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| | Berceuse for Bechstein |
 | | From the company's foundation in 1856 in Berlin until the Second World War the Bechstein piano played a major role in European musical life, from concert halls to the salons of patrons and socialites, from the studios of famous artists and teachers to the practise rooms of students. |
 | | The Bechstein's more delicate nuances and shallower, slower action-response made it less suitable too for the new virtuoso techniques which composer-pianists such as Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev, were developing; and, in addition, the recording studios had discovered that the clearer tone of the Steinway was more suitable for their ever-improving techniques. |
 | | So unfortunately the baby was thrown out with the Bechstein, and an unswimmable gulf was formed between the professional pianist and the now passive audience member, a gulf which has deeply affected concert life over the last few decades and seriously threatens its future, as audience numbers decrease steadily. |
| www.stephenhough.com /writings/berceuse_bechstein.htm (984 words) |
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