, especially when people are discussing tonal differences between satin and high gloss finishes for instance. For me, it has been quite negligible, but beauty is in the ear of the beholder of course.
Great video!
Also, Blüthner Lucid EXO is another ~million dollar piano. Dunno why you skipped on it. :D
Thanks! There are quite a few! We tried to tackle as many as we could, but, perhaps, there will need to be a sequel to this video. ;)
I have nine of these down in the basement.
That's amazing! One can never have too many pianos. ;)
I hope you don't live in an area susceptile to flooding!
Made of some sort of invisible material of corss hahaha🎹🎶
I look forward to a video from 2 Chainz on his show "Most Expensivest" showcasing your basement.
@@Instrumental-Covers LOL🎹🎶
Some of the most fascinating pianos I have come across (and I have no idea whether their price would have gotten them on this list) are the Stuart & Sons pianos from Australia. The Stuarts have absolutely stunning cabinet and veneer work often using woods growing only in Australia, and very innovative technical solutions. I am especially thinking of their patented bridge aggrafes. They also have four pedals.
Absolutely! The Stuart & Sons pianos are incredibly interesting and exciting! There is a good example of a company constantly pushing the boundaries of what we perceive a piano to be. :)
I wrongly assumed one of the Steinway & Sons pianos would be Richard Wagner’s quite opulent 1876 walnut concert grand at Bayreuth. I think he composed Parsifal (1882) on that instrument. Amusing to see which pianos made it on the list, since some were never sold, but all were rare.
That would certainly be an instrument worthy of making this list as well! Needless to say, there are a lot of very exciting and rare pianos out there. Perhaps, we will have to do a follow up video in the near future on this topic! :)
Marilyn's piano reminded me of something from Kimball. I can't remember noting any Baldwins with legs like that. It honestly could've been any brand though as many American brands they had at the time.
Thanks so much for tuning in! We sincerely appreciate it. :)
Great video Stu. I’ll stick to my ES110 😂
Haha I hear you! With that said, the ES110 is a very solid instrument! Thanks for tuning in! :)
From a visual perspective, (from this video), Piano #4 Steinway's "Pictures at an Exhibition" Piano is so very interesting. There are so many beautiful details that adorn this piano, waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. I wish that I could see it in person.
There is a RUclips video of this piano. The artist, Paul Wyse, is to be commended.
The second Steinway is adorned with the Golden Mean; aka Fibonacci Sequence or Fibonacci Spiral or "nature's secret code", which results in the Golden Ratio = 1.618. It's very sophisticated and a very appropriate application to a piano. It is represented in the base clef and in great European music. And it is represented in and by the Universe.
But I digress as is my wont.
Thanks so much for tuning in! I certainly agree. It is a gorgeous piece with an incredible amount of aesthetic detail to explore. :)
13:53 Pictures at an Exhibition is attributed to the hitherto unknown composer Muggorsky.
Thanks for tuning in! While the piano is perhaps a bit too bold for my tastes, Muggorsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" is a beautiful collection of tone poems and musical movements. :)
@@MerriamPianos It is rather garish and kitschy, isn't it? Regarding those movements, I'm sure that poor Modest was insanely jealous of his obscure rival's superior versions. :-)
I played on Swarovski Crystal Bosendorfer. It was not the entire case, just a few patterns inlaid into the case.A dealer out here in Hawaii made one. 800k, I believe.
Thank you for this educational and fascinating video. I enjoyed it immensely. I can understand the appeal, desirability and value to the John Lennon and the Marilyn Monroe, and maybe even the Casablanca one, but almost all of the other piano's in your video I found to be gaudy, and terrible eyesores. Especially the Louis XV, the Galaxy, the Kuhn, and Pictures at an Exhibition. Yuck! However I found the Fibonacci to be one of the most beautiful piano's I have ever laid eyes on. I loved every curve and variation in the woodwork. Just beautiful. I also really liked the Sphinx, but not nearly as much as the Fibonacci. The last one, the M. Liminal, from the front view looked a lot like the front design of an iMac computer. The M. Liminal from a side view looked to me like a modern Japanese fancy toilet. But since art is subjective, that is my take on the pianos.
