Vancouver Architect designs case for world's largest piano: FAZIOLI F308

Vancouver Architect Ernest Collins designed the art case for a very special Fazioli F308 in Red Elm. Fazioli pianos are made by hand in Italy and have gained popularity at an astonishing rate since their beginning in 1979. They are now widely regarded as being the finest pianos available in the world, and at 10 feet and 3 inches long the Fazioli model F308 is the largest production piano in the world.
Showcase Pianos is the exclusive dealer for Fazioli pianos in the province of BC, and deals with many brands of pianos - - - from the very affordable, to the most luxurious. (www.showcasepianos.com)
Ernest Collins and his wife Grace designed the case of the piano, as well as the matching cabinet and picture frame shown in the video. (www.ernestcollins.bc.ca)
Cabinet was made by Joe Edwards of TLC Design.
Artist for the painting is Mike Solomon. (www.soloman.ca)
Music composed and performed (unfortunately not on a Fazioli) by the very talented Juilliard graduate and die-hard Fazioli fan Jennifer Athena Galatis. (www.jennifergalatis.com)
Camera work, video production and editing done by Guy Roland & Dave Hamilton of NDB Creative. (www.nbdcreative.com)

[@colinmurphy2214]

Very symbolic to see Steinway fade away and a Fazioli take its place

[@zwz.zdenek]

Steinway's gonna be SO BUTTHURT after this they will probably sue them.

[@alexeykulikov2739]

I am so happy my F156 is classical black. Nothing distracts.

[@PianoPlayah]

Stunning home! My God that piano is incredibly beautiful. What craftsmanship! I really enjoyed the video, however, I was disappointed not to see the families reaction and not to hear that magnificent beast of a piano played. Well, so on and so forth...glad they are a blessed family and can enjoy the finer things in life.

[@FrancesHui]

Spectacular and impressive! Love the piano and the painting! Amazing work, Manuel! Kudos to everyone!

[@jennifergala]

Great work Manuel and Guy!!!! It looks Amazing.

[@ralphrestubog5519]

that poor Steinway got ditched. RIP.

[@keniisaka]

Beautifully narrated. Bravo

[@marioantoniomoreno3991]

Nice, really nice! beautiful piano, beautiful house and the decoration.

[@dulistanheman]

Beautifull and elegant Piano. Very satisfying to watch. Thank you.

[@ricerolls1]

is amazing what money can buy

[@paxwallacejazz]

Honestly money doesn't can't buy what these plutocrats reviere the most and that's true creativity like Bill Evans. They don't have it believe me.

[@lehmanbrothers6938]

I love these kinds of videos! I greatly appreciate you sharing this. Around how much money did the piano end up costing?

[@MetaView7]

Wow What a piano

[@yuanyi777]

haha :) love the ending - Fazioli gracefully made Steinway disappear

[@ephrumlarson2697]

Absolutely stunning work of art indeed ! But does it actually compare to what they replaced ? What a shame they had to replace one of the worlds greatest pianos if not the greatest the magnificent Steinway !

[@OneGreatPiano]

It’s your first time hearing of a FAZIOLI, I guess? We get more Steinways on trade for FAZIOLI than any other brand of piano. This is the brand that the worlds leading Bach pianist left Steinway for. Jazz legend Herbie Hancock will only play FAZIOLI. After 80 years of only buying Steinways, the Juilliard School of Music (arguably the top music school in the world) broke away from tradition to start buying FAZIOLI pianos. Maybe the Steinway isn’t the greatest piano after all?

[@ephrumlarson2697]

Showcase Pianos I’d only assume every artist has their “Piano” that they feel is the greatest in the world, I will say it is inspiring and I’ve played a Fazioli before they are indeed a high end brand of piano that won’t disappoint but in my experiences the Steinway is ‘my’ greatest that is all. Lovely video :)

[@juanguillermopereiravasque1507]

Yo quiero un Fazioli señor Paolo Fazioli¡¡¡En mi casa tengo un rincón reservado y lo tocaría con mucha pasión ¡¡

[@paxwallacejazz]

The new Bechsteins and the good ol Mason & Hamlin

[@OneGreatPiano]

[@AngeloDeAngelis748]

Fazioli...un sogno diventato realtà

[@jimijaam2591]

I think Liszt who loved Erard pianos would dig a Fazioli, but Chopin would probably be stubbornly poetic and stick to his Pleyel .. hehehe

[@carolinepouedras8208]

Ce que nous donne les Pianos FAZIOLI : réaliser ses rêves

[@shinaekimsrelaxingmusic]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@CostantinoCatenaPianist]

The Sound of Concert Grand Fazioli F278: Costantino Catena plays Debussy and Schumann

[@JacopoTore]

A parte la musica mi è piaciuto molto il video

[@TimothySars]

I hope the owner highers lots of piano players to play that thing. That what it's built for.

[@zwz.zdenek]

One might argue it's an investment. Like many other items in lavish mansions. But yes, if they let it be played by chance, I would be glad.

[@micheldvorsky]

It's a well-produced, professional looking video. But the piano that is being played in the first 30 seconds has a rather metallic and disagreeable timbre - hard to believe that is the tone of a world class piano. Plus that Bach arrangement at 1:00 is pretty atrocious.

[@OneGreatPiano]

Ironically, none of the music on this mini-documentary was recorded on a Fazioli. I totally agree with you about the sound of the piano in the first 30 seconds. With the exception of that part, all was recorded on a 9'6" Bosendorfer, which was the best piano available to our Fazioli-loving composer, Montreal based Jennifer Athena Galatis. I never found out what piano was in the beginning part, but it sounds very difficult to play. The Bach arrangement has more to do with the cuts we made to the video after the sound was recorded.

