WEBVTT 00:00:22.379 --> 00:00:25.019 That was the opening of Bach's Partita No. 1 00:00:25.019 --> 00:00:28.160 in B flat and it was played by Sir Andras Schiff. 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:31.239 I'm Erica Worth and welcome to this Pianist Podcast. 00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:35.460 Today I am speaking with piano tuner to the stars 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:39.439 Ulrich Gerhards about his role as Director of 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:42.700 Concert and Artist Services at Steinway & Sons. 00:00:43.479 --> 00:00:45.759 Ulrich, it's great to have you on the Pianist 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:50.229 Podcast today. Thank you. You're welcome. You 00:00:50.229 --> 00:00:52.390 and I have known each other for a very long time 00:00:52.390 --> 00:00:54.689 and it's always a pleasure to see you out and 00:00:54.689 --> 00:00:57.409 about at concerts and at Steinway events. Now, 00:00:57.509 --> 00:01:00.429 first of all, I can't really call you a piano 00:01:00.429 --> 00:01:04.269 tuner, right? It sounds so undermining. Well, 00:01:04.349 --> 00:01:07.090 I wouldn't say undermining. It's a small part 00:01:07.090 --> 00:01:10.090 of the job that we do and there's a lot of colleagues 00:01:10.090 --> 00:01:13.349 that are piano tuners that mostly tune pianos 00:01:13.349 --> 00:01:16.629 and that's a very, very, very, very sought after 00:01:16.629 --> 00:01:19.709 skill. I always amuse when I fly about and it 00:01:19.709 --> 00:01:22.049 says profession. And what do you put in there? 00:01:22.170 --> 00:01:24.769 You know, if I put what I do for pianos in there, 00:01:24.829 --> 00:01:26.849 there's not enough room to do it. So I end up 00:01:26.849 --> 00:01:29.090 putting either piano tuner because everybody 00:01:29.090 --> 00:01:33.530 understands that or piano technician. My training, 00:01:33.629 --> 00:01:36.090 if you ask me, what is your profession? It's 00:01:36.090 --> 00:01:38.590 I'm a trained piano maker. That was my training 00:01:38.590 --> 00:01:41.250 in Hamburg in the factory. And then I specialized 00:01:41.250 --> 00:01:45.620 as a trained piano maker into. concert preparation 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:49.319 of our concert instruments on concert platform 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:54.500 for artists so that and what I do in London which 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:56.920 is being linked into venues artists communities 00:01:56.920 --> 00:02:00.340 agents is really working on the infrastructure 00:02:00.340 --> 00:02:02.640 of performance pianos not just in the UK and 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:05.900 Ireland but globally. I didn't know actually 00:02:05.900 --> 00:02:10.539 that you started as as a piano maker so you entered 00:02:10.539 --> 00:02:14.009 Steinway Hamburg as a young How many years ago, 00:02:14.110 --> 00:02:18.689 may I ask? 40 years ago this year. And one of 00:02:18.689 --> 00:02:21.949 my trademarks surely is my apron. And very many 00:02:21.949 --> 00:02:23.810 people, when they see me without apron, they 00:02:23.810 --> 00:02:26.349 don't recognise me. And the apron really was 00:02:26.349 --> 00:02:29.990 the first bit of gear I was given starting my 00:02:29.990 --> 00:02:32.949 apprenticeship, was a blue apron. And that blue 00:02:32.949 --> 00:02:37.650 apron is, in German arts and crafts, is the apron 00:02:37.650 --> 00:02:40.490 for cabinetmakers. And our founder, Heinrich 00:02:40.490 --> 00:02:43.620 Engelhard Steinweg, was a cabinetmaker. And the 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:45.719 famous picture of him building the kitchen piano, 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:48.680 he was wearing a blue apron. So that's where 00:02:48.680 --> 00:02:53.840 that apron comes from. So what I put down for 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:56.840 profession is very, very hard to say, but I would 00:02:56.840 --> 00:02:59.879 probably say for people to understand, I would 00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:02.319 be a concert technician. Concert technician. 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:05.919 OK, so you started, you went through the whole 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:09.500 thing at Steinway. You knew all the parts, how 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:12.810 to make the pianos. Yeah, you were an apprentice, 00:03:12.909 --> 00:03:16.289 obviously, at the start. No, it was three and 00:03:16.289 --> 00:03:18.409 a half years where you really start with going 00:03:18.409 --> 00:03:20.909 to the timber yard, collecting some or selecting 00:03:20.909 --> 00:03:23.930 some timbers. And then you had a workbench with 00:03:23.930 --> 00:03:27.129 all the block planes and chisels and saws. And 00:03:27.129 --> 00:03:29.150 you made that plank of wood, which still had 00:03:29.150 --> 00:03:32.270 bark on it, into something that can then be used 00:03:32.270 --> 00:03:34.569 to do all the different joints. Dovetailing, 00:03:34.729 --> 00:03:38.939 hitting dovetailing, name it, we did it. The 00:03:38.939 --> 00:03:41.219 first part of the apprenticeship was showing 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:46.340 us apprentices, first of all, the standard of 00:03:46.340 --> 00:03:49.280 excellence that was expected of us, a feel for 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:51.780 the material. And of course, the initial material 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:54.860 that is used to make pianos is timbers, different 00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:59.580 timbers. And after cabinet making for about eight 00:03:59.580 --> 00:04:01.680 weeks, we went through all the departments in 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:04.439 the factory to learn. all aspects of piano manufacturing. 