Every concert grand piano is unique in sound and feel. That means there are several different Steinway grand pianos in the Elbphilharmonie so that pianists can choose which instrument they want to play on, depending on their tastes and the genre of music.
But how is a grand piano made? How is the wood crafted to get its curved shape? And how does the magical sound come about? The pianist, composer and YouTuber Nahre Sol – Creator in Residence at the Elbphilharmonie for the 2023/24 season – visits the large Steinway factory in Hamburg and gets shown around the various production lines and departments. Accompanied by Steinway & Sons piano technician Thomas Lepler, she looks into the journey that a concert grand piano takes to make it onto the Elbphilharmonie stage. Countless steps of craftmanship and decades of experience go into the approximately three-year process from the wood store to the finished instrument. During this time there is plenty of bending, gluing, screwing and hammering, varnishing and, of course, a lot of careful listening.
Piano concerts at the Elbphilharmonie
From breathtakingly virtuosic to incredibly emotional: piano legends and up-and-coming stars alike take their seat at the grand piano.
