The Piano with 97 Keys - An Incredible Bosendorfer 290

[@SarumChoirmaster]

As a former professional violist, I was once invited by Victor Borga to play his piano during a rehearsal. It WAS and IS an instrument beyond description. I have never played a piano so magnificent as that piano. PERFECTION

[@jismo7]

My dream piano! Such a beautiful tone. Saying that, I'd be more than happy with its baby brother which has the 4 extra bass notes.

[@DJStefandeJong]

Try the 200 model as well, its equally gorgeous.

[@RayMak]

Such an incredible instrument

[@全王さん]

Welcome to another episode of "you are everywhere" replies

[@user-wk2gi5cp9y]

second!

[@josephj6521]

It sure is. Gorgeous! 👍

[@moldenburg909]

Bösendorfer, my all times favorite piano brand. The sound is so special and visually they are stunning. What special that they let you play this one. That’s amazing. Thank you for sharing and playing this beauty. I love it.

[@cbmsysmobile]

The Concert Grand 290 Imperial. Never has a title been more apt for such a magnificent instrument. I never tire of hearing one of these being played using it's full range.

[@kenan_keys]

Bösendorfer 290 sounds beautiful! You did a great job showcasing this fine instrument...loved it.

[@CappeSun]

21:20 I have Minecraft running in the background lol

[@gnavarro1971]

17:14 The moment that all of us were waiting!

[@Tubajubaduba]

I have had the wonderful opportunity to play this kind of Bosendorfer piano at my University and it is one of the finest pianos I have played.

[@DrChaad]

I had a chance to buy an 1897 Bösendorfer at a bargain price. It needed new strings, but the action was like velvet. Very responsive. Still kicking myself for letting that go.

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

Did you have to knock-out a wall of your house in order to get it inside?...lol

[@henrykwieniawski7233]

Why did you let it go?

[@JapChinLuvr]

I've heard a variety of pronunciation of "Bosendorfer", but your is the first of this particular variety. Enjoyed the clip, anyhow.

[@onemoremisfit]

Your fine playing and your access to and detailed presentation of such an instrument is a wonderful thing to have on YT.

[@paulchappell]

I was a bit surprised to learn some pianos are roped off from mere tire-kickers. Years ago I was graciously left alone to enjoy a Faziola 278 in a showroom in London. Best hour of tire-kicking ever.

[@SpaghettiKillah]

Fazioli

[@pamelaarescurrinaga8201]

Always a pleasure to hear you talk about an exceptionally good piano. I love the crystalline sound of this big beauty.

[@andysleeper1283]

Copyright restrictions on your own performance of Clair de Lune? That is mysterious

[@jtc1947]

@ ANDY....I am puzzled too! Isn't Clair de Lune in public domain? Very confusing? BE WELL & SAFE

[@Calvin704704]

youtube moment?

[@nunyabusiness8538]

communist youtube

[@exerciserelax8719]

The KZbin copyright system is a joke.

[@christiand8243]

Algorithms

[@BarryWaterlow]

I can see you having an incredible time in Europe playing and documenting historical keyboard instruments in the historical collections where playing is permitted. I like the passion you bring to your KZbins about instruments! I’d love to see a PBS TV series on that….

[@towerofresonance4877]

My favorite instrument of all time, my life goal is to be able to emulate the very last note on this piano with my voice in perfection. What I love about this instrument is that you do not hear the sound of the key strike with the low notes, you just simply hear the low note, it does not sound like a subharmonic note. For instance, on standard pianos, when you are striking A0, you get that annoying ping sound that is about 3 octaves higher and then you actually hear the vibration.

[@xannavia7507]

I once heard someone demo a bosendorfer 290 imperial with Rochmoninoff prelude in C sharp minor. It blew me away! The first section was done octave style using the extended keys. What a huge difference it made! Great video.

[@maddogmcrae]

That is a very fine instrument for sure. I love the thick, rich sound the extra low notes add.

