Piano 67

Piano 67, another Steinway, was the house piano at the Cadogan Hall, that is to say the piano that pianists who did not insist on their own or their own brand of instrument - perhaps a Fazioli from Milan - got to use.

I was then interested to read in the programme that the orchestra rehearsed in the Henry Wood Hall of reference 3, which I now know to be a converted church in Southwark, not far from Borough Market and Neal's Yard Dairy. A hall on which I can offer three more factlets. First, we have Trinity Church in Trinity Square on land owned by Trinity House of reference 4. Perhaps ownership extended to being able to name the church as well as the parson. Second, the church burned down in 1973, just before conversion to orchestral use was due to start. Third, a large number of decomposing coffins were found in the foundations during underpinning work. No doubt the cause of some delay.

The connection with the present post being that the piano used for rehearsals there is a Beckstein grand. Not something one comes across as a concertgoer very often, although that may change when the new Beckstein Hall comes onstream in Wigmore Street.

PS: in the course of this morning, I had occasion to ask Abebooks about Thubron of reference 2, resulting in the seemingly rather overpriced offering snapped above. I eventually settled for a couple of books costing little more than their postage.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/03/piano-66.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/03/in-siberia.html.

Reference 3: http://www.hwh.co.uk/.

Reference 4: https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/.

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