Dear Musical and Piano Friends
At Hammerwood Park, East Grinstead in Sussex we're gearing up for the
tuning seminar on 6th May. Many people have expressed interest in coming
and if you are, it would be really helpful if you could let us know.
When replying to this email please can you take care to reply only to me at
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Details are on http://hammerwood.mistral.co.uk/tuning-seminar.pdf and
perhaps you might pass this on to anyone who might not have heard of it.
We'd really like to know how many chairs to put out and numbers of coffee
cups needing to be available.
The seminar on 6th May is a crescendo that's been building for three
decades, and quite a historic event bringing top musicians, Steinway
artists, music lovers and piano technicians together in a way that's
happened only a couple of times before. Eben Goresko is well documented on
YouTube but a number of people have been pioneers for a long time. Carl
Radford in 1991 was writing "It may be that in the next decade or so you
will see a change in the temperament of piano technicians." Tuner Ed Foote
https://www.piano-tuners.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html was the
technician for a groundbreaking recording for Enid Katahn in the late 1990s
and on YouTube there is a groundswell of pianists breaking away from
standard equal temperament piano tuning.
Whether or not this is a matter of historical authenticity is a matter of
debate, often with fiercely held opinions, but increasingly tuners in
France and in the USA are trying alternatives to Equal Temperament, not
always overtly, and reporting that the sound of the piano can be improved
or a charm given to the music in some way. US piano tuner Bill Bremmer has
had a significant following for years, Peter Grey also in the US writes
interestingly and in particular Jason Leininger reported on the PTG Forum:
"UT adds a noticeable variation to the sterilized and homogenized sound
that has unfortunately become a defining characteristic of the piano
today....(one part of which is dogmatic use of ET). . . . this lack of
tonal variation in the acoustic piano is one important reason why it is
having more trouble competing with electronic keyboards. Some people are
losing interest in heavy, shiny, black, loud, powerful, sterilized, piano
shaped objects."
Personally over the past three months I've had the opportunity to tune a
number of instruments in a region in France which has given an insight into
what happens harmonically when one tunes, to analyse the mathematics of
standard and non standard tunings with respect to piano harmonics,
particularly the 5th and the 9th, and how these affect pedalling techniques
for performers. It's given an insight to the way in which "stretching the
octave" might not have given the best experience of unequal tunings in the
past and how to overcome the issues of piano string inharmonicities to
obtain the best of both worlds in the tuning of modern instruments
including Steinway models M, A, B and C. Later this year I'll be tuning for
one of the International Piano Competitions and the tuning will make very
obvious the difference between the fingermechaniks and the truly sensitive
musicians. This distinction is a major reason why a sea-change in tuning
style may start to turn back the tide of performers for whom the instrument
and the repertoire is only a technical challenge, an entertainment or
sport, rather than a communication of a deeply moving language of humanity.
As well as instruments tuned in a standard "well temperament" we'll be
showcasing the Jonathan Bellman Chopin Temperament for the first time
particularly liked by Adolfo Barabino using Pianoteq simulation from
MODARTT and I'm debating whether to tune a real acoustic instrument to it .
. . but if we do we won't have a real acoustic instrument with which to
contrast standard Equal Temperament tuning and will have to rely on
Pianoteq for that. Perhaps if you might have thoughts about that it would
be great to hear from you.
The main acoustic instruments for the day will be the 1885 Bechstein tuned
to the Kellner Bach temperament, an 1802 Stodart tuned to 1/4 comma
Meantone, an 1819 Broadwood tuned to Kirnberger III, the 1859 Hallé
Broadwood tuned to Kirnberger III and a 1905 baby Broadwood tuned either to
Equal Temperament or possibly the Bellman Chopin temperament. If this is
tuned to equal, then perhaps if numbers attending are small enough, as
space is limited in the relevant room, we might tune an 1873 Broadwood
Cottage grand to the Chopin temperament or the 1854 Emerich Betsy. In
addition two 1970s harpsichords, a Morley and a Clayson and Garrett will be
available for performance as well as tuning experiment, as well as a
chamber organ in Meantone.
The day starts at 10.30 for 11am. A train leaves London Victoria for East
Grinstead at 9.21 and taxis are available from East Grinstead. Road Runners
01342 324444 and Western Cars 01342 323000 are helful and can meet trains
from East Grinstead, Dormans station or Cowden to where trains run from
London Bridge.
Performers Adolfo Barabino, Alexandra Kremakova, Jong-Gyung Park and Gary
Branch will be speaking about their experiences in playing in non-standard
tuning and performing items from Baroque to Debussy and Berg.
