Bosendorfer 290
9'6" Imperial Grand Piano
[Vienna - 1900] After meticulously transcribing Johann Sebastian Bach's famous organ works; Italian composer, conductor and pianist, Ferruccio Busoni, discovered that no existing piano could faithfully reproduce the immersive sound of 16'-32' bass pipes. Thus, no pianist could perform Bach's music as intended. Never one to run from a challenge, Ludwig Bosendorfer created an instrument in that same year that would go on to become one of the World's great musical icons - the 290 "Imperial" Bosendorfer Concert Grand Piano. A full eight octaves in range, this new instrument not only delighted Busoni, but it also inspired such immortal composers as Bartók, Debussy and Ravel to compose repertoire specifically for the Bosendorfer Imperial Grand Piano. To this day, these oeuvres can only be satisfactorily played and interpreted on a Bosendorfer Imperial Concert Grand Piano. Ludwig Bosendorfer’s Imperial Concert Grand Piano still to this day represents the precious heritage of the Bosendorfer piano manufactory.
Like all of the piano models that came later, fully 85% of the Bosendorfer Imperial Concert Grand Piano is made out of Bavarian Spruce tonewood. Even the piano's rim and frame are made with solid spruce. Much like a fine violin, this gives the entire piano a role in tone production - unlike other instruments whose manufactures think of the piano's frame and rim as purely structural or decorative in nature. This "Spruce Resonance Case" is made of only the finest Bavarian spruce and is naturally dried for five years before use. The piano is then fitted with a custom cast iron plate, individually-attached strings, hand-wound (bass) strings, an open pin block (for unparalleled durability and tuning stability), a custom Kluge keyboard and a custom Renner action - the finest made in the World today.
Evoking an extraordinary sound – sonorous and rich in expression and resonance – the timbre of the 290 Bosendorfer Imperial Grand Piano seems to be orchestral. The additional deeper bass notes resonate with every key you strike and the massive soundboard supports the projection of any frequency.
Riverton Piano Company is Arizona's only factory-authorized Bosendorfer dealership. Come and see us today. We look forward to hosting your Bosendorfer Piano experience.