Bösendorfer Pianos - What a great big, beautiful piano!

[@KenAhlberg]

I was asked to pay for a friend’s wedding out of town and was stunned to discover that I would be playing a Bösendorfer! I will never forget the amazing experience.

[@AECSRQ]

The best piano I have ever performed on is the Bosendorfer Imperial. It is the greatest piano ever made, bar none. Nothing else comes close to the tone, responsiveness, subtlety, and resonance. Bosendorfer is the Platonic Ideal of the piano.

[@ExeCraftVideos]

I have played one of these fantastic pianos at Exeter Cathedral for a Christmas concert. Absolutely amazing

[@brynmiller7547]

N

[@TheAtheist22]

THE ROLLS ROYCE OF PIANOS.

[@carolineandtigger]

It's great to learn history and how they make Bosendorfer pianos. Thank you for sharing.

[@Cyntillation01]

If it wasn't for Tori Amos, I probably never would have even heard of Bösendorfer; but thankfully, I've had the privilege of listening to a couple of them live in concert a couple dozen times. Happy, happy times.

[@JohnOvertonJMBO]

Jus' LUUURVE playing Bösendorfer grand pianos - in every musical context!!!! Such a joy!

[@jeffglanstein4489]

Oh, if you look at the artistry and craftsmanship going into this piano's construction it is no wonder to me that the piano has a soul. For sure, the craftsman inserted a piece of their soul into each work of art. It would not surprise me that there are generations of craftsmen making these pianos year after year.

[@EASYTIGER10]

I love watching great craftsmen at work, producing something fantastic. Like watching a great pianist :)

[@arthurthroovest558]

the highlight of our trip to Musikmesse, Frankfurt.... the Bosendorfer stand!!!

[@MsrAlaindeFerrier]

Obviously Steinway seems to hog the limelight and I do adore the make but once I attended a concert at the Royal Northern college of music in Manchester. I had free reign to wonder about the place before the start of the opera. I came upon a room where there was a massive piano with the cover on it. I lifted the leather cover and opened the lid and there before me was a completely stunning Bosendorfer concert grand piano. I played Chopin #1 the 1st mvt on it and connected with it instantly. It's action was absolutely sublime and the tone, oh my god, it was just out of this world gorgeous. Aparently the college had taken delivery of 2 of them at £140.000 each. My friend came and found me at the piano he'd heard my playing from down the hall. I told him that I was going to come back later and do a ram raid to adopt the bosendorfer and take it home! I fell so in love with it instantly. I hope one day to be able to buy one and fulfill my dream love affair with this in my opinion in a different league to any steinway I've ever played

[@DrChaad]

This whole video blurb fails to mention what you did: The sensitive and finger-responsive action of the Bösendorfer is in a league of its own. Their marketing department is really dropping the ball on this selling point.

[@fw1421]

Amazing to see how these masterpieces are made. I don’t play piano but would love to.

[@DihelsonMendonca]

It is excellent that Bösendorfer has chosen JAZZ for this demonstration in part. Piano music comes in a great variety of styles, and all of them deserve respect. Pianos are not made only for classical music. Classical music is one genre of music. I can remember the great Oscar Peterson playing on a Bösendorfer piano, but there´s many better audio clips available than the one presented here, which the sound doesn´t do justice to the piano nor to Oscar Peterson.

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

Here's the original performance of the most famous jazz piece ever written, "Take 5" by Dave Brubeck: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnnHhmipfc6aj7M

[@phdtobe]

Dihelson Mendonca Interesting you should say this. While I prefer Steinway for classical music, I prefer Bösendorfer for jazz.

[@WordsPerMinute]

Fascinating to watch how something is made.

[@nuttkeg2009]

A very outstanding human and machine work of skill and effort.

[@sitizenkanemusic]

As a classical pianist, my favorite piano is and will always be a Bosendorfer. I love the richness, the deep bass, and the beautiful sound it produces. Knowing that they are handmade in Austria adds to the majestic quality. In college, I practiced with a Yamaha (which is a really good piano) and performed on a Bosendorfer. That's why I fancy Romantic Era music, like Schumann, Chopin, and LIszt. The Bosendorfer makes their music shine.

