SITKA | a piano documentary

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Available now on DVD and Blu-ray at: amzn.to/3LHyAJX
The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. has been presenting concerts alongside its paintings since 1941. Some of the world's leading pianists have played its Steinway Concert D 542016, but they started hearing something wrong with it: the soundboard. This half-hour documentary - named for the spruce wood that replaced it - tells the story of tearing the piano apart, and bringing it back to life. Along the way, we learn how a piano works, and witness the consummate art of restoration by PianoCraft. Rising international star Olivier Cavé puts it to the test, playing his specialty of Joseph Haydn, in this richly textured cinematic music documentary by independent filmmaker H. Paul Moon (zenviolence.com).
For best viewing, click the icon at bottom-right of the video frame to watch full-screen, and click the gear icon to select the highest quality that your speed can handle. Also, click the CC icon if you want to see English captions. Please comment below, click LIKE/LOVE, and share this freely available educational resource with your friends and colleagues! Thanks for watching.

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5 фев 2016

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Комментарии : 98

@Arthur-hg7ny 2 года назад

Mom and Dad, I want to be a bridge knotcher when I get older. God bless them.

@longhaulblue 3 года назад

The sound engineering on this video is really top notch. I have a pair of studio monitors for my computer and I play the piano and the sound of the piano, all its richness, just comes to live.

@zenviolence 3 года назад

Thanks Ken; special credit to audio engineer Edward Kelly on this project too, who captured the Haydn background music you hear from the same piano during the ensuing concert.

@mickizurcher 7 месяцев назад

thats what i was wondering if the background music on this was indeed the piano that had been rebuilt it’s absolutely gorgeous

@richardshagam8608 2 года назад

I looked up the serial number--the Steinway data base said it was probably built in 1998. I'm surprised the instrument had to be rebuilt so soon!

@blackandwhiterag1117 8 месяцев назад

Really? The name of Steinway on the fall in Old English style lettering suggests something much much older than 1998 as does the extremely elaborate desk

@JacobEmch91 4 года назад

The piano sounds magnificent.

@dallinfullmer3073 6 лет назад

Love the Haydn, the sonata in this video is really fun

@sanchopansa1950 Год назад

which haydn sonata is it ?

@zoomfx777 8 лет назад

I will never look at a Piano the same again. What an instrument! I really enjoyed watching the rebuilding process and seeing the craftsmanship that takes to refurbished such a classic. I keep wondering what would be the cost of such a rebuild? I loved at the end when Olivier took off the cover and opened it up. Kinda like a pilot going over his plane before he takes flight. I really enjoyed the film...Mark

@Johannes_Brahms65 3 года назад

That's a fine pianist playing there (a rare thing in docu's like these)!

@michaelgamble296 2 года назад

Very good documentary. Thank you for posting it. You obviously have very dedicated piano technicians and craftsmen to undertake so daunting a task with the added pressure of a dead-line! My only deadline has ever been getting the Pit Piano at Glyndebourne in tune before curtain up!

@zenviolence 2 года назад

What an amazing responsibility you had for such an esteemed opera company! I hope you were able to enjoy the fruits of your expertise then by hearing the performance that evening. I hope someday to make it to Glyndebourne.

@MystiqWisdom Год назад

This is a very professionally made documentary. Well done!

@JackTheRabbitMusic 3 года назад

the takeaway from this mini doc is, don't become a piano mover. lol In all seriousness, this was a fantastic learning experience for me. Thanks for sharing this.🐰❤️🎸🎶🤝✌️

@zenviolence 3 года назад

Great little moment, when a mover sets his apple delicately on the truck's bumper (look for it!). Thanks for watching.

@JackTheRabbitMusic 3 года назад

@@zenviolence hahaha! I caught that, it was great!

@richardshagam8608 2 года назад

Dangerous business--Angela Hewitt's beloved Fazioli got destroyed in Germany in a move!

@JoseVGavila 2 года назад

I wonder if the resulting piano is still a Steinway, as some of the most important parts have been replaced by non-Steinway ones. I don't say it will not sound beautifully, just that it is no longer a pure Steinway, so to say

@OE1FEU 6 лет назад

I am surprised to see that a less than 20 year old grand piano under maintenance of good technicians has cracks in the soundboard that require a full change of the soundboard.

@PeterWalkerHP16c 6 лет назад

So am I, especially a Stienway D..

@jlai3861 6 лет назад

That's what I am thinking, a 97 piano in that condition will be called excellent in second hand dealers, changing sound board? Are you serious? It's not the same piano any more.