You're very welcome! We're glad you enjoyed the video! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say. Aesthetics are very subjective and that is certainly the case with these instruments/musical art pieces as well. :)
My next favorite channel after Throttle House- and both in Toronto. When I was there I felt that there is no there there.
Thank you so much! We appreciate the support immensely. :)
Our family piano is an identical one to the John Lennon Z frame (minus the famous owner part...so far :D ). It is a very pleasant piano and seems very well-built, but otherwise it's quite unremarkable. 60years old and still holds 440hz without effort :)
That is amazing! I imagine it is a spectacular piano with a beautiful musical voice. :)
@@MerriamPianos not necessarily if I am playing it :D Thank you for your informative videos. No longer living at the family home, I'm thinking of getting back into piano playing (I was a dot reader in my youth and played the afore mentioned acoustic piano up to Grade 8 AB). Thanks to your videos, I'm about to pull the trigger on a Roland FP30X, as the action is very important to me, even after many years of lapsed playing. Your videos have proved invaluable, even though we are separated by an ocean. I wish I could have found the same level of information over here ❤
That Casablanca horror of a piano (or more likely, a piano substitute) is even smaller, with less range, that the usual 66 keys miniature piano (with organ-range keyboard of 66 keys) that one hears in some dance bands or similar circumstances. I had to play one of these cretinous pianos in a dance band in the early 1960s and it was so frustrating even just to bang enough dynanics out of its timid li'l self that I had to brutalise my hands just to be audible. I got so angry and furious that when a solo came among for piano improvisation, I whacked and flailed at the cut-off-short keyboard with the force of everything that my 19 years old self could muster. I was in a state of sheer frenzy, foaming at the mouth. Afterwards the guys told me that this was the best solo that I ever did!
Haha go figure, right? I suppose sometimes resistance and adversity brings out the best of us! ;)
Thanks so much for tuning in and sharing your story with us and the community! We appreciate it!
What about a video of the most expensive digital pianos? These are some of them with Roland and Kawai tone generators and actions:
1) Whaletone: Royal Digital and Grand Hybrid. Price: at least $110,000.
They use the SuperNATURAL tone generator. The Royal Digital uses a discontinued Roland action. The newest addition to the lineup (Grand Hybrid) is using an action that "is based upon the use of full mechanics of a classical hammer mechanism".
The amplifiers on the original one were rated at 350/1100 watts per channel. The power consumption was rated at 2,000 watts.
2) EXXEO: luxury digital piano with Kawai tone generator and action
Not completely confirmed, but these are apparently the specs:
* Tone generator: SK-EX Rendering and Harmonic Imaging XL
* Action: Grand Feel III
* Speakers: 9 speakers and 200 watt amplifiers developed by Onkyo
* Built-in Lithium-Ion battery on the tail that lasts 20 hours
3) Roland GPX-F1 Facet Piano
* PureAcoustic Piano Modeling technology and multi-speaker Acoustic Projection System. This piano has, I believe, a very complex array of speakers around the "soundboard rim" (to call it somehow) and on the base.
The specs on the Kawai-inspired EXXEO reminds me of the Kawai CP1, which also has 9 speakers and 200 watts of amplifier power.
I have played the Kawai CP200 (Concert Performer series also with 9 speakers and 200 watts), and while the sound at the sample level is outdated (it is an old model of probably 15 years ago), the speaker system is impressive. It was next to a Yamaha GC1 (I think) and it had pretty much the same presence sound-wise, although the Yamaha did have more mid-bass (not necessarily the speaker system fault, as it is likely to be the old sample).
The EXXEO is not a Kawai digital piano, but rather a digital piano designed with Kawai's tone generator inside. Same goes for the Whaletone piano.
Very cool! I love that idea! Thanks for the suggestion and for all of the insights regarding these very cool and extravagant digital pianos! We will do our best to tackle the subject in a future video. :)
@@MerriamPianos Sounds great! Thanks a lot for the feedback :)
Liberace's Baldwin grand covered with small mirrors was on display at Onofrio's Pianos for a short time Every now and then you see an elaborate hand decorated Steinway on the showroom floor. Denver was a city with a lot of wealth in the silver mining days. Even Leadville Colorado has a very expensive theater organ that is still on display.