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:07.439 And then at the end of three and a half years, 00:04:07.539 --> 00:04:10.159 we did a practical exam where we had to build 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:13.840 an octave piano. And we did a theoretic exams 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:17.199 with technical drawings, maths, all sorts of 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:20.220 things. So it was a classic German apprenticeship 00:04:20.220 --> 00:04:23.860 in a craft. And I'm very grateful for it. And 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:26.629 that three and a half years sort of... linked 00:04:26.629 --> 00:04:30.629 me forever to Steinway & Sons and the rest is 00:04:30.629 --> 00:04:32.629 history. I've been there 40 years, I've never 00:04:32.629 --> 00:04:35.829 looked back. That's amazing, amazing. And now, 00:04:36.110 --> 00:04:38.490 you know, and you have been for many years, they 00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:41.050 call you the tuner to the stars. I mean, you 00:04:41.050 --> 00:04:46.110 know, you obviously, you're there tuning these 00:04:46.110 --> 00:04:49.250 pianos for the top artists, top pianists of the 00:04:49.250 --> 00:04:51.910 world. I mean, what does that entail? What is 00:04:51.910 --> 00:04:57.339 an average day for you? Well, it's... I've got 00:04:57.339 --> 00:05:01.100 an A -list of pianists that want me there and 00:05:01.100 --> 00:05:03.699 this A -list of pianists very much is also the 00:05:03.699 --> 00:05:06.420 quality control of pianos I have in venues or 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:09.300 indeed the pianos that we now concentrate. I 00:05:09.300 --> 00:05:13.220 need an inventory that allows me to supply the 00:05:13.220 --> 00:05:15.500 greatest pianists of today with pianos that inspire 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:19.550 them. And then I have a great team of people. 00:05:19.649 --> 00:05:22.689 We have seven concert technicians in London that 00:05:22.689 --> 00:05:25.509 do most of the tuning for concerts. Whereas my 00:05:25.509 --> 00:05:28.310 job is mostly to make sure that pianos we have 00:05:28.310 --> 00:05:31.189 in venues are maintained to the highest level. 00:05:31.750 --> 00:05:36.329 And then when there's André Schiff or in the 00:05:36.329 --> 00:05:39.629 past Murray Pariah or Mitsuko play in these venues, 00:05:39.850 --> 00:05:42.250 I'm there to look after them because they would 00:05:42.250 --> 00:05:46.160 want me there. OK, that I understand. OK. I mean, 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:50.240 I do believe with some of these pianists, you 00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:53.220 actually travel with them if they do. Yes. Yeah. 00:05:53.300 --> 00:05:59.899 Yes. So that is it's again. Over three decades 00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:03.899 of being closely linked with pianists and pianos, 00:06:03.899 --> 00:06:06.879 one forms very, very close relationships and 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:09.560 they are very much private and they are treasured. 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:13.529 Yes. The work with great pianists over the years 00:06:13.529 --> 00:06:18.310 really informs how I set up pianos and select 00:06:18.310 --> 00:06:20.449 pianos as well. If I select them in Hamburg, 00:06:20.670 --> 00:06:23.069 I would select the piano that I would be happy 00:06:23.069 --> 00:06:26.350 to take on, to prepare, to put in front of a 00:06:26.350 --> 00:06:28.310 great artist, whether of the younger generation 00:06:28.310 --> 00:06:32.649 or older generation. A lot of the get -to -know 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:34.930 the younger generation happens over piano competitions, 00:06:35.110 --> 00:06:37.910 where, of course, in one competition you meet 00:06:37.910 --> 00:06:41.639 a great number of talented pianists. And very 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:44.019 often right at the beginning with the piano tryout, 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:46.879 you already form a bond with some pianists. And 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:49.240 they are very often pianists that have an affinity 00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:52.339 to the piano and therefore want to actually connect 00:06:52.339 --> 00:06:55.560 with a piano technician. And in the past competitions, 00:06:55.939 --> 00:06:59.639 pianists that are now established like Paul Lewis 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:03.620 or Kirill Gerstein and many others, I met first 00:07:03.620 --> 00:07:06.879 in piano competitions. That is amazing, Uli. 00:07:06.980 --> 00:07:09.959 I mean, but you also have such a name. You know, 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:14.740 we all know who you are. Well, that helps. But 00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:18.279 it also is, you know, if I go anywhere to service 00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:21.600 pianos, you know, there's no limit on the hours 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:23.860 I work because the result that I leave behind 00:07:23.860 --> 00:07:27.899 needs to reflect this reputation. So the reputation 00:07:27.899 --> 00:07:31.120 is only valid if you actually deliver continuously 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:35.180 at very high quality. represent the brand of 00:07:35.180 --> 00:07:38.800 Steinway and Sons as the prime instruments for 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:42.519 performance. Absolutely, yes. I mean, obviously, 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:45.480 you know, each hall has a different acoustic, 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:47.399 and you obviously have to be aware of that, I 00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:50.699 imagine. Yeah, very much so. And I get asked 00:07:50.699 --> 00:07:54.339 often now to select for venues. And the reason 00:07:54.339 --> 00:07:59.269 why the venues asked me because I'm not Yes, 00:07:59.290 --> 00:08:01.449 I work for Steinway, but if I look up the Barbican 00:08:01.449 --> 00:08:03.769 Centre, I'm as much part of the Barbican Centre 00:08:03.769 --> 00:08:06.589 than of Steinway & Sons. And as the technician 00:08:06.589 --> 00:08:09.069 responsible for venues like Barbican and Wickmore, 00:08:09.189 --> 00:08:11.129 I would be foolish not to have the right piano 00:08:11.129 --> 00:08:14.949 in the venues. So they asked me, rather than 00:08:14.949 --> 00:08:18.089 a panel of artists, to go and find a piano. And 00:08:18.089 --> 00:08:21.750 they are confident that what I will select is 00:08:21.750 --> 00:08:25.399 something that suits into the venue. You know, 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:28.000 if you think of a hall like Wigmore Hall, if 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:31.000 you put the wrong piano in there, you know, because 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:32.919 you like bright pianos, you select the bright 00:08:32.919 --> 00:08:34.779 piano, it would be totally the wrong choice for 00:08:34.779 --> 00:08:38.399 Wigmore. So you have to be super aware of the 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.399 