[@Mark959]

This is a much better demonstration than your previous two of the Imperial. I played one once, and just bashed the bass notes and made it sound harsh (it's on my channel!). Here, you can hear the wonderful purr and subtle growl of those bass notes, which really makes a better demonstration of this piano's tonal range. Goes to show, big pianos aren't just about power and volume!

[@crazymusicman6154]

I will buy one of these some day I don’t care how but I’ll get one

[@The_Smith]

Nice of Mr. Kim to make an exception for you to play that piano.

[@fr3fou]

who is mr. kim?

[@ThePianoforever]

@fr3fou He is the owner of the store.

[@ThePianoforever]

It really was, I'm very thankful.

[@toliet123]

Its a win-win situation. Mr. Kim lets James play the instrument so James can promote Mr. Kim's piano store.

[@nickcruisebeatz1932]

The East West Music Software plug in brought me here. Bosendorfer is an incredible piano!

[@samsaks7801]

Hey James. Amazing video and fantastic piano. I just love the base of this piano. Keep making great content like this and thank you. :)

[@Sebastian-gc2hc]

This piano is alive, it is the most amazing piano.

[@DrChaad]

Thank you, Ben! I'll be visiting your store soon.

[@sunpathviewer]

Ahhh! I did get to play one once at Carpenters Music in Reno in the 90's if memory serves. I forgot what I played .. lol. I'm happy for you James! Thanks!

[@Beethoven80]

Amazing video as always, thank you! The "swallow tail" design was also used by Bechstein for a long time. It seems that it was optional at extra cost from many manufacturers, depending on the customer's taste. By the way, Blüthner also uses individually hitched strings.

[@johnweller1423]

Well I was mostly correct on the “Bösendorfer Imperial Grand” what a fantastic piano. Oh yeah and the thunder haha 💪😆

[@ThePianoforever]

You were correct! :D

[@jonjonmia]

Great sequel! I loved all the info you gave

[@mbr7156]

when a piano's tone makes you feel under- dressed

[@TheMister123]

Not with *that* leather jacket. :-)

[@troyoswald5683]

I so enjoy your channel . This was so great. Thanks James! We are so lucky!

[@dwftube]

even the bass on the regular notes is exceptional

[@michaelpeck3844]

What was the name and composer of the piece you played ?? Very nice to hear James

[@avsystem3142]

I have an anecdote about a Bösendorfer Imperial Grand. The community college in my town in Northwestern New Mexico has a large performing arts center that serves both the academic needs of the college as well as hosting various musical performances. The stage piano is a BIG. Pianists with various bands would all be delighted to be able to perform on the instrument. Some years ago I was taking piano lessons at the college. The music department was upstairs in the performing arts center. The music department had several different pianos. There were two practice rooms with uprights, the classroom where I took my lesson had a Baldwin baby grand. another large classroom had a Yamaha grand and the choir room had a full-size Baldwin grand piano. I practiced on all of them at various times before my class. I particularly liked the Baldwin grand. One year there was a master class for the advanced piano students which was to be held in the main auditorium. I wasn't an advanced student but I wanted to attend to listen to the best students and also hear the feedback from an outside expert who was visiting. That person was Dr. Paul Posnak. Dr. Posnak has an extremely impressive CV. I'm looking at it now in the liner notes of a CD he recorded, "Paul Posnak - Classics and Classic Jazz", (www.paulposnak.com). He is particularly known for transcribing recordings by artists such as Fats Waller and George Gershwin and then performing/recording them. When I arrived for the event I noticed that the Bösendorfer was no longer on stage. It had been replaced by another piano. I asked my piano instructor what the deal was. She said that Posnak had turned up his nose at the Bösendorfer because it had untextured plastic key surfaces. The Baldwin grand from the choir room upstairs had to be hauled down to the stage for the master class. Apparently the Baldwin had ivory key tops. Posnak actually commented during the master class that the smooth plastic keys just wouldn't do for serious performers. What do you think? Pure snobbery or justified preference?