There will be opportunities throughout the day for people to try out
different instruments and tunings for themselves.
In theory the formal part of the day will be finishing at 5pm but
informally it's not inconceivable that enthusiasts will be playing
instruments until the light fails.
Best wishes,
David Pinnegar
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Contributors to the day -
---Adolfo Barabino---
Adolfo Barabino made his debut in England with the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and he recorded the Chopin 2nd Piano Concerto with the London
Symphony Orchestra. He is regularly invited to Japan, where he gave
concerts in Suntory Hall, Tokyo Hamarikyu Asahi Hall, Kitara Hall-Sapporo,
Minato Marai Concert Hall-Yokohama, Aoi Concert Hall-Shizuoka and in Narapi
Festival, which was broadcasted by MBS TV. Adolfo Barabino has made
numerous live recordings, including playing Maurice Ravel's Erard for
"Canal 2" in France, for "Radio Classica" in Madrid and in South America
where his performances of Mozart and Chopin's two piano concertos with the
Symphonic Orchestras of Venezuela, Lima, and Cuba, were broadcast by
several national television networks. In Europe, Adolfo has given recitals
in numerous capital cities performing in Munich and Prague, as well as
concerts in collaboration with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the
National RTV Romanian Orchestra and the Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana.
Adolfo Barabino is recording the complete Chopin's works with
ClaudioRecords.
---Jong-Gyung Park---
Jong-Gyung Park was Born in Korea, where she started studying the piano at
age three. Her studies took her to the Tokyo Music College in Japan,
followed by periods of study in Korea and the United States. Her
professional education followed at the New England Conservatory of Music in
Boston, where she earned a Bachelor’s program with full scholarship. After
the studies in Boston, she was invited to take part in the prestigious “Il
Fondazione per Il Pianoforte” in Como, Italy. This enabled her to interact
with eminent figures in the music world including Karl Ulrich Schnabel,
Dmitri Bashkirov, Fou Ts’ong, Leon Fleisher, Alicia de Larocha, and Martha
Argerich.
Firmly establishing herself as one of the leading pianists of her
generation, she made her orchestral debut at the age of thirteen with
Boston Symphony Orchestra and has since appeared with many international
orchestras. Winner of numerous international awards, including Bronze
medals at the Sviatoslav Richter International piano competition, the
Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition in Israel and the
Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy. Here JongGyung
also received the Busoni Prize for commissioned work. In the UK, she was
the winner of Haverhill Sinfonia International Soloist Competition. This
resulted in her touring and playing throughout England and becoming well
known to British audiences.
---Alexandra Kremakova---
Alexandra Kremakova is a London-based pianist, harpsichordist and piano
teacher. Her repertoire ranges from Renaissance and Baroque to Modern and
Experimental music. Recent concerts include a theatrical performance of
'Crossing Dartmoor', song cycle for tenor and piano by Australian-born
composer Caitlin Rowley as part of Tete-a-Tete 2015 festival; a solo
harpsichord recital in Hammerwood Park; 'Musical Cabinet of Curiosities',
a piano recital at the British Maritime Museum, and a performance of Liszt
Piano concerto no.2 under the baton of Martyn Brabbins, as well as numerous
other solo and chamber music recitals. She is a prizewinner in over 20
national and international competitions and has received awards from
Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, Bourgas Municipality and Bourgas Rotary
Club. Alexandra enjoys a busy life between solo and chamber music
engagements and also works as a church organist.
---Gary Branch---
Gary Branch studied piano at Trinity College, London and in Amsterdam. In
Amsterdam, Gary became very interested in early pianos and their link to
the great Classical and Romantic composers. Returning to the UK, he
discovered Finchcocks Musical Museum, a specialist centre for period
keyboard instruments. He is presently involved with the development of the
Finchcocks Charity. Gary has worked with several well known musicians
including Neil Jenkins (tenor), Kathleen Kemler (American flutist), Jamie
Akers (lutenist/period guitarist) and Steven Devine (harpsichordist/period
piano.) Gary has broadcast on BBC local radio and on television, including
on the BBC’s ‘Great Railway Journeys’ at Finchcocks Musical Museum,
focusing on a Broadwood and Sons square piano and it’s link to Queen
Victoria and Prince Albert; this was broadcast in January 2016. He records
for the Resonus label including with Jamie Akers, Neil Jenkins and Kate
Semmens . (soprano). He has performed across the UK and abroad as a solo
pianist and accompanist.
--
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David Pinnegar, B.Sc., A.R.C.S.
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+44 1342 850594
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