hall and the artists that play in the hall and 00:08:41.399 --> 00:08:44.309 the repertoire that played in the hall. and then 00:08:44.309 --> 00:08:47.190 go to Hamburg and find the right piano or go 00:08:47.190 --> 00:08:49.389 into the inventory or go into the concert hall 00:08:49.389 --> 00:08:52.950 and say I'm having 958 for the Albert Hall and 00:08:52.950 --> 00:08:55.909 having 184 for Wickmore or for smaller venues 00:08:55.909 --> 00:08:59.200 of music festivals. yeah i mean i remember being 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:01.559 with you all those years back i think it was 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:05.879 2013 i looked it was 2013 yes i will never forget 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:07.919 that either because we were so delayed that we 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:10.279 just about made it to the factory before they 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:13.000 closed there was some terrible flight path thing 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:16.159 going on at heathrow but we flew over to hamburg 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:20.179 to choose the model d for the barbican that's 00:09:20.179 --> 00:09:23.580 right And you had this long lineup of Model Ds. 00:09:23.580 --> 00:09:25.179 There must have been about 12. I don't know. 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:28.519 I can't remember. How did you know? I remember 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.559 it didn't take you very long to choose. How did 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:35.600 you know? I mean, it is instinct, really. You 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:38.620 look for a piano with the most potential for 00:09:38.620 --> 00:09:41.960 the venue that you search for. But at the same 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:44.320 time, you know, if you look for like the Barbican, 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:46.279 you don't just want a bright piano. You want 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:49.440 a piano with character, a piano that is well 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:53.039 balanced. between bass, middle section and treble 00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:58.820 and a sonority that projects. And the piano 216 00:09:58.820 --> 00:10:01.519 that we selected, that was actually the piano 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:05.679 that we used for the Alfred Brand Memorial concert 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:08.639 on the 5th of January this year. So it's still 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:13.059 there. It's about to retire and hopefully eventually 00:10:13.059 --> 00:10:15.340 we'll find a good home for it. Oh my goodness! 00:10:15.980 --> 00:10:18.059 That's quite moving because I was at that... 00:10:18.409 --> 00:10:20.509 I know. So that piano has always just was a new 00:10:20.509 --> 00:10:23.330 name on it, obviously, because I remember waiting 00:10:23.330 --> 00:10:25.490 in the lounge, going on that flight, will we 00:10:25.490 --> 00:10:27.970 go, won't we go? And then arriving, I had to 00:10:27.970 --> 00:10:31.090 sort of, because I'm part of the family in Hamburg, 00:10:31.149 --> 00:10:32.870 they let us select, although they were already 00:10:32.870 --> 00:10:35.370 closed. And that was, again, something very unusual. 00:10:36.029 --> 00:10:41.009 That was a remarkable day. Absolutely. I mean, 00:10:41.029 --> 00:10:43.990 preparing a concert grand for a performance is 00:10:43.990 --> 00:10:46.529 quite a task. How long does it, how long does 00:10:46.529 --> 00:10:50.960 it take? It depends. I mean, the normal situation 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:56.919 is like we had Joe playing at the Barbican yesterday 00:10:56.919 --> 00:11:04.980 with the LSO. Who? Sorry, who? Son John Cho played 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:07.860 for the LSO yesterday. Of course. And he played 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:10.500 978, which is the youngest piano, which was selected 00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:14.379 in Hamburg in 2020 or 2019, even just before 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:19.279 the pandemic. And I was at the Barbican for maintenance 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:24.139 on the 10th of February and prepared the piano. 00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:28.080 And then yesterday on the concert day, a colleague 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:30.059 of mine tuned in the morning and a colleague 00:11:30.059 --> 00:11:33.120 of mine tuned in the evening in the tent. So 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:36.759 that would be the normal situation with the benefit 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:38.580 that I had a maintenance session on the piano 00:11:38.580 --> 00:11:41.360 a few days before. Usually it would have been 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:44.179 the piano is maintained. And then on the concert 00:11:44.179 --> 00:11:46.980 day. we've allocated the piano for the pianist 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:49.220 and then there will be a pre -rehearsal tuning 00:11:49.220 --> 00:11:52.539 and a pre -concert tuning and an attend. And 00:11:52.539 --> 00:11:56.759 in the pre -concert tuning, there's always piano 00:11:56.759 --> 00:11:59.299 technician meets pianist if there's any small 00:11:59.299 --> 00:12:01.679 adjustments to be made just before the show. 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:04.879 But in reality, there's very little time. Now, 00:12:04.899 --> 00:12:06.919 if you work with pianists like Mitsuko Uchida, 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:10.980 it's a much, much, much longer process to find 00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:14.000 the right piano that she's happy to play. and 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.720 then she would want to try the piano before the 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:19.679 concert and then the piano goes into the venue 00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:21.940 and you do another whole day with her in the 00:12:21.940 --> 00:12:25.580 venue until the concert happens or if she plays 00:12:25.580 --> 00:12:28.120 a resident piano like for example St George's 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:32.240 Bristol I would be organizing a day to service 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:35.580 the piano either on the day of the concert or 00:12:36.029 --> 00:12:38.549 a few days before so that when Mitsuko comes 00:12:38.549 --> 00:12:40.950 to the venue, the piano is as well prepared as 00:12:40.950 --> 00:12:44.429 possible. And then the rest of the day is used 00:12:44.429 --> 00:12:47.690 to do the final changes that she would like to 00:12:47.690 --> 00:12:50.370 action and tone before she then plays the concert. 