[@charliesommers494]

And she plays it so well! A match made in heaven, a great piano being played by one of the world's most talented pianists.

[@yodservant]

Have had the opportunity to play one in Atherton CA .... amazing instrument...

[@yodservant]

Bösendorfer reminds me of our favorite old car, a 1983 Mercedes Benz 300SD Turbo, silver with black leather interior....was a dream to drive, wherever we went people would stop and stare and ask, what kind of car is that? It's simply beautiful...and it was!!

[@LudwigZhi]

This instrument rings in your ear like nothing else. The resonance and rich overtone is absolutely otherworldly.

[@RinaZarba1]

Beautiful sound and amazing skill and craftsmanship.

[@SuperBarytone]

Would be nice to hear some Schubert, Schumann or even Beethoven. One dimension I like about the Bösendorfer is the depth in the tonality and playing big chords in the deeper range softly and steady really touches you deep within the base of your body. Bösendorfer is more within my taste than Steinway. I was never a huge fan of Steinway. ;)

[@Ronbo710]

I am sorry but Rolls Royce are the Bosendorfer of cars !! BEAUTIFUL !!!

[@jeffglanstein4489]

@Ror shach Clever.

[@georgiaguardian4696]

Bosendofer logo looks palatial. Sounds great for Jazz and many classical pieces.

[@mmbmbmbmb]

@AlejandroSanAntonio ~ YES! During a summer holiday with my future in-laws (many moons ago) I did have the chance to play on their Boesendorfer. An experience which is carved in my mind for ever more. Now I have a digital Yamaha, due to lack of space (and money ;o) ~ feeling lucky to have a piano at all. greetings from Canada!

[@byeager9345]

Bosendorfer makes many different pianos and I can't speak for the action in all of them, but the flagship 290 Imperial (9'6" full 8 octave keyboard) has a much lighter action or touch than the Steinway Concert D. It's like night and day different.

[@waterbird91]

THIS VIDEO SHOWS THAT THE big B. can take on even the best jazz pianists AS WELL as the Heavenly CLASSICS (MY FAVORITES !)........Ah one can only dream of owning one of these babies. When the lottery kicks in I'll be buying myself one of these. alas.dream on. & on & on..............................still dreaming whaaaa I so want one........

[@MrRichardofyork]

I live on them. Have done so for decades!!!!! XOXO...

[@cecilefox9136]

It´s the first time I discover this piano!

[@AlejandroSanAntonio]

I bet this is the best piano in the world....

[@surajiyer180]

What an immaculate instrument !!!

[@jahnnyquest]

wonderful. thank you

[@VictoriaN72]

I loved this video!

[@katieroxtheearth111]

Whenever I see a Bösendorfer I never feel worthy enough to play on it ;-;

[@dhpbear2]

Yeah, I noticed how the y blurred the video just enough to obscure the name above the Middle C :)

[@kwixotic]

I was priviledged to see the factory back in the summer of '79 and was quite impressed. At the time Kimball owned Bosendorfer and a hybrid piano that was around at the time was the Viennese edition Kimball grand. The narrator failed to mention that the tonal quality of this make is in no small way influenced by the outer rim constructed of spruce. And the inner rim has a "brick wall" kind of construction which is unique but not associated the tonal property.

[@mmbmbmbmb]

as much as I like Jaques Lussier ... and as much as I am aware, that jazz musicians like to play on it ... but, to demonstrate the utter beauty of the Boesendorfer 'sound' ... a Mozart or Beethoven Sonata would, in my opinion, have done the piano much more justice!

[@airnsmke]

Pretty incredible

[@hwbyrne]

Wish it were that simple. I think the best advise is "whatever piano sounds best to your own ears." Also, no one seems to mention the extra effort to bring a Steinway or Bosendorfer to it's full potential. They are both more temperamental than a Yamaha, since they need a great piano tuner to bring out their best, and they need tuning at least every other month, compared to a Yamaha which sounds great right out of the box and only needs tuning every 6-12 months.

[@codice_pin]

i love you Tori!

[@mstratocaster3608]

Amazing! If only the Gibson Guitar Company took the same care truly made their guitars by hand.....then, they would really have a great instrument.