I thought you'd be playing the pianos in a shootout for the sound differences. Cool history though!
If only we had all of those pianos in one place to do a proper piano shootout! :)
Thank you for such San interesting and informative journey. Re: a few pianos………WHY?????
You're very welcome! Thank you for tuning in! :)
Nice video. This makes me see that my piano was not that expensive after all (a CT-S300 that cost me 160 euros)...
The pianos listed in this video will make virtually every other piano feel quite affordable and inexpensive. ;)
Schimmels and Estonias while not the most expensive are certainly in the mid price range and to my ears sound among the finest grands at any price.
Schimmel and Estonia both make exceptional pianos that present some of the best cost-to-value ratios of upper-end European made pianos. :)
You should have started the list from the bottom up. Although still a fascinating list.
Thanks so much for tuning in! We appreciate it immensely. :)
@@MerriamPianos ; by far, my favourite piano on the list is C. Bechstien “Sphinx”. It’s the most aesthetically pleasing one for me.
I think the Casablanca Piano is a real piano that is smaller with less keys. There was one like exactly it at Canyon Village in Yellowstone Park when I played there in the early 60's. It was in the employee's cafeteria. Honestly I recognize it as being real.
That's very interesting! Thank you kindly for sharing the anecdote. :)
@Konstantin Ridaya Well you arer right and wrong. The piano I saw and played was very small, and exactly like the one pictured. It does fit your criteria of being small enough for Bogart to tower over. Given that I saw it and played it many times, I know it exists. I think it had 48 keys, but that number could be wrong. The piano was narrow and not very tall, but properly proportioned with standard sized keys. It sounded like any upright but just had less keys. It was not like the Casio mini keyboards that are common today.
Was hoping this video was going to be a review of the most expensive *production* models of each of the high end brands but was an interesting video nonetheless.
Thanks for tuning in! That would also be a compelling topic to cover. Perhaps, we will do so in a future video. ;)
I still think that a player makes the business. Piano, bass, guitar - player matters most.
I'd agree with that notion! "Tone is in the fingers" as they say!
what do they mean with crystal? made from crystals or made from crystal Glas?
They refer to the piano as a "crystal piano" because it is transparent. It is actually made of industrial-grade acrylic. :)
@@MerriamPianos yeah i know but what Kind of crystals are they refering
Highest end of musical school in Russia. My daughter in 6th year of musical school tried Kawai ES920. Onkyo sound is OK. Keys are too light. Is there anything electronic with real keys? Please advice, money is not an issue.
Kawai offers the MP11SE stage piano, which has an all 88 note wooden key action and a grand piano length pivot. It is a fantastic instrument that would be a meaningful step up from the ES920 in terms of its touch. With that said, it does not have onboard speakers, so an amplifier or external speakers will be required.
Try Yamaha Avant grand series and Kawais NV series🎹🎶
It depends on your definition of "real keys". Do you just want wooden keys or the entire piano action? If you get wooden keys only without the rest of the action, do you want them to be the length of a real acoustic piano keys or can they be shorter? There is a spectrum of choices in this topic.
You mention that money is not an issue, in which case you might want the entire action, not just wooden keys. There are only two manufacturers that meet that criteria: Yamaha and Kawai.
As M-B E430AMG mentioned, you might want to try the Yamaha AvantGrand series or the Kawai Novus series. Both companies put an entire action in their digital pianos, and they call this combination a "hybrid" piano.
You can go a step further, since you say money is not an issue: the Yamaha TransAcoustic or Silent pianos, or Kawai Anytime or AURES pianos.
I would personally chose a Yamaha TransAcoustic or Kawai AURES. They are the best of both worlds: you get a real acoustic instrument with strings that can be turned off and used as an electronic keyboard. They have the best speakers in the world: the soundboard! Plus, you can use headphones.