00:12:51.009 --> 00:12:56.200 Wow. That's, you know, many hours there. You 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:57.779 obviously, I know it's a really silly question, 00:12:57.879 --> 00:13:00.559 but you're, you know, you're crouching over the 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:03.399 piano, you're kind of, you know, bending over 00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:06.000 the, you know, it's quite physical, isn't it, 00:13:06.019 --> 00:13:08.500 as well? Yes, I mean, that's, thank God, because 00:13:08.500 --> 00:13:12.899 if I, I mean, the difference between my work, 00:13:12.899 --> 00:13:14.799 you know, talking about whether you're a piano 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:19.779 tuner or how you call yourself, yes, part of 00:13:19.779 --> 00:13:21.700 my day will be piano tuning where you sit down 00:13:21.700 --> 00:13:24.379 and tune. But most of the day is doing all sorts 00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:26.440 of other things till you finally sit down and 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:28.779 tune when everything else is done. By that time, 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:31.000 you're actually very often quite ready to sit 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:33.519 down because you've been on your feet and under 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:36.720 the piano and taking bits apart and shaping hammers 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:40.259 and doing quite physical work for hours before. 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:45.210 Do you do anything? Do you do yoga? Have any 00:13:45.210 --> 00:13:49.929 release of all this tension? I do half an hour 00:13:49.929 --> 00:13:53.830 every day, usually between 5 and 5 .30, which 00:13:53.830 --> 00:13:56.190 is a combination of running, weights, stretching 00:13:56.190 --> 00:13:59.309 and pro exercise, which I've done forever. So 00:13:59.309 --> 00:14:01.250 it's not something new. I've done it since I 00:14:01.250 --> 00:14:04.110 was a teenager, really. That's in the morning? 00:14:04.450 --> 00:14:08.529 Yeah. As a teenager, I did a lot of, you know, 00:14:08.610 --> 00:14:11.990 Indiana skiing and ball games, football, handball, 00:14:12.029 --> 00:14:16.480 volleyball. And since as a grown -up professional, 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:18.639 there's no time to do that sort of thing. So 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.879 my exercise has always been in the morning before 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:24.279 work starts because work ends so irregular. If 00:14:24.279 --> 00:14:26.200 I go to the gym after work, well, that would 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:28.080 never happen. So I get it out of the way in the 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:32.539 morning. It's like brushing teeth. And it connects 00:14:32.539 --> 00:14:34.559 you with nature as well because you're outdoors. 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:38.799 And then you can start your day. So it works 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:41.940 for me. I've never had a bad back or any pains. 00:14:41.980 --> 00:14:45.940 I hardly ever get ill. It keeps the weight down, 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:48.259 which is also important. It keeps your back strong, 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:52.440 which is important. So you need to do that. And 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:55.539 it served me well, I have to say. And you travel 00:14:55.539 --> 00:15:00.259 so much. The jet lag, does that bother you? No, 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:03.240 I'm very lucky. And again, I think having a routine 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:06.059 helps. For example, on my flights to Melbourne, 00:15:06.649 --> 00:15:09.690 I fly direct and then I land in Melbourne. And 00:15:09.690 --> 00:15:11.470 the first thing I do check in the hotel, get 00:15:11.470 --> 00:15:14.409 my running shoes and run around your Yara river 00:15:14.409 --> 00:15:17.289 and then get into my routine. And I think the 00:15:17.289 --> 00:15:19.490 other thing that helps with jet lag when you 00:15:19.490 --> 00:15:23.169 do my job is you go yet another concert hall. 00:15:23.250 --> 00:15:25.870 You spend 10 hours with a piano and the work 00:15:25.870 --> 00:15:29.169 is very structured. So you know exactly how far 00:15:29.169 --> 00:15:31.649 you get through a day to finish the work that 00:15:31.649 --> 00:15:34.700 helps your body clock as well to adjust. And 00:15:34.700 --> 00:15:37.059 then you fly back and you crash out on the plane 00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:41.879 and then you start again. I mean, it's it's again, 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:45.340 I'm lucky. So I don't feel woozy or drowsy or 00:15:45.340 --> 00:15:48.879 sleepy. I just press on. That's fantastic. I 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:51.559 mean, 10 hours with a piano, that's quite lonely 00:15:51.559 --> 00:15:56.230 one night thing. It is. I mean, if. If you need 00:15:56.230 --> 00:15:58.470 company when you work, then that's not the job 00:15:58.470 --> 00:16:03.110 for you. And sometimes you go a day without speaking 00:16:03.110 --> 00:16:05.149 to anybody. You arrive in the venue, you get 00:16:05.149 --> 00:16:07.450 past stage door, you might negotiate with the 00:16:07.450 --> 00:16:11.110 cleaners, but then you are with the piano and 00:16:11.110 --> 00:16:16.309 in silence. And that is actually, I like it because 00:16:16.309 --> 00:16:20.809 you can get on with work and your mind can do 00:16:20.809 --> 00:16:24.690 all sorts of things whilst working. It's also 00:16:24.690 --> 00:16:27.549 a physical work. There's no computers involved. 00:16:27.889 --> 00:16:31.090 It's all senses. It's ears. It's touch. It's 00:16:31.090 --> 00:16:34.970 feel. It's material. It's sound. It's responding 00:16:34.970 --> 00:16:38.750 to your environment. I find it very gratifying. 