@colinmurphy2214 6 лет назад

Look where it was kept- next to a fireplace! Murder to the glue joints and wood

@OE1FEU 5 лет назад

Do you really believe they actually light up a fireplace in a museum? A building the essence of which requires a constant temperature and humidity? I seriously doubt that.

@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648 2 месяца назад

@@OE1FEU I'd be curious, though this would certainly be bad for the paintings, let alone the piano. Maybe it had electric "logs" in it.

@eikarumba429 3 года назад

They made a great sounding piano, shame they left it hidden behind the original Steinway brand. While I have nothing against Steinway’s I feel some element of their reputation has come from their older pianos that have been completely 3rd party restored.

@debankur007 3 года назад

beauty..

@rsr789 2 года назад

Steinway in Queens uses the imperial system (really, the United States customary system) to build their pianos, and PianoCraft uses the metric system to repair them: oh, America... you amuse me.

@bludika Год назад

why such a bulky gun for the string pins? does it really need that much torque?

@elluisito000 2 года назад

Hi! Thanks for this nice video. I wonder what they do with the old sound board, i know some guitar builders that could use that nice piece of wood :D

@zkool5 4 года назад

Interesting take on rebuilding a piano.

@libertyuk8428 2 года назад

I just finished watching “Note by Note” the Steinway documentary on RU-vid watching the amazing craftsmanship of the people at the Steinway factory and their passion for their work. I then came to this video and was somewhat disturbed by the approach this company is taking. It is a shame they didn’t take the piano back to Steinway.

@michaelgamble296 2 года назад

Interesting comment at 5:29 - 1,369 - according to the Steinway Service Manual by Max Matthias this should be 1,367 on Model 'D'. (see p.140)

@ronaldware1239 8 лет назад

There were one or two aspects in the way that this instrument was tackled that the maker might take issue with, though this maker has a policy of maintaining a diplomatic silence in this sort of situation. It could be said that anyone who launches this film in front of the worlds piano makers is brave. People who like myself have spent a lifetime within the piano trade, and worked with Steinway trained technicians who have complemented us on our skills.

@PeterWalkerHP16c 6 лет назад

*RONALD WARE I was thinking the same thing. Butchers.

@supertrampfan1 4 года назад

I'm currently in the market for a golden era rebuilt Steinway. I'm interested to learn which Steinway rebuilder/s you would recommend?

@supertrampfan1 3 года назад

Update: I found and purchased my golden era piano! - a 1928 Steinway A3 with its original soundboard and ivories. I recently had it shipped from Los Angeles (where I found it) to Gaithersburg, MD where PianoCraft will rebuild it keeping the original soundboard and keys. After researching and visiting dozens of piano rebuild shops on the East coast and West coast (USA), I found myself at PianoCraft. Within the first 10 minutes it was apparent to me that this shop was special. They approached piano rebuilding differently - with meticulous detail and giving extra attention to the soundboard. It was like visiting a scientific lab that uses many years of accumulated research that takes piano rebuilding to a nerdy level. No question, this was who I wanted to rebuild my piano! I've since come across a review in Pianist magazine (August 2020) stating, "What AMG is to Mercedes, PianoCraft is to pianos...". This was not at all surprising to me, but it did help to confirm my impression of this shop. I can't wait to see/hear my piano when it's finished!

@murdo_mck 3 года назад

@@supertrampfan1 Do please post an update when it is done. It is good to know the original soundboard can be kept. We must trust they made the right judgement - repair or replace - with the piano in this video. Is your piano's bridge cap still good after 90 years? FYI: www.overspianos.com.au/rsaw.html

@qrstw 4 года назад

Why so little footage on making the soundboard?

@patrickbrennan2864 2 года назад

What caused the original soundboard to crack ? Changes in humidity? Could hygrometers be placed in the piano, that record humidity levels and alarm when critical levels near ? The L1037 Steinway documentary was interesting - the “ice cold” piano sounded great, immediately, to the pianist; so…is sound affected by temperature? Can pianos’ sound characteristics be recorded and analyzed, allowing a comparison of the same instrument at varying temperatures? Can soundboards be sealed, preventing changes that would result from variations in humidity?

@alexeykulikov2739 6 месяцев назад

Man, yours is the only comment with question marks and relevance)

@Henry-uv9xu 7 лет назад

It's like the old question about a ship that gets rebuilt.

@hampshirepiano6383 2 года назад

A flaw? Could you please explain? what the factory did wrong?