[@ThePianoforever]

Neat story, how long ago was this? When Steinway first adopted plastic keytops in the 1950's all their artists frowned upon it, with some saying the plastic was "slippery like an eel". Today, plastic keytops are accepted on concert stages across the world, but pianos with the old natural keytops are actually preferred by some. The reason for this is because the organic material absorbs sweat and has a great grippy texture. Many synthetic versions have been experimented with on both acoustic and digital pianos but no plastic has the same sweat-absorbing grippy properties of ivory. While I find the story surprising if it took place recently, as plastic has pretty much become the norm, there is definitely justfication for his preference. In addition, Baldwins have long been loved by jazz pianists, most notably Dave Brubeck who owned an SD-10, which I played once! But of course you also have Oscar Peterson who prefers Bosendorfer :D

[@frazzledude]

Arthur Rubinstein used to use hair spray on the keytops to get more grip. The newer plastic keytops are actually quite good.

[@avsystem3142]

@@ThePianoforever The incident occurred about six or seven years ago.

[@randykern1842]

It HAS to do, ivory has been banned for over half a century now

[@brucetominello325]

My Steinway Model C 1886 has its original ivories and ebonies. As well as the original key action which is fully playable.You can see it on display at the Musical Instrument in Phoenix on the second floor just outside the elevators.

[@Alwpiano]

Amazing sound. I've never had the pleasure of playing this brand before. The extra low notes are amazing!!

[@88mixture88]

Great. Another acoustic piano review. Looking for more.

[@feraldynaufal]

Luxurious in both sound and aesthetic. Seems fun to play too! With 97 keys, maybe it can be played by 3 people at once. 😅

[@amascia8327]

~9 1/2 feet... 15:50 Extended bass... The organ could play C0 which is about 16.4hz with the 32 foot pipes PS: I've always wondered if the looped strings tune as well...?¿

[@sunpathviewer]

The velvet action feels like playing clouds carrying the fingers. My favorite so far.

[@BRL1611]

My friend has one of those in his house. Yes, they are very nice to play.

[@rodriguezelfeliz4623]

Is your friend a millionaire?

[@billbligh4547]

I believe Count Basie called the extra keys the soul keys. Loved your reprise of the Imperial from a few years ago.

[@MrNicks-gn8jc]

There is a video of Oscar Peterson and Count Basie doing duets on a ?70s? Bosendorfer and The Count went into how the 'extra keys' threw him off and his playing shifted 1 octave without him noticing....so, in being his gracious self, Oscar Peterson covered the lowest octave so Count would not get 'shifted'.

[@magdavelas]

If I could ever win the lottery… I’d like to get a Bosendorfer.

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

I heard that Bosendorfer is now constructing both Imperial Grand pianos *AND* aircraft carriers! (They're both about the same size.)...lol

[@nicholson227]

Thank You

[@Iceland874]

My favorite brand by far. Schimmel is close behind. Are you doing sign language?

[@tejasb1239]

Would give anything in the world to get my hands on this wonderful piano! Imagine, if Bosendorfer started making digital pianos, we also will end up hearing 97-keyed Yamaha pianos as well.

[@richardholmquist7316]

Busoni was known as a composer and incredible pianist. His compositions aren't played a great deal today, though.

[@maclayyc]

His popular transcription of Bach's Chaconne feels like time stops for 20 minutes

[@henrykwieniawski7233]

His compositions may not be played often, but his transcriptions of Bach's works sure as hell are!

[@kathleentrued9359]

James - please let us know your chosen performance repertoire. I delighted in the first , but can’t identify it🤔 Thanks😁

[@ThePianoforever]

Cavatine by Eduard Schutt :D

[@kathleentrued9359]

@@ThePianoforever 😊👍

[@cornwalldragon4617]

Yes you wouldn't want to play the 32' contra bombarde or the 64' Dulzian on their own. But yeah they add that extra weight to the bass. Technically if that piano was an 85 key instrument, it would be equivalent to the 85 key manuals on some Midmer Losh instruments. So with the extra keys, you have a six octave piano.

[@saricubra2867]

The gigantic soundboard helps. A Steinway D fails a little to sustain the highest notes, the 290 Imperial handles them perfectly.

[@piarno1]

Wonderful instrument! I love it for Jazz.