00:16:39.129 --> 00:16:42.090 And I find it, I always say I don't get stressed. 00:16:42.470 --> 00:16:44.750 I might get tired, but I don't get stressed. 00:16:45.230 --> 00:16:49.450 And the end result is always very energizing. 00:16:49.610 --> 00:16:55.080 If you, I did some pianos. that were really neglected 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:58.860 on my last trip to australia and i spent 10 hours 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:02.759 really grafting and at the end of the day the 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:05.279 pianos came alive and again the same thing i 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:06.980 would have been happy to put these pianos in 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:09.680 front of any great pianist that's that's the 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:12.359 ultimate goal of servicing pianos and venues 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:15.420 that you want to get them as good as these pianos 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:18.309 can be yes and that's Part of my reputation, 00:17:18.390 --> 00:17:20.849 for example, travelling, touring with a pianist 00:17:20.849 --> 00:17:23.789 to venues in South America, the pianos are not 00:17:23.789 --> 00:17:26.309 like they are at Wickmore Hall. They are old 00:17:26.309 --> 00:17:29.289 pianos that are very often neglected, but they 00:17:29.289 --> 00:17:31.750 are all Steinway, so there's potential. So you 00:17:31.750 --> 00:17:34.390 use all your skills to get as much out of the 00:17:34.390 --> 00:17:37.029 piano as possible, and then you hand that piano 00:17:37.029 --> 00:17:39.970 over to an artist who's aware that he will not 00:17:39.970 --> 00:17:42.730 have a brand new Steinway, but with their touch 00:17:42.730 --> 00:17:44.569 and the understanding this instrument is now 00:17:44.569 --> 00:17:46.829 as good as it can be, they will do their magic. 00:17:47.259 --> 00:17:50.559 And the result very often is superb. That's amazing. 00:17:50.859 --> 00:17:55.480 Wow. And you were talking, did you bring up Alfred 00:17:55.480 --> 00:17:58.180 Brandl? Of course, his concert. You worked, well, 00:17:58.259 --> 00:18:00.740 his memorial concert. You worked closely with 00:18:00.740 --> 00:18:05.200 Alfred, didn't you? I did, yes, from 1992 until 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:09.539 his last concert in Vienna in 2008. And then 00:18:09.539 --> 00:18:12.859 between 2008 and literally the month he passed 00:18:12.859 --> 00:18:16.740 away, we saw each other. I still looked after 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:20.680 his piano at home when he had artists play to 00:18:20.680 --> 00:18:24.140 him and we met for lunch or tea or, you know, 00:18:24.140 --> 00:18:28.200 it was a really close relationship. And, you 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:32.059 know, if I was a pianist, do you have a mentor 00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:34.480 who taught you, you know, how to play and about 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:38.339 what is important? In my profession, certainly 00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:40.880 one of the mentor pianists that I've worked with 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:46.240 that really showed me what he wanted from a piano 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:51.259 was Alfred Brendel. He seemed like a fascinating, 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:54.599 fascinating human being. I mean, I didn't know 00:18:54.599 --> 00:18:57.759 him very well, but it's not just the beauty of 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:01.579 his playing. There was so much else. One felt 00:19:01.579 --> 00:19:05.599 like so small with him because he was such a 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:09.019 giant intellect with all subjects, whether it's 00:19:09.019 --> 00:19:13.500 music or art or literature or architecture. or 00:19:13.500 --> 00:19:17.940 theater or cinema he he was he was just incredible 00:19:17.940 --> 00:19:21.940 and you know he could have been the pianist that 00:19:21.940 --> 00:19:25.259 makes you feel as a piano tuner just a tiny unimportant 00:19:25.259 --> 00:19:29.859 person but he was just the opposite and for that 00:19:29.859 --> 00:19:32.519 reason you work even harder because you want 00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:35.440 to give him what he's looking for in order to 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:38.880 achieve what he wants to achieve music and to 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:45.619 be true to the composer without any So fantastic, 00:19:45.900 --> 00:19:49.079 man. Wonderful. I mean, you told me that you, 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:51.599 you know, you would look after his piano at home 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:54.119 as well. Do you do that for a lot of your, let's 00:19:54.119 --> 00:19:56.900 say, A -list, whatever artists, or do you not 00:19:56.900 --> 00:19:59.880 really have the time or does it just. I do, but 00:19:59.880 --> 00:20:03.859 it really is a very, very small A -list. And, 00:20:03.859 --> 00:20:07.180 and I'll take both one and Marie Pariah is one 00:20:07.180 --> 00:20:12.569 and, and Imogen Cooper and, and. André Schiff, 00:20:12.650 --> 00:20:15.150 all their stymies in London I do look after. 00:20:16.049 --> 00:20:20.789 But you have to be careful with the time and 00:20:20.789 --> 00:20:24.210 you must stay focused on the instruments that 00:20:24.210 --> 00:20:27.789 matter for my own team as well. I can't neglect 00:20:27.789 --> 00:20:32.170 pianos in venues because the colleagues that 00:20:32.170 --> 00:20:34.289 tune in the evening when there's very often very 00:20:34.289 --> 00:20:36.250 little time need the pianos to be maintained 00:20:36.250 --> 00:20:39.900 as well as possible. Yeah, yeah. And all these 00:20:39.900 --> 00:20:42.160 wonderful artists. I mean, when it comes to the 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:44.980 piano, you have mentioned this before, but do 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:47.400 you think some of them are more focused on the 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:50.440 mechanics, the action, that is the feel, and 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:52.660 then some of them are more focused on the sound? 