Moments of perfection
However, the perfect craftsmanship and masterly construction that create a Yamaha Premium Piano alone are not enough to produce music. It is only when a pianist merges with the instrument that the opportunity for musical perfection can be created. To touch the emotions of the audience and transform the concept of the music into reality, a great concert pianist needs a grand piano that will give them, on one hand, freedom of expression whilst, on the other, it must drive the player onwards, challenging him or her to create and nurture every single note of the performance.
It is a total symbiosis between the artist and the instrument, as well as the technology and craft that created it.
In the words of an experienced professor: “When I have a Yamaha grand piano to play, I know that I can turn my musical vision into reality – that I can create tonal colours the way I hear them in my imagination. The instrument communicates with me, and through it I can communicate with the audience.” Fany Solter, University of Music, Karlsruhe.
Many more of the world’s leading pianists have turned to Yamaha’s grand pianos as their chosen instrument. Thus, they have the confidence of knowing and depending on the fact that, even after many years, a Yamaha Premium Piano will dedicate it’s full range of tonal potential to the performer. For Yamaha, this master class in dependability is what a timeless instrument should represent.
Wood, iron, felt and leather. Perfect harmony
In the making of pianos the choice of materials is a much-considered subject. For Yamaha, the concept of perfection starts by setting the selection criteria on which all its materials are chosen. For Premium Pianos only the world’s finest materials are used. They are then crafted into each and every component – always with the consideration that it is the blend and harmony of each element that ensures the pedigree of the end result.
Wood that has been specially selected based on the grain structure, strength and resonance is seasoned for long periods so that it is perfect to form the ribs, soundboard and bridges. Hi-grade felt for the hammers, the leather used in the mechanism of the action, which is itself engineered to the highest precision levels, or the cast-iron plate that is produced at Yamaha’s own foundry: it is the interaction and synergy among all these materials which turns an instrument into a Yamaha Premium Piano. This dedication is applied to every individual stage of production and the most rigid quality controls possible ensure that each instrument attains the desired quality level.
It is the fusion of all the elements that is critical – every component, each material, the method of assembly and the quality checks that create the final product. Add to this the experience of the master builder, the demands of the artist and the technological expertise available from a long tradition of craftsmanship, and then it is clear to see how Yamaha succeeds in creating what pianists experience as the form of perfect harmony between performer and piano.