[@allenhickman5914]

That is one thing that to me is missing with the Yamaha Genos... those lower notes that an 88 key (or more) has... I know I can use the - octave key (which I do quite frequently...especially as the last note). First time I've seen a 97 key piano...Cool video. Thanks! I now have a DGX670 as well, for that reason alone.

[@Kurtdog63]

I have an inexpensive Yamaha electric keyboard. I don't know how they sampled the grand piano sound on it, but it is quite amazing, and I have a pretty picky ear. I had an Alesis Nanopiano sound module that quit working years ago. It claimed to have a phase accurate piano sound sampled from a Bosendorfer. It definitely had an amazingly rich, piano tone.

[@Adam_Pianist]

I wonder if there are any digital keyboards that have these extra bass keys. Would be fun to play with!

[@trueredlucky954]

Not needed most keyboards got a transposing feature.

[@claustrophobicbeast]

James! Please Please PLEASE do a p125 vs. DGX-670. Or at least a detailed DGX-670 review! THANK YOU!

[@zerksari]

What a beast. Not worthy of such an instrument. Yet.

[@Griwhoolda]

Field trip, everyone! Let's go!

[@jtc1947]

They would ban me from the store! I am a LOUSY pianist! But maybe I could drag James in??

[@gregaltenhofel7326]

I was watching an Oscar Peterson concert the other day and he was playing with Count Basie and I think both were playing the Bosendorfer 290. I think that was the video I was watching when Oscar was talking about it and it's extra keys. I got the impression he by this time always played one in concert. As to if he traveled with one I haven't researched that yet.

[@BarryWaterlow]

Yes Oscar Peterson had a white Bosendorfer 290 that he bought at Remenyi Music in Toronto. Was lucky to be able to play it while still at the shop.

[@Walnutpaste]

can finally play the really low G# in gaspard de la nuit that ravel had to leave out because it wasn’t on the piano

[@jamesrawlins735]

One day I would love to hear James check out the Stuart and Sons Beleura - 108 keys - nine full octaves

[@ThePianoforever]

Unfortunately, this will never happen - have you seen my video about that maker? It's... interesting.

[@Soup____345]

Hey james! Bug fan of the channel! I have a question what is the first piece you played on the Bosendorfer? Thanks!

[@ThePianoforever]

It's the Cavatine by Eduard Schutt!

[@Soup____345]

@@ThePianoforever thank you!

[@hrobert745]

Enjoyed this very much.

[@tortuedelanuit2299]

Busoni was also a great composer. Take a listen to his 75 minute piano concerto.

[@Fsuholley]

That sound….heavenly.

[@mauriziobussinello]

Hi James I follow you with great pleasure, you are very nice but very Professional, I live in Italy my name is Maurizio and I have just turned 60, for my birthday I gave myself a piano course, an instrument I have long wanted to play, now I have decided to buy my first keyboard, and ask you for advice. I would like a keyboard that reproduces as faithfully as possible an acoustic piano mechanics, and at the same time the possibility of playing with sounds, my indecision is about Kawai ES110 or Yamaha P125 or go up economically and buy a Kawai MP7SE or Roland RD88. I like the Kawai MP7 SE most of all, however I am also open to other suggestions thank you keep it up, your suggestions on the mechanics of the weighted keys are very important to understand, maybe they may not like it but they help to understand. Congratulations and good luck. Maurizio

[@JuanSewDLKS]

OMG Amazing Piano

[@789armstrong]

I would love to hear some Medtner on this remarkable instrument.

[@ryanl3260]

What’s the name of that composition you played? Sounded great!

[@OzzieWozzieOriginal]

I wonder how many pianos were destroyed during WW2

[@jboushka]

What was the first work you played? It sounded like Chopin but I couldn't place it.

[@benedictdsilva3954]

Busoni was a transcriber....the lowest C on the 290 is 16 hertz equal to the 32' ..For the 64' you will need another octave of notes notes ...or you have to play root and 5th...

[@modernmusicofthedarkages296]

What’s the first piece you played?