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:56.779 Yes, absolutely. That's important to know. I 00:20:56.779 --> 00:21:01.279 mean, ultimately, my aim is to put a piano in 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:06.220 front of an artist or any artist. that is mechanically 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:10.099 as well regulated and as fluid as possible whilst 00:21:10.099 --> 00:21:13.140 providing a sound that has the widest dynamic 00:21:13.140 --> 00:21:18.400 range. Now there's a bracket of a small percentage 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:20.720 where the piano drifts in one or the other way 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:22.859 and pianos are born in a certain way. There are 00:21:22.859 --> 00:21:25.119 some pianos that are born with a more fluid touch 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:30.289 and maybe less sonority. Other pianos that have 00:21:30.289 --> 00:21:32.970 a touch that is slightly more, you have to work 00:21:32.970 --> 00:21:35.210 harder to get to the sound, but it gets more 00:21:35.210 --> 00:21:38.829 sonority. At the same time, you never want to 00:21:38.829 --> 00:21:41.049 go into extremes that you have a very heavy piano 00:21:41.049 --> 00:21:43.289 or a super light piano, because if the piano 00:21:43.289 --> 00:21:45.529 is too light, then it's not controllable anymore. 00:21:45.930 --> 00:21:49.369 And the mechanics are so joined at the hip with 00:21:49.369 --> 00:21:54.809 sound that you can hardly separate them. It's, 00:21:54.809 --> 00:21:57.910 yeah, fascinating. But that goes back, Erika, 00:21:58.049 --> 00:22:01.309 into how you select pianos, you know. I was in 00:22:01.309 --> 00:22:04.650 Hamburg recently to select, with Wikinga Olofsson, 00:22:04.769 --> 00:22:10.289 a piano for a concert hall in Iceland. And we 00:22:10.289 --> 00:22:13.329 had earmarked two pianos that we both liked. 00:22:14.170 --> 00:22:17.690 And then the question was between one piano that 00:22:17.690 --> 00:22:21.470 had a slightly more interesting sound for Wikinga, 00:22:21.609 --> 00:22:24.390 but the action was not as fluid. and another 00:22:24.390 --> 00:22:26.730 piano which had a fluid action and a good sound 00:22:26.730 --> 00:22:29.269 and i said if you choose between one or the other 00:22:29.269 --> 00:22:31.769 and the fluid action is important to you choose 00:22:31.769 --> 00:22:33.549 the one with the fluid action and that's what 00:22:33.549 --> 00:22:37.470 we did interesting because in the selection room 00:22:37.470 --> 00:22:40.569 i did check the one that was slightly less free 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:43.240 And whether there was anything in the regulation 00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:46.460 that could have improved it. And there would 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:49.220 have been, but not to that extent. So that was 00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:51.359 an action. The more fluid action was an action 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:53.640 that just came out of the factory slightly more 00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:57.259 fluid. And that's important to take into account 00:22:57.259 --> 00:23:02.259 when you choose pianos. Yeah, I understand. Are 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:04.759 there any emergencies along the way? Do you keep 00:23:04.759 --> 00:23:08.000 your phone on at all times? My phone has been 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:11.619 on seven days a week for the last. I don't know 00:23:11.619 --> 00:23:16.759 how many years and it's not it's not because 00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:22.019 one is a control freak it's just that one wants 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:24.579 to be there for the team if they've got any questions 00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:28.880 and you know I've got the information of venue 00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:31.799 pianos and higher pianos at the back of my head 00:23:31.799 --> 00:23:35.200 so I can make a very quick decision of if there 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:36.859 comes a question can we do this that and the 00:23:36.859 --> 00:23:39.359 other or here's a problem the other thing is 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:42.759 Quality control in venues, we are unique that 00:23:42.759 --> 00:23:46.039 we work as a team. So again, using Wickmore Hall, 00:23:46.099 --> 00:23:47.799 because we tune there almost every day as an 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:52.039 example, we've got people that tune Monday, Tuesday, 00:23:52.039 --> 00:23:54.880 Wednesday, not the same person, but we all follow 00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:57.799 each other up and our tuning is compatible. If 00:23:57.799 --> 00:23:59.900 there is an issue with the piano, I will know 00:23:59.900 --> 00:24:02.960 on the day and I will then link with Wickmore 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:04.720 and say, I need to go to Wickmore tomorrow to 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:06.599 have a quick look at the piano because this was 00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:11.839 reported. We therefore can provide a really, 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:14.140 really good service to the venues and a service 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:17.359 to our instruments. And that's what people forget. 00:24:17.500 --> 00:24:20.559 They think, well, stymies are everywhere. People 00:24:20.559 --> 00:24:23.279 forget what it takes to actually maintain this 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:26.220 number of pianos and venues at a cost as well. 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:29.960 And we have somebody working seven days a week 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:33.140 to provide the backup for these pianos, which 00:24:33.140 --> 00:24:36.259 is hugely important. Absolutely. And obviously, 00:24:36.380 --> 00:24:38.359 if you're away on the other side of the world, 00:24:38.440 --> 00:24:42.579 you've got a great team here. Yeah, that's right. 00:24:43.140 --> 00:24:46.559 Yeah. I mean, did you always want? No, you wanted 00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:51.740 to do this looking back. Not at all. No, I I 00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:54.000 the only reason why I ended in this diamond factory 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.700 as an apprentice was that I was looking to learn 00:24:56.700 --> 00:25:00.619 a handcraft before doing architecture. And I 00:25:00.619 --> 00:25:02.420 had lined up an apprenticeship with a cabinet 00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:05.619 maker. in Essen, in central Germany, and then 00:25:05.619 --> 00:25:08.599 wanted to do architecture afterwards. But I was 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:11.400 keen to learn a craft before going to university. 