[@Innerspace100]

And since you made that comment five years ago, they have NOT granted your (and everybody elses...) wishes, to put it mildly. What's happened, and is continuing to happen, with Gibson is a complete and utter farse. They'll end up as a mere stencil brand for some Chinese conglomerate soon, unless something akin to a miracle occurs. Steinway is likely to go the same way, 'cause they seem to have been at the Gibson School Of Business Practice as of late...

[@Juliet0307]

I don't understand how these sublime pianos are presented here with such a horrid music!

[@waltertomaszewski1083]

Just wondering if Bosendorfer have ever considered building pianos with glass (!) sounding boards. A new piano builder in the Netherlands does, and they sound marvelous!

[@TiqueO6]

Very nicely done! Wonderful wide-ranging look at the instrument and it's many varied admirers. All the way to Tori Amos's deeply felt relationship with the instrument. And if you get a chance to hear Valentina Lisitsa on one you're in for a treat!

[@mariakristinadurkova5490]

The best piano ever made!!! :-)

[@hwbyrne]

I got to play a Bosendorfer 225 yesterday and a Yamaha CFX. Both are great sounding pianos. I'm not sure which one to buy, since the CFX (really a DCFX) is $150K and the Bosend. 225 is $90K. The Bosend. 225 seems to go up in value every year. Maybe a better investment.

[@AlishErman]

All this talk about the Capital of Classical Music and then all of a sudden it's this jazz soundtrack?

[@mosichat]

I gave my Junior recital on a bosendorfer. It was awesome! But now years later own a 7 foot Yamaha because I love the clarity, the grandiosity of the bass .... & the price!!!! Mine is worth $40K. Couldn’t afford $120K for a bosendorfer. Come on get real! I’d love a bosendorfer but it’s not affordable. Damn , shoulda been a banker!

[@kentdean3882]

Not to be at all irreverent to magnificent piano-manufacturing artistry, but the image of Tori Amos sitting astride that piano bench is just spectacular!

[@albertvanjaarsveld5048]

Cant you find better and more inspiring music for the first section of this video?

[@alphasxsignal]

I will take the V-Piano Grand and no problems with humidity and easy to transport to my performance.

[@LeifMathisen]

Yes, what a big beautiful piano. Bosendorfer is one of my top three favorite pianos. If your in the Seattle, Portland, Or Eastern Washington area Call me up to tune your Bosendorfer. Mathisen Fine Tuning

[@yanayrton]

When I get one of them - exactly like this one ,290 Imperial model -the History of Music never will be the same.YAN AYRTON “Quando eu tiver um - exatamente como este (modelo 290) a historia da Musica jamais sera a mesma.” YAN AYRTON

[@adelinopereira4645]

It is a sacrilage to play jazz on such an instrument especially when you introduce the city as the center of the classical world .

[@schubertuk]

Absolutely - Beethoven's last sonata should be burned...

[@sitizenkanemusic]

My professor actually preforms and records baroque and classical era music on a yamaha because of it's brightness and precision. Fazioli is a great piano, if you have a liking to very intricate and treble-heavy music, it's very good in baroque sequences. Steinway has a very good overall sound, but Bosendorfer takes the cake in a full, rich sound. It's kind of like comparing a 6 string guitar to a 12-string guitar. Then again, i'm a romantic era player, so i have a bosendorfer bias.

[@kwixotic]

When she comments about the outer rim being hand forced around the inner rim showing the few guys doing it and then stating that's something that accounts for the high quality of the Bosendorfer sound, what a crock! Steinway does the same thing, it's simply bending that outer rim and that fastening it with a caul. It's the INNER rim that's different.

[@zsozso411]

Einfach wunderbar!

[@wennoel]

I love the beautiful round tone of Bosendorfer pianos. There's nohing quite like it. I've never had an opportunity to actually play one so I wonder if the action is as tough as a Steinway. Yamaha has an easier action but a much brighter tone I don't like as much. I know when I've played a Steinway concert grand I was amazed how wonderful even the simplest composition sounds. The tone is so rich and the resonance so big. *sigh* One day I'll get an amazing piano . . .