@zenviolence 2 года назад

I can't speak for Pianocraft myself as the filmmaker, but as you hear in the film, the main issue was a crack in the soundboard; and Keith deduces generally that since the conditions of the relatively new Concert D were stable at the museum, the vulnerability probably dates back to the factory. It's fair to say that no piano manufacturer can guarantee a perfect wood sourcing all the time, and this might be an example.

@djuatdelta123 4 года назад

What piece was being played around the 22nd minute mark, when the movers were transporting the renovated piano?

@zenviolence 4 года назад

As noted in comment replies here (and in the end credits), all of the music heard in this film is from one Haydn Sonata, the D Major, Hob. XVI-24/37

@djuatdelta123 4 года назад

Zen Violence Films thanks you!

@Johannes_Brahms65 3 года назад

This is so awesome! Just one little thing: couldn't the original soundboard be restored? Maybe the new one was even better but it feels like blasphemy to discard of a Steinway soundboard. And Maybe the film should start with a warning for people who get traumatized from seeing soundboards violated. Anyway, good job done with the piano! You guys have guts!

@dixieboy5689 2 года назад

Good grief ....!! I have trouble keeping track of my car keys !! I'd get the night sweats if I had to work in a piano shop. No thanks.

@mightymint4521 Год назад

Night sweats😂😂😂

@dixieboy5689 Год назад

@@mightymint4521 >> I was a victim ... now Im a Survivor ! # Blessed

@gil-evens 7 лет назад

What is the piece at 21:24 ?

@zenviolence 7 лет назад

Hello, thanks for asking. It's Joseph Haydn's Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI-24.

@gil-evens 7 лет назад

Thank you

@paxwallacejazz 3 года назад

Steinway and Mason & Hamilin (my favourite still going strong) and I think Chickering all American manufacturers were instrumental in creating the extended dynamic range of the Modern Piano. All three builders were always experimenting with design possibilities thus dragging stodgy European builders into the future. The resulting design philosophy of American Pianos requires a thick hard wood rim designed to reflect and keep the acoustical energy from the sound board in the Soundboard where it will do the most good. Resulting in greater projection and power. It turns out rims don't really accel at tone production pianos aren't violins so a thin rim designed to vibrate with the Soundboard is actually parasitic🤷‍♂️ note to Bösendorfer. But the new design leader is now German recent completely redesigned Bechsteins have intelligently synthesized many American and modern design elements into their great new pianos. They ain't your Grandfathers Bechsteins anymore.

@zenviolence 3 года назад

Very interesting insights, adding international and historical context to this discrete and singular case study. We do subtly suggest here that Steinway itself has a layer of orthodoxy in comparison to unofficial "hot rod" shops who tweak things out of spec -- either forward-looking, or regressive, depending on perspective in this healthy debate.

@el_goorgo 2 года назад

So you're basically saying American piano companies are superior to any other? Interesting view. Maybe you should dig a little deeper. Have you ever played a Bösendorfer, Petrof, Blüthner, Grotrian Steinweg (!) or even Steinway from Hamburg? Besides that sound is a matter of taste, you take one detail of the complex formula of sound creation and use this to prove your point. And considering the mechanic of a piano Kawai has taken the lead.. but that is just my opinion. Anyways, Wikipedia is your friend.

@bulisabahay57 2 года назад

I hate the sound of the new Bechsteins. They went all out with brute power and not much else. Same with Bluthner though to a lesser extent. At least Bluthner managed to keep most of their distinct vocal quality. The best Steinway I played was a 1930's model A. This era has been the most consistent in quality and balance between power and sonority for the New York Steinway.

@travisd6532 Год назад

@@zenviolenceYou are in life threatening need of a laxative!

@espn168 2 года назад

What is the piece at the end?

@zenviolence 2 года назад

It's another part of the same Haydn piano sonata heard throughout the film, as listed in the end credits.

@sed6 2 года назад

How to make a Steinway...not a Steinway.

@colinmurphy2214 6 лет назад

9:08 you wouldn’t believe how much that made me cringe

@zenviolence 6 лет назад

Indeed, the emotional quality of Haydn's music, that I had never thought melancholy before creating this, really feels funereal - the piano case evinces a sort of wooden coffin.

@stephenland9361 4 года назад

@@zenviolence Yes, the cracking of the soundboard, hammering it loose and tearing it out, accompanied by the sight and sound of wood splintering...was... emotional. Remind me, what was the initial problem with the piano?

@chonghwang8028 3 года назад

That’s why I would glue the crack haha.