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:15.640 And a cousin of mine is playing or played the 00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:18.319 violin in the NDR Symphony Orchestra, which is 00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:20.640 now the Elbphilharmonie, NDR Elbphilharmonie 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:24.380 Symphony Orchestra. And she had organized a guided 00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:27.220 tour or a tour through the standard factory for 00:25:27.220 --> 00:25:32.759 a pianist friend of hers. And this pianist friend 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:34.700 couldn't go. So she rang me up and said, do you 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:36.460 want to see this diamond factory? So I said, 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:41.099 yes, of course. And I then walked into the factory 00:25:41.099 --> 00:25:44.720 and my eyes opened wide when I saw how these 00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:47.539 pianos were put together and the ingredients 00:25:47.539 --> 00:25:49.940 that go into these pianos, the finest timbres 00:25:49.940 --> 00:25:52.960 that you can't buy in a shop were there en masse. 00:25:53.660 --> 00:25:56.500 And after the tour, I spoke to the tour guide, 00:25:56.619 --> 00:25:58.839 Hartwig Kulp, who still works in the factory. 00:25:59.940 --> 00:26:03.539 how about me doing work experience here? And 00:26:03.539 --> 00:26:05.359 thinking I do work experience, then I do what 00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:07.900 I wanted to do. And he said, no, we are completely 00:26:07.900 --> 00:26:09.759 booked out for that, but we're interviewing for 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:13.220 apprentices. Write to us. So I wrote to Steinway 00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:18.000 because I was then 18, 19 years old. I had all 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:20.500 my CVs ready to apply for all sorts of things. 00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:23.559 I fired it off to Steinway and Sons and got a 00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:25.420 letter back asking me for an interview for an 00:26:25.420 --> 00:26:29.609 apprenticeship. So I did my interview with Jan 00:26:29.609 --> 00:26:32.410 Löschenkohl, who was the master training all 00:26:32.410 --> 00:26:37.609 the apprentices and the HR guy, and walked out 00:26:37.609 --> 00:26:39.089 of the factory and thought, oh, this went rather 00:26:39.089 --> 00:26:42.369 well. And then had an offer to do an apprenticeship 00:26:42.369 --> 00:26:46.890 starting in September 86. And I, you know, I 00:26:46.890 --> 00:26:48.809 still remember the letter arriving with Steinmeier 00:26:48.809 --> 00:26:52.400 & Sons, the famous brand. on this paper typewritten. 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:54.759 And I said, you've got to do this. Whatever you 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:57.619 do afterwards, you've got to do this. So I cancelled 00:26:57.619 --> 00:27:01.099 everything else. And I think on the 3rd of September, 00:27:01.299 --> 00:27:04.599 86, I came into the Steinway factory, was given 00:27:04.599 --> 00:27:07.920 my blue apron, started life with Steinway. Oh, 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:10.359 that's giving me goosebumps. That's amazing. 00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:13.700 Had you told me after A -levels, I would tune 00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:16.740 pianos, I would have roared with laughter. That's 00:27:16.740 --> 00:27:19.480 the bizarre thing. And that's why. That's why 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:23.400 I still find it very weird when people call me 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:26.240 a piano tuner because I'm so not a piano tuner. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:30.900 And the way I tune pianos comes with a lot of 00:27:30.900 --> 00:27:32.819 self -criticism because I never thought I could 00:27:32.819 --> 00:27:35.599 tune pianos. So you're even more self -critical. 00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:37.960 And I remember doing the first recording sessions 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:42.559 with Leslie Howard. We did about... 90 or even 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:44.980 100 list CDs together. And I said to Leslie, 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:47.299 we might be friends, but if my tuning is not 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:51.740 good enough, you must tell me. And I eventually 00:27:51.740 --> 00:27:55.180 realized that my tuning can't be that bad and 00:27:55.180 --> 00:28:00.140 pass on the skills that I've learned to my colleagues 00:28:00.140 --> 00:28:05.000 and never, ever think I'm so marvelous and I 00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:06.779 can do everything because you can't. Everything 00:28:06.779 --> 00:28:09.359 changes and you have to be at the top of your 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:12.980 game all the time. And what I love about what 00:28:12.980 --> 00:28:16.220 I do with pianos is that I do all the infrastructure 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:19.579 work to make the piano be in the best possible 00:28:19.579 --> 00:28:23.519 condition. That is mechanical work, tonal work, 00:28:23.700 --> 00:28:26.180 hammer preparation, so that when it comes to 00:28:26.180 --> 00:28:28.980 tuning it, you can actually tune it to the highest 00:28:28.980 --> 00:28:32.960 possible level. So if I went out and... people 00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:34.779 told me you can't work on stymies anymore, you 00:28:34.779 --> 00:28:36.619 can only live in tuning pianos, I would immediately 00:28:36.619 --> 00:28:39.380 quit. Ah, yes. And I would probably be not a 00:28:39.380 --> 00:28:42.019 very good tuner of these pianos because it would 00:28:42.019 --> 00:28:46.400 not excite me. What excites me is to get a piano 00:28:46.400 --> 00:28:48.799 of the standard of a concert grand to a level 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:52.359 where it is as good as it can be. It's the most 00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:54.960 fascinating thing in the world. So if all the 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:58.079 inner components are not really working at their 00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:01.539 best, the tuning is much harder. Absolutely right. 