[@WalyB01]

Ow i dreamed of owning a Bosendorfer since well I started playing piano

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

"People who own mink, dream of wearing ermine. People who own a piano, dream of one day owning a Bechstein." **Truer words were never spoken!** www.bechstein.com/en/upright-grand-pianos/

[@auriplane]

Have you ever heard of the Alexander piano in New Zealand? I just read about it the other day, and I thought of your channel.

[@ThePianoforever]

I have, but I never knew its name! I'd love to see it hahaha!

[@PeterBatah]

Massive

[@Ghostmanriding]

Kim's is an excellent store.

[@ThePianoforever]

One of my favorites for sure.

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

**BIG AS A BLUE WHALE** It's so big that it takes up the entire stage, and the pianist is playing from offstage...(ROFL)

[@eliotmccann2589]

Am I right in thinking that this is the model that Frank Zappa owned? I recall reading he had a Bösendorfer with thr extra octave.

[@john-paulgies4313]

A Great Grand Piano.

[@wawacool9147]

do you prefer this one or 280VC?

[@transforminggravity15626]

Cool 💯💯😎✌️

[@juanferrequetglas4444]

You surprised me with tht minecraft haha

[@IvanRx76]

I like your jackets man

[@Roarshark12]

I LOVE your smile at 1:42 :)

[@NoahSuaz]

What is the song played at 8:43? Thank you!

[@DragosDomnara]

Cavatine by Eduard Schutt

[@10bit8]

i wonder how many people knew he played a minecraft song

[@tanincollins2143]

What minecraft song?

[@alantaylor2694]

@@tanincollins2143 21:18 Sweden I think.

[@beverleysmith133]

Would love to put my fingers on one of those.

[@thecanadian6145]

We need some Rachmaninoff played on that piano

[@garrettshook5084]

17:20 you might hit the brown note!!!

[@carlobollen6868]

Isn't this the model Havasi is using in his concerts ?

[@crespojosef]

I’m so sorry you weren’t able to play any more classical pieces.

[@atzonaftaniel4798]

9:29 what's the name of this musicplay?

[@jamesivanmarionrosete3039]

Ofcourse you need to play Sweden by C418 on a Bosendofer, I mean it kinda makes sense tho 😅😅

[@moneymarty1]

Our C3 conservatory is a pile of rubbish compared to this monster...I want one - even though I don't play, but I could listen to someone else play all day long!

[@myuncle2]

Great strings+spruce beams+thin rim+open cast iron frame=Bosie

[@ThePianoforever]

One recipe for a great piano!

[@myuncle2]

@@ThePianoforever exactly, something the other pianos should copy without fear of copyright issues :)

[@ElectricBlakeGames]

Minecraft NEVER sounded so good!

[@ralphrestubog5519]

There are piano shops that don't let people get a feel of their pianos?? SACRILEGE. By the way, have you reviewed the 280VC yet? I wonder if it's actually meant to replace the 290.

[@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12]

How can you sell pianos and not let people try them?🎹🎶

[@ThePianoforever]

The 280VC is an outstanding piano, I have done a couple videos of them over the years. The best one was at NAMM.

[@Critique808]

Why would someone want this in their living room?

[@roberacevedo8232]

Because they play piano?

[@towerofresonance4877]

If I can successfully produce the lowest note on this piano without any kind of special equipment, can I win one?

[@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12]

Do they still make these?🎹🎶

[@frazzledude]

I own one f these, and my piano tech tried to order some strings for it from Yamaha. He found out that Yamaha/Bosendorfer no longer supports the 290 imperial grand. So they are no longer in production. The 280VC is now Bosendorfer's flagship concert grand.

[@DrChaad]

@@frazzledude , Congrats on acquiring this legendary collector's item. Sad that Bösendorfer can't even custom-wind the strings you need. I don't know how many of these were built, but it's hard to imagine anyone allowing even one of them to be lost. All of the ones still out there are going to eventually need strings. The steel oxidizes, fatigues and loses its tone & tensile strength.

[@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12]

@@frazzledude thanks for the info I didn't know they stopped making/supporting this model How do you find spare parts for yours?🎹🎶