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Steinways can sound different from one another. I've played over 50 of them. Some sound rich and resonant, some sound brittle and harsh, some sound mellow. Yamaha has all sorts of tones as well. The S Yamahas are quite mellow. The Cs can be voiced medium or bright. The new CF and CX are all together different, colorful with different types of tones per the dynamics, and they vary from one another as well. Bosendorfer has the pre-VC rounded tone and a more projecting resonant tone in the VCs. They also change quite a lot vs. touch. So, they too vary and can be voiced mellow or dark to fairly bright. Piano tone has a lot to do with who voiced it and if it is older, how it was played and maintained.

[@TheSighphiguy]

"now owned by a group of banks" expect a consistent reduction in quality as the suits now try to streamline costs and maximize profits.

[@shirleyhare6177]

Sigh Phi Guy what the hell are you talking about?

[@bookoobeans]

@@shirleyhare6177 .... watch again, at 8:46 minutes

[@spooknoodle3752]

Actually, it has been bought by another music company several years ago. Other statements are not up to date as well. The standarts are high and the quality and sound is amazing. Sorry if I made any mistakes, english is not my first language.

[@Kref3]

The video is ancient. They are owned by Yamaha and profit greatly from it. Yamaha keeps them as their top notch brand and I am pretty certain that the really nice new VC line instruments also has a bit to do with Yamaha engineering helping them to improve and modernize what can be done without changing the basic character of the instruments. I would say they are better now than ever before.

[@zhusikuqi8147]

Yamaha owns them now. Despite the ownership, Yamaha never intervenes with the total production of Bösendorfer making them an individual brand still.

[@pnoenstchiispianoschoolofmusic]

Indeed, the Börsendorfer Piano is equivalent to Rolls Royce vehicle. 👍👍👍

[@charlenegarman1061]

prices of grand bosendorfer pianos

[@samlebon9884]

The difference is the 4 wheels.

[@samspianos]

Wien, the centre of world classical music; Please play some

[@Darksunshinerain87]

I'd never even heard of Bösendorfer before today.

[@Cabinessance]

If only this was part 1 of 200. More!! More!! More!!

[@zard122]

bosendorfir to me is the blend of steinway and fazioli which makes it to the best piano in the world. its worth the price. if i every get rich enought ill buy one

[@KegPatcha]

Valentina Lisitsa selection of pianos! That is saying much!

[@dominicehwald]

Bösendorfer is quiet perfect.

[@BasileusR]

@Sword1479 SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT COMPOSERS WHO LIVED IN VIENNA. Chopin didn't live in Vienna.

[@polychronio]

Bosendorfer is the best piano!!!

[@kwixotic]

If the Bosendorfer is the 'Rolls Royce" of pianos*(as stated by the late Victor Borge), the Fazioli is the "Lamborghini." But I wonder how many others posting here really know of the Fazioli anyway.

[@Herodotus3]

I'd take a Steinway from the Steinway Bank anyday.

[@seraph127]

Herodotus3 Amen to that.

[@heymikeyh9577]

I've only played one of each and I'm certainly no great pianist, but I have to say each was amazing in its own way. The Bösendorfer felt as if it were chiseled out of a single piece of granite-not that it was hard to play-not at all-but as hard as I played (Gershwin's Concerto in F, 3rd movement) the instrument moved NOT AT ALL. There was something amazingly comforting about it-almost as if it were telling me, "Go ahead, pour your heart into it, I can take it." The Fazioli was also a huge piano, but it felt strangely delicate-I didn't even want to play Gershwin on it-no, Beethoven suited it better. I felt as if all I had to do was THINK about how I wanted a phrase to sound, to feel-and there it was at my ears. The feeling was magical.

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Pianos can't be compared to cars. Bosendorfer and Fazioli are both very high-end pianos. Forget about the cars.

[@hathawayrose1436]

I have the Reliant Robin of pianos...it was cheap, stays in the garage and needs a complete overhaul.

[@mariadelosangelesfranke6640]

El sonido de este gran piano es mágico e inagulable !!!

[@discoveryman59]

Looks like a lot of machinery used, I can't help but think the OLD versions of these pianos and much more HAND MADE and sound better as well.