They are a much better option than, let's say, a Yamaha N3X or Kawai NV10S. Why? Because you get a real acoustic grand piano + all the electronic stuff.
@@Instrumental-Covers What a wonderful reply. I'll check everything you mentioned though our shops are limited now. Great thanks, domo arigato.
@@valvlad3176 Thanks a lot for the feedback. I am glad it helped.
It looks like Lennon's upright is currently at the Strawberry Field exhibition at Strawberry Field in Liverpool, on loan from George Michael's estate.
Very cool! What a wonderful experience it would be to have the opportunity to play some of these instruments with so much history packed into them! :)
Interesting, though I don’t think that this over design pianos can sound better because of it’s excesive adornements. The cristal Kawai seems to be particularly silly, and the fact that LL played it confirms it. The Bechsteins are quite too much, in special the QV one. The Fazioli is rare but not nice, quite the opposite. It’s not an accident that the pianos used in concerts and recordings are plain and black (though if I could buy any I would prefer to see the veneer): at last the only important thing in a piano is the music you play in it, it’s a vehicule for something else.
Much of the extra costs for these very extravagant instruments are associated with aesthetics of course. It would be interesting to sit and play some of these ornate pianos to see how their musical experience compares to some of the tried, tested and true standard concert pianos most of us are familiar with. :)
That crystal Bosendorfer is hideous. I saw a rosewood Bosendorfer that was beautiful.
Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder of course. ;)
What's the story on Horowitz's piano(s)? Who owns them and where are they today? Has any value ever been assigned to them?
I am not sure if there have been any appraisals on Horrowitz's piano. However, there is a story about the piano on Steinway's website, which you can view here:
www.steinway.com/news/features/horowitz-piano-tour#:~:text=The%20piano%20has%20been%20used,more%20than%20seventy%2Dfive%20cities.
I'm surprised the Steinway-Lang Lang Black Diamond didn't make this list. I believe that piano cost above 1 million
Perhaps, we will need to do a sequel to this video! ;)
Merriam: I too have always been wowed by the Bösenwoofer ... I mean Bösendorfer ... particularly the top of the line Bösendorfer Imperial Grand (Model 290), which has 97 keys (eight octaves) ... 97 keys reminds me of the Cheshire Cat in "Alice In Wonderland" ruclips.net/video/G4fHre-yRPY/видео.html
That is an interesting reference point, but I kinda know what you mean! :)
I'm surprised you didn't mention Elton John's so-called "Million-Dollar Piano" from his Las Vegas residency.
We may need to do a second installment to this video series! ;)
Stu is a G
:)
should have shown more photos of the piano and less Stu
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! You can never have enough Stu though! ;)
I was hoping this be on quality piano’s
These are certainly amongst the highest-quality instruments out there. :)
How about a video on the world's more expensive pianos IN PRODUCTION! Limiting it to Regular / Standard Black Pianos, that anybody can buy NEW today from an Authorized Dealer. I'm pretty sure the list would be dominated by 9' Plus Concert Grands from the usual suspects. The only fair way to do it is based on MSRP, not on Street Pricing, or with fancy upgraded finishes (Say Ebony High Gloss Finishes, most piano makers offer that). While any manufacture can slap any price on their pianos for sale, it doesn't mean that it will sell for that, but this would still prove to be an enlightening list if you made it at least 15 to 20 deep. Top Ten won't reveal as much.
That is an excellent suggestion! I will be sure to pass it along to our production team. Thanks so much and all the best! :)
Price is definitely not dependent on function at this level.
I think that is a fair assessment! ;)
These pianos are: "If you have to ask the price you can't afford it" pianos. lol
Haha there is certainly some truth that statement!
Thanks for the video, Stu!