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:06.740 For example, if you have a well -regulated concert 00:29:06.740 --> 00:29:09.440 grand, but the voicing is all over the place, 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:11.839 the voicing is the tonal quality, it's uneven 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:14.700 in tone, then you can tune it as best as you 00:29:14.700 --> 00:29:19.440 can. It will not sound in tune. So ultimately, 00:29:19.700 --> 00:29:21.859 a piano will only sound really, truly well in 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:25.599 tune if the voicing is as balanced as the tuning. 00:29:26.119 --> 00:29:28.259 That is really interesting. I think a lot of 00:29:28.259 --> 00:29:30.559 listeners will be quite surprised by that. That's 00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:34.839 interesting. Goodness, Uli, we've been chatting 00:29:34.839 --> 00:29:37.779 away and I think we're nearly at the end of our 00:29:37.779 --> 00:29:41.380 discussion. You say you've been working for Steinway 00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:46.299 for 40 years this year. How many aprons have 00:29:46.299 --> 00:29:49.319 you had? Oh, God, that's a good question. I think 00:29:49.319 --> 00:29:52.740 I should think probably about 10 to 15, I should 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:58.490 think. Only? Yeah. So it's... They wear out mostly 00:29:58.490 --> 00:30:01.470 sort of where when you take the action out, you 00:30:01.470 --> 00:30:03.829 balance it on your waist and that's where they 00:30:03.829 --> 00:30:07.569 wear through. But I had quite a supply from Hamburg 00:30:07.569 --> 00:30:11.869 and then I found some more in craft shops in 00:30:11.869 --> 00:30:15.720 Germany. And I remember when I was apprentice, 00:30:15.960 --> 00:30:18.500 all the foremen of the different departments 00:30:18.500 --> 00:30:21.519 had this wonderful round Steinway badge on their 00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:24.019 coats. So I had some of those which I put on 00:30:24.019 --> 00:30:26.599 my apron and I still have them. So they are 40 00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:28.859 years old because they went from apron to apron. 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:32.619 Oh, isn't that fantastic? That's so sweet. I 00:30:32.619 --> 00:30:36.599 mean, wow. I don't know what else to ask you 00:30:36.599 --> 00:30:38.220 now. What are you up to this week? What are you 00:30:38.220 --> 00:30:40.799 up to? Where are we? This week is nearly... Nearly 00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:44.160 finished. Tonight I'm at the Schwarzman Center, 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:47.819 the Lewis Ullman Hall at Oxford University, where 00:30:47.819 --> 00:30:50.900 we select the piano last year. And it is the 00:30:50.900 --> 00:30:54.059 first concert that's not a public concert yet, 00:30:54.099 --> 00:30:56.880 but a concert to try out the acoustics and the 00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:00.240 piano. So that's very exciting. And then my next 00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:02.819 week starts with the lovely Bormo Symphony Orchestra 00:31:02.819 --> 00:31:07.079 in Poole, an annual service, and ends with two 00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:12.079 days at the Wheelchair Music Club. So it's, and 00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:13.859 in between is Wigmore Hall and Steinbeck Hall. 00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:15.900 So it's a local week. And then at the end of 00:31:15.900 --> 00:31:18.019 February, I'm in Lisbon with André Schiff at 00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:20.480 the Gulbenkian, which should be good. Then we 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:21.980 have the beginning of the Hastings International 00:31:21.980 --> 00:31:24.619 Piano Competition. So those pianos will be going 00:31:24.619 --> 00:31:27.279 end of next week, a week today, they are going 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:31.579 to be collected. So it's non -stop really. And 00:31:31.579 --> 00:31:34.880 it's great that it is non -stop because it's 00:31:34.880 --> 00:31:36.799 good for business. It's good for everybody. It's 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:43.680 good for our exposure. And it's nice to have 00:31:43.680 --> 00:31:46.759 these pianos wanted as well. It's nice at Hastings 00:31:46.759 --> 00:31:48.859 how much difference it has made for Steinmeier 00:31:48.859 --> 00:31:52.180 to provide pianos, which we didn't do at the 00:31:52.180 --> 00:31:53.720 beginning of the Hastings Piano Competition, 00:31:53.759 --> 00:31:56.920 the third piano competition we look after. And 00:31:56.920 --> 00:31:59.539 it's nice for me to see actually, and that's 00:31:59.539 --> 00:32:02.220 not made up or set just for the sake of how much 00:32:02.220 --> 00:32:04.980 people appreciate a good piano to be on stage. 00:32:05.220 --> 00:32:07.599 What it definitely makes the artists and the 00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:10.420 competitors and the whole prestige of the competition 00:32:10.420 --> 00:32:13.759 to have Steinway involved, which makes you work 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:16.140 even harder because you want them then, of course, 00:32:16.140 --> 00:32:19.279 to have the best pianos. course well we can tell 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:21.500 that you are utterly dedicated to your profession 00:32:21.500 --> 00:32:24.759 and you love it which of course is so important 00:32:24.759 --> 00:32:29.440 um ollie ulrich it's been a wonderful half hour 00:32:29.440 --> 00:32:33.200 45 minutes with you um i wish you all the best 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:36.859 a happy 2026 year ahead thank you very much yes 00:32:36.859 --> 00:32:39.440 um and i'm sure i'll be seeing you very soon 00:32:39.440 --> 00:32:43.559 at a concert all right ulrich thank you so much 00:32:43.559 --> 00:33:13.079 my pleasure bye -bye That was Schubert's impromptu 00:33:13.079 --> 00:33:16.380 Opus 90 No. 2 in E flat and it was played by 00:33:16.380 --> 00:33:20.279 Alfred Brendel. 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