[@BayAreaPianoMasters]

This must be an old documentary as now Bosendorfer is 100% own by Yamaha, which is not mentioned in the footage.

[@Maisiewuppp]

Doesn’t make any difference as Yamaha have not interfered with the Bösendorfer production processes.

[@mmbmbmbmb]

Nice presentation of my most favorite piano. However, I would have liked a little bit of Classical Music as a 'sound-sample' for demonstration. Franz Schubert for instance, sounds 'out of this world' on a Boesendorfer :o)

[@jackiel279]

I wish to work here.

[@sitizenkanemusic]

Well it's like me being American, and not really fancying Steinways. Bösendorfer will always be number 1 to me.

[@claudedupras2492]

When Oscar speaks ,everyone listen This is like a dream ,thank you for posting. Maybe santa will put one besides the tree.

[@Darkboy2525]

I WANT TO PLAY THE Bösendorfer !!!!!!!!!!!!

[@KV4671]

Oscar P. pronounces it (after a slip of the tongue) wright at 10.50; Bösendorfer.

[@bjpitts]

Pretty sure background music (jazz versions of pieces by J S Bach) is performed by Jaques Loussier's trio.

[@markpettigrew3482]

I heard Oscar Peterson in Boston, playing a Bosendorfer with extra bass notes. I think the instrument has wonderful tonal quality, regardless of the style of music. I studied classical piano, but learned jazz well enough to get a written endorsement from a former keyboardist for Miles Davis. I like the Fazioli, too, but I don't think it's offered with extra bass notes. On the flip side, it comes with some gorgeous cases, albeit not cases as modern as some of those offered by Schimmel. As for Steinways, I think they suck. Such uneven tonal qualities I've never heard! Even Yamahas are much better than Steinways.

[@984francis]

+Mark Pettigrew Interesting. My impression of Steinway is that they have done a classic American sell job. As you say, they are patchy and often not pleasant to hear. My tuner (who is truly excellent) prefers Yamahas for their consistency.

[@samspianos]

try the new Stuart piano its got lottsa extra notes

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Mark Pettigrew: Why even Yamahas? Yamaha, since 2010 with the introduction of the CFX, makes magnificent sounding and playing pianos. The SX series is also nice. Even the less expensive CX series is very nice, if not on the same level as the much more expensive CF and SX series. Disagree about Steinways to an extent. Some great Hamburg Steinway Ds and Bs are wonderful instruments. Some NYers are very good as well. They're inconsistent, but the great ones are wonderful instruments.

[@DrChaad]

Never played a Yamaha that didn't sound muddy and feel like a brick. If I couldn't have the Bösendorfer, I'd take a Steinway & Sons.

[@robertlulek1634]

@@984francis I was going to buy a Steinway D and tried about six different Steinway d’s all of them sucked I went over to fazioli and that is the purchase I made very happy with the choice I made but I am now trading my 278 for bosendorfer 280vc I’m still not sold on the action of the bosendorfer and seems a little heavy but I did like the coloration of the piano

[@dumnuts1]

A Bosendorfer is just a piano, but a hot dog and soda at Costco is still $1.50

[@sarahheger5612]

It infuriates me that in this excellent video of how Bosendorfer instruments are made there is jazz music in the background at first, followed by Bach, music for the harpsichord! And then a jazz band! why not Chopin, the prince of composers for the piano. Why not Brahms, Rachmaninov, to show the noble cantabile tone of the instrument?

[@andantemusic02]

Sarah Heger Liszt would be the best. His liebestraum would be ideal.

[@tomwhaley3335]

Somebody get this lady a drink or something

[@sirmaxwellvonfleckenstein5376]

Agreed Sarah. Not to mention Billy Joel, a Baldwin artist for many years, banging on a classic instrument like a child.

[@Kinjutsuu]

Haha, this is great. I just came back here after some months. I was obviously being sarcastic, and actually own a Kawaii myself *giggles* There's also a Hindsberg in the living room, a model which is 100% copy of Steinway B. Even though every piano brand copied Steinway of course, some Danish brothers who've worked at the Steinway factories took it to a whole new level.. ^^ But I might sell the Kawaii sometime and aquire a Bösie, there's just something unique about Bösie sound...