Just went down a huge rabbit hole about the "Crystal" piano. I watched Lang Lang's performance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics video, Please please tell me why the piano he plays on is White and not clear 😂. doesn't make any sense. I'm starting to believe this Crystal piano this is just a made up story. There is no acrylic or crystal piano that's worth 3.2 million and that was only played once, let alone at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. DOESN'T EXIST.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Haha while I understand where you're coming from, I can verify that the crystal acrylic piano does in fact exist. I have had the opportunity of seeing one in person during my trip to Kawai's factory in Japan last year. You can check out the specs and details on Kawai's CR-40 here:
kawaius.com/product/cr-40/
@MerriamPianos Thanks for the response, Brent! That's awesome! I understand that "Crystal" pianos are made, but, Is there a "Crystal" acrylic piano worth 3.2 million though, and that was played only once during 2008 Beijing Olympics? That's what I'm stumped on. It's interesting to me that the only video of the olympics shows a white piano being played.
Klavins piano 3,5 millions
Thanks so much for tuning in and sharing! We appreciate it. :)
Ascending Order version is here ruclips.net/video/M0fNjjyoIlA/видео.html
:)
Hi, Stu.
I don't have any money problem, I can spend any quantity I want (obliously, that isn't true, but take the joke).
I want to buy the better grand piano un the world. Not the most expensive, but the best.
Can you propose us the five better piano models un the whole world?
And, if de can to heard it...
Thank you very much.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! We have had a few requests to cover that topic. However, it is a highly subjective topic to cover as everyone's musical preferences are a little different. With that said, we have added the topic to the list and will do our best to tackle it in the near future as best we can. :)
@@MerriamPianos Thank you very much.
I think this is an interesting topic to explain.
Hey stu comb that hair son
You gotta keep things fresh every now and then! ;)
Smallest "concert grand":
Hayato Sumino, récital de piano, 4 juillet 2019
ruclips.net/video/_Bck8GE5gtY/видео.html
Very cool and excellent playing! Thanks for sharing!
Where is Chopin's piano? Mozart or Beethoven? Or Cristofori piano? What is the worth of the oldest piano that still exist? The price tag has nothing to do with piano but it's all about uniqueness as a collectible as you mentionned, not about playability. Erard, Pleyel or Chickering are not making the list, but they each paved the way to modern piano.
Perhaps, that is a topic for another video! ;)
I definitely know what you mean though. Some of the instruments you mentioned have such historic importance that associating any value or price to it would be nearly impossible. Thanks for the video concept though! We will add it to the list of potential video topics for the future.
One is Chopin's pianos is in Poland and still being played in recitals to this very day. Its keys are somewhat narrower. I believe you can find RUclips vidoes of it. The Musiem in in Munich had many old pianos on display. When I went there in the 60's you could still play them. When I went back in 1978 they were roped off.
@@JoeLinux2000 I've read somewhere that he played a piano with rabbit skin on the hammer instead of felt... There was a Chopin's piano in England for a time. And yes, the narrower key would make perfect sense. Chopin didn't have large hand but there is some important span in his pieces for what I heard because I'm no where near his repertoire.
some of those designs - yikes!
Not every design is for everyone! ;)
9 minutes and no sound. I quit.
We have many videos that are demonstration/performance videos. This video is an overview of the most expensive pianos in the world (most of which would be quite difficult to have access to as you can imagine).
@@MerriamPianos , sorry, my comment was a little bit too short. But I was frustrated by not hearing any sound from those instrument. Would have been far more interesting. Thanks.
What a waste of time.
We're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the video. Thank you for taking the time to check it out!
Why said so?
Well I found it quite interesting 👍
What "crystal" would this thing be made from? Firstly, crystal is not a material but a description of molecular structure. There are all kinds of crystal structures. If we are going to assume that it's a quartz crystal, which can be clear and colorless (like acrylic plastc)plastic, then the crystal would be enormous. And crystal quartz found in nature is not clear. It's dirty and nasty. You have to cut it, like a diamond, to see the beautiful clear planes. Anyway, a large quartz crystal is 6", not 9 feet. So maybe they embedded a crystal of some sort where Lang Langs delicate fingers pass over, who knows. But that thing is not crystal - its plastic or maybe glass in parts.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! The Kawai CR40 Crystal Grand's outer cabinet is made almost entirely of clear acrylic material. It is referred to as a "crystal" grand because of its appearance opposed to being a suggestion that the piano is made of "crystal". Thanks for tuning in! :)