@sanchopansa1950 Год назад

Which Haydn sonata is this ?

@zenviolence Год назад

As noted in the end credits, all the music played by Olivier in my film is from the Sonata in D Major, HOB. XVI-24/37

@bendirval3612 4 года назад

Cool reconstruction, but I don't know. If you replace the sound board, you have pretty much replaced the piano. It's not really a Steinway any more.

@jennifer86010 6 лет назад

What this film didn't talk about was the $40,000.00 - $50,000.00 cost of restoring this piano. New, this piano costs about $150,000.00. So putting a third of its cost back into it to restore its sound capabilities, Phillips will have to sell lots of tickets, or hit on wealthy private donors and government grants to cover the expense. This 9 foot concert grand does not belong in such a small hall as this, however it appears The Phillips Gallery owns it, and they wouldn't trade down, so the key is keeping the piano lid propped up on the short stick only to dampen the volume. The Phillips also knows that owning a Steinway model "D" concert grand will attract better pianists, since classical pianists all want to play on concert grands to make them feel more famous and accomplished.

@richardbutler9466 2 года назад

First, try $175,000.00. Then add around 8.75 percent tax unless tax exempt or the buyer is in a no-sales-tax state such as NV. Finally, being from Texas where donations from people range from $100,000.00 to $100,000,000.00 at the drop of a hat, a small donation of $50K would be so easy to find. Call me and I would donate were it to benefit me-in Texas. You are talking small pocket change.

@jennifer86010 2 года назад

@@richardbutler9466 Well, Mr. Big Bucks Big Shot, I wrote my comment three years back, when the West Coast price of a Steinway model "D" was $150,000 in a state with no sales tax. Since you live in Texas where big oil tax-shelter donations have more zeros than are standing in line at a Star Trek Convention, why don't you donate some of your big bucks where it will "benefit you" as you say. You will still get a charitable tax donation if you donate to a charity or college or other institution. Apparently you don't want to make a point, as much as you want to say that Texans are incredibly wealthy, and you think that $150,000 is "small pocket change." So, why are you even wasting your time commenting to poor little surfs on RU-vid, when you could be lighting your cigars with your hundred-dollar bills?

@russ254 7 месяцев назад

jfc jenn, chill ffs

@paulsutton5896 2 года назад

So why (what is the scientific explanation for) is sitka spruce the best medium for the sound board. As an outsider, I would have thought that mdf would work wonders. But am I wrong?

@daveomacron4301 2 года назад

You didn't close the door of the curing room. 😉

@myuncle2 5 месяцев назад

Edward Hale looks like Napoleon😄.

@colinmurphy2214 6 лет назад

You know you can fix the soundboard? You didn’t have to tear out such a great piece of wood. No matter if it’s falling apart, flat as a pancake, it’s fixable.

@alexeykulikov2739 6 месяцев назад

Absolutely!

@AL-pu7ux 3 месяца назад

I guess they’d have to change the title from Sitka to Elmer’s

@alext8828 2 года назад

These guys are padding the bill.

@anachreon01 6 лет назад

"A-graph?" - didn't someone think to tell the person doing the subtitles how to spell agraffe?

@zenviolence 6 лет назад

It's fixed now. But it would occur to anybody reading your outburst that there's probably a rather more polite way to communicate such a small correction...

@rossmorrow3013 Год назад

I don’t understand taking measurements from something you have just beat the living daylights out of when it would have been more accurate measuring where it was to finish. That way of working would never be tolerated in the world of historical pipe organ restoration.

@christopherwelch5568 3 месяца назад

A tree from the somewhere around the Renaissance fixed a piano that costs more than my house. First world problems… 🤔

@jennifer86010 6 лет назад

24:00 Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Liszt and Rachmaninoff all played on instruments which were far inferior to this piano, even with its cracked soundboard. It is a myth to think that in centuries past things were better, more authentic and more real. The modern piano has far more tonal, loudness, and musical capabilities than anything from past centuries.

@colinmurphy2214 6 лет назад

jennifer86010 Don’t forget that the modern piano is for all intents and purposes an 19th century instrument, it was perfected by the 1880s so Rach had access to not only good Pianos, but arguable the best Pianos; the golden age Pianos

@murdo_mck 3 года назад

Here is Beethoven played on a Paul McNulty copy of a c1805 Walter & Sohn fortepiano, and Chopin played on Chopin's own Pleyel piano. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UWEq0rmhE7w.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cUgxELRgPLk.html I like the sound, but as Andras Schiff points out, it is suited to the much smaller halls and salons of that time.