[@mmbmbmbmb]

@AlejandroSanAntonio ~ it sure is!!! If you have ever played on one ~ you would not want to play on anything else ;o)

[@984francis]

And why not? Eminent jazz pianists love Bosendorfer too.

[@satoshiogihara347]

I am not bothered by the jazz background sound very much, but it is obviously too loud.

[@AcidicLifestyle]

Me too!!

[@ExAnimoPortugal]

He also plays in Baldwin.

[@christopherhayes9676]

Geez ... And I thought the Taylor Guitar factor was impressive. It is, incredibly so, and no offense to my neighbor Bob Taylor but in comparison to Bosendorfer the Taylor factory is a corner body shop. This is positively mind boggling. As costly as these precision crafted works of art are, I can't imagine why they don't cost ten times more. At least. In a world of mass production, planned obsolescence and mass mediocrity, thank goodness true artisan craftsmanship still survives.

[@orangejuiceman]

Wow.

[@steinwaygrande3971]

Am sure that I read where Bosendorfer make only around 5 piano`s a year. If Leonid Hambro , Victor Borge and Valentina Lisista all have/used a Bosendorfer in preference to the other three great pianos on the market

[@zivauri]

Maybe 5 Imperials, or something.

[@steinwaygrande3971]

Or something ???? Maybe the new Fazioli ?? Making big headways into the concert arean and was used to nght and last night in the Sydney International Piano Competition.

[@runejrgensen7048]

They build around 350 pianos a year. I takes 5 years from cutting up the wood until it is finished. Total worktime is around 6-800 hours. More for the special editions. It's 100-200 hours more than what it takes to build a Steinway, by the way

[@alphanum001]

8:46 Then Yamaha acquired Bösendorfer in 2008.

[@robertpreston3639]

I bought one for our daughter who is taking lessons. She spilled a grape soda on the keyboard, so we put the piano in the front yard and made a planter out of it. The daughter we put in boarding school.

[@EASYTIGER10]

You wrote off an entire Bosendorfer because of some damage to the keyboard?? Did you not mop up what you could and get it repaired if necessary? What a waste!

[@Herodotus3]

Are you seriously saying you spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for a beginner? Something doesn't make sense here. There would be no way that the keyboard wouldn't be worth replacing and loving back to health. I'm not a fan, but I seriously doubt you spent this kind of money and then threw it out in whatever way you did. Doubt that you bought one at all.

[@Michael_Arnold]

Good grief, doesn't anyone have a sense of humour anymore?

[@EASYTIGER10]

Dynosaur Rokks well yes. But it didn't find it funny so I had no idea it was a joke. Sorry, I'm not being nasty, just saying it how I saw it.

[@drewb5775]

yo guys i think he's joking lol

[@andyharpist2938]

affair with your piano? Like sloping off to Brighton at Easter

[@AL-pu7ux]

has the quality of yamaha jumped since acquiring bosendorfer? and has the quality of bosendorfer stayed the same?

[@dorothyquiney3738]

The Yamaha is still a load of rubbish! Don't know about the Big B b is so far ahead of the Yamaha. but my son's Steinway is way ahead of the tinny Yamaha.

[@LuvSpreader]

I'm sorry Sir, but I've no other choice but to come to the definite conclusion that size, does indeed, count. *"I'll take my Bosendorfer in the California King size, please, and yes, I am aware that I don't have those 2 little dot thingies over the "o" but I hate typing. To be cont...

[@jeffglanstein4489]

ö Try typing holding the ALT key and typing 0246. This should produce a lower case ö

[@musymusic]

@pinintra you mean steinway?

[@JAVM2010]

Sencillamente extraordinario

[@GottfriedFeder]

3-D-print this!

[@RetroGamerVX]

Nice instruments, the song sung by that woman was one of the naffest songs I've ever heard lol

[@AlfaAxel]

Why did Yamaha buy? Can they make the factory profitable? Yamaha has 100 yr piano tradition reaching back to 1900 or so, impressive that Y has survived wars and family changes :) but obviously Bösendorfer technicians and German/Austrian piano engineering has knowledge which must be interesting to Yamaha.