Jamie Parker plays the new Bosendorfer grand piano at St. Andrew's Presbyterian ChurchJennifer Roberts for The Globe and Mail
Concert pianists are, of necessity, a hardy breed. Through years of practice, they must develop nerves of steel, technical brilliance and sophisticated interpretive insights. And, what's more, they must be adaptable, able to play the piano that's available wherever they're engaged to perform
Tonight, yet another piano takes its place among the city's finest, when Toronto-based pianist Jamie Parker plays a recital on a new Boesendorfer, recently acquired by St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on King Street. The official piano of Austrian emperors, the Boesendorfer was also admired by Hungarian virtuoso Franz Liszt.
The pianos that dominate the high-end market in North America are Steinways. Mostly, these are crisp, bright instruments from Steinway's New York factory, but the warmer Hamburg Steinways from Germany also have a following. However, that's starting to change. Rare and exotic brands – Fazioli, Bechstein, Steingraeber, Shigeru and a few others – are challenging Steinway's position. Even once-lowly Yamaha and Kawai have stepped up as contenders.
With so many pianos to choose from in Toronto, there's no consensus on which one is best. But local pianists do have favourites – and asking several to comment on the city's pianos opens up a lively discussion.
contemporary classical music.
You've played a lot of pianos in Toronto. What are your favourites?
The Steinway at Roy Thomson Hall is excellent, and the Arts and Letters Club has a nice old Steinway that was recently refurbished. But the piano I'm most comfortable with is Bertha, at the CBC's Glenn Gould Studio.
Bertha?
Yes. They have two pianos at the Glenn Gould – and they've named them Bertha and Oliver. They're both New York Steinways, but they're quite different. Bertha is getting to be elderly, but she's done me well. Oliver has a very quick action, and is a little shallower. But often my preference depends on what I'm playing.
What do you look for in a piano?
My own piano is very hard to control – my students call it "the beast." But if I had a perfect piano, then I probably wouldn't practice as much. But I have to really work at my piano to control the pianissimos. And when I suffer through the difficulties of my instrument, and I get to a concert hall where there's a beautiful piano, it's like driving a Rolls Royce after a Toyota.
Special to The Globe and Mail