[@jennifergala]

Originally I composed a different opening original theme which was so smooth actually. However we all follow orders and the director prefers The Tchaikovsky piece instead so I did performed it on the same piano I don't know if the sound became harsh during the mix. I don't find the Bach atrocious though. Thx for your comment.

[@OneGreatPiano]

***** Wow! I'm surprised that the first one is from the same piano! The rest of it sounds great though! Thank you!

[@danielhung3744]

+jennifergala Did you by any chance also play Beethovens Pathetique during the credits? Because I absolutely love that version and would love a link to the full version. Thanks!

[@jennifergala]

+Daniel Hung Hi Daniel the soundtrack album from the documentary is available on iTunes here is the link itunes.apple.com/ca/album/fazioli/id1064833726 and Thank you for your comment.

[@edgeguy99]

The Rubenstein piano is the largest production piano in the world at 12' 2".

[@AdventuresWithAria]

Thanks Bobby Sparks ! Yes, there have been a few pianos made that are larger than the Fazioli F308! Do you know if they have made more than one?

[@bleak5724]

I wouldn't call the Rubenstein a "production" piano.

[@inraid]

The world's largest piano is the 12'2" (371 cm) Rubenstein piano

[@OneGreatPiano]

It's true, but the Fazioli F308 is the world's largest 'production' piano, whereas the piano you are referring to is a 'one-of'. Thank you for your comment!

[@danielhung3744]

Anyone know where I can find that version of Beethoven's Pathetique played during the credits?

[@Ch9-7708]

And people say money doesn’t buy happiness...

[@ohraider]

But how does it play?!

[@lucasmaccloud]

What is the name of the piece at 13:48?

[@danielhung3744]

Beethoven - Piano Sonata no.8 2nd Movement

[@JacopoTore]

Arranged

[@evanmiles2652]

It’s kind of a waste to have such a big piano in such a small room. You don’t even get to experience the sound of a big piano, it’s just a flex at that point

[@OneGreatPiano]

The piano is on deep pile carpet with a thick underlay, so it eats up a lot of the sound in that room - - - making this concert grand sound GLORIOUS in this space. You'll just have to trust us on this, but it is fantastic.

[@2828288336]

how rich is this family? wealthy asians for sure

[@goognamgoognw6637]

Chinese industrial or chinese exporter, most certainly. Would be interesting to know how the products that made him rich compare in quality with a Fazioli piano or how the average countryside child worker salary in chinese factories compares to his. Both ratios are probably 1 : millions. How much of that money comes from having political ties. It's anyone's guess. Exploited countryside workers blood money and political corruption made many chinese millionaires.

[@bifeldman]

They traded that elegant understated Steinway for this?

[@AdventuresWithAria]

Does this strike you as an "understated" home that needed an understated piano? As you saw in the video, the architect and designers of the home designed this piano specifically to match the home better. Thank you for watching our videos, by the way! Do you happen to have any positive comments for a change?

[@bifeldman]

Well, there is money, and there is taste. They do not always go together. As Philippe Channel said, “A chacun son gout, meme le merde.”

[@AdventuresWithAria]

@@bifeldman Thank you for the explanation! I was wondering why someone would like the original piano better, but your quote says it all.

[@pereztube2]

Ah to be rich.

[@ludwigsnihonto8757]

It’s so sad rich people buying shit they don’t really need, all fuzz about a piano we didn’t raven see being played. Just sad seeing a great instrument just rotting there as a status symbol

[@OneGreatPiano]

It's played by the 3 children in the home that are studying piano! Also, pianos have a life expectancy of 100+ years, so I wouldn't say it's "rotting".

[@boriscervanti8892]

Over the last 9 years, Chen's house may be changed hands several times (in view of blossom property market in Vancouver)........... And as a naive Chinese, I still cannot catch the idea of showing a drawing in a piano room [about the show-off the family members], even contemporary French don't do it. ........ And viewing this clip (may be the maker solely aim for promoting of the brand of the Piano), I didn't feel comfortable. Just like I am not comfortable of watching the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" (2018) few years ago.

[@OneGreatPiano]

Hi Boris! This home has not changed hands at all since that time. The Chens have made it their beautiful family home and work on its upkeep daily. The family likes having a painting in the home that contains all their family members, but they are not trying to be contemporary French, it's just something they like. Thank you for sharing your negativity and displeasure here - we will make sure you are not on any guest lists to visit the home.

[@jostephenz3260]

Fake bach prelude in the background music

[@charlesparker6167]

Hate this kind of marketing.

[@OneGreatPiano]

Aww! That's sad. There's already so much hatred in the world. I just wanted to share what I thought was a very interesting story about a very interesting piano. It cost me a lot of money to make, and I thought people would enjoy it. I guess you can't please everyone!

[@zwz.zdenek]

What's not to like? Great production value, display of traditional and modern skills in several different arts, plus they even lovingly jabbed certain competition. If only more ads were as classy as this!

[@eleezemckenna6787]

Stunning!!!! I have just one con which is very personal to me. I absolutely need the caster going in the same direction. Money can not buy happiness. Money can purchase satisfaction only. Happiness is a gift from God and is available to every soul that is blessed enough to come into this world. Money can only buy one the things one wants, needs and a measure of contentment.

[@eleezemckenna6787]

That being said I'll take the life of having unlimited funds. It has to be a wonderful feeling to have enough money to desire something and simply place an order for it and have it done.