Attuned to Pianos
Harvard Magazine
March-April, 2023
An Introduction to the Piano Collection by Edmund M. Frederick, Owner / Curator / Restorer
Courtesy Daesik Cha
We are delighted to share the news that all three young pianists who made their audition videos with our pianos, for the second International Chopin Competition with Period Instruments in Warsaw, Poland, have been accepted as competitors! The competition, from October 5th through October 15th this year, has thirty-five competitors (up from thirty in the first competition in 2018).
Our congratulations and best wishes to pianists Chaojun Yang, Arisa Onoda and Derek Wang. Chaojun, who played the May 7th concert in our Spring, 2023 series, is a doctoral candidate at Eastman School, Rochester, NY; Arisa is working on her doctorate at New England Conservatory, Boston; and Derek Wang is studying for his doctorate at Yale University, New Haven, CT. All three recorded their audition videos with our Chopin-era Erard piano, made in Paris in 1840. Derek also recorded video footage with our ca.1830 Bosendorfer piano of Vienna.
The first time the competition took place, in 2018, it was part of Poland's year-long celebration of one hundred years of freedom, following World War I. The only American accepted for that competition was Eric Clark, whose audition video was also made with our 1840 Erard. Eric was able to advance to the second level of the competition, receiving one review stating that he had "obviously had excellent training" for playing historical pianos!
We continue hosting Piano Collection tours for groups and individuals, pianists and students, and members of the music-loving public. Tours can be scheduled by appointment, for most days of the week, by phone (978) 827-6232 or by email at piano.fred@juno.com. A typical tour takes three hours, due to the number and variety of pianos to be encountered; musicians frequently stay longer to explore the instruments in more depth.
See our Fall, 2023 schedule below for dates, program details, and musicians’ bios and photos.
Admission is still $15.00 per person, children and students, free. Season passes are available on request, offering six fall, 2023 concerts for the price of five ($75.00) with a free guest pass, to introduce a new person to these concerts. Any unused portion of the pass will be counted as a tax-deductible donation.
Because of the apparent reduced threat from the pandemic, face masks are currently a matter of personal discretion. In the event of a concerning increase inlocal cases, the concerts will continue, but masking will be mandatory, and socially-distant seating will be strongly advised.
One of the few positive offshoots of the pandemic is the newly expanded use of technology; all of our concerts are being recorded with video, and posted on our own YouTube channel, Music from the Frederick Collection. The high-fidelity audio, by our recording engineer, Christopher Greenleaf, is synchronized with his video footage, chosen from two camera angles by pianist/videographer, Daesik Cha, who also fills-in the titles of the works being played. The resulting videos, posted a few days after each concert, make the performances available at any time, and at no cost, to those:
Concerts are held at the New Dawn Arts Center/Ashburnham Community Church, 84 Main Street (Route 12) at the corner of Chapel Street, Sundays at 3:00 PM. Admission is $15.00, students and children, free.
All pianos are from The Frederick Collection of Historical Grand Pianos.
September 3, 2023 | Arcadia Players: Jacob Cooper, baritone; Emlyn Ngai, violin; Monica Jakuc Leverett, piano. Piano by Joseph Brodmann, Vienna, ca.1800-1805. Scottish songs, arranged by Haydn and Beethoven; Piano-violin sonata, “Spring” by Beethoven; Single movements from piano sonatas by Marianne von Martinez and Haydn; Songs by Haydn and by George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower. |
September 10, 2023 | Daniel Kurganov, violin; Steven Gross, natural horn; Constantine Finehouse, piano. Piano by J.B. Streicher & Son, Vienna, 1871. Music by Brahms: Violin sonata No. 3 in d, Op. 108, and Horn Trio in Eb, Op. 40 |
September 17, 2023 | Elaine Greenfield, Erard Piano, Paris, 1893. Music by Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte; Sonatine; “Ondine”, from Gaspard de la nuit; Valses nobles et sentimentales; and Miroirs. |
September 24, 2023 | Asiya Korepanova, Blüthner piano, Leipzig, 1907. Music by Rachmaninoff: The Complete Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33 and Op.39. |
October 1, 2023 | Daesik Cha, Blüthner piano, Leipzig, 1907 (NOT the 1886 Bechstein piano previously announced); Transcriptions for piano: Godowsky: Renaissance, Book 1: Transcriptions of four of Rameau's Masterpieces: Sarabande, Rigaudon, Elegie, and Tambourin: J. S. Bach /Busoni: Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C; Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme by Corelli; and Stravinsky: Three Movements from the orchestral ballet score, Petrushka. |
October 8, 2023 | Matthew Odell, piano by Erard, Paris, 1877. Music by French composers Gabriel Fauré: Two Barcarolles; Three Nocturnes; and Thème et onze variations in c#, Op. 73 Maurice Ravel: Menuet antique in f#; Sérénade grotesque; and two pieces commissioned by pianist Alfredo Cassella. Charles Kœchlin: Choral sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré |
Our Historical Piano Study Center remains open throughout the year for visits and tours by appointment. Contact us at (978) 827-6232 or by email to make arrangements to visit.
The Brahms Age: Complete Johannes Brahms violin sonatas using historical instruments. Daniel Kurganov, violin, Constantine Finehouse, piano. Haenssler Classics record company. Sonatas One and Two were recorded with the J.B. Streicher und Sohn piano, Vienna, 1868, from The Frederick Collection.
Two new CD albums, 2022:
Pianist Elaine Greenfield's two-disc set, Ravel Compared, was released on the Navona label. One disc, recorded with our 1893 Erard, shows the music on the samemake and model as Ravel's own piano; the other disc is of the same repertoire as itmight have been heard in the United States, on a 1917 grand piano by Ivers andPond, of Boston.
Pianist Yuan Sheng’s two-disc album of works by Schumann, recorded on our 1846 Streicher piano of Vienna, was issued on the Piano Classics label. Disc I: Davidsbündlertänze and Carnaval: Disc II: Kinderszenen, Waldszenen and Faschingsschwank aus Wien
Like our many other CDs, these albums are available for sale at the Study Center and concerts. We can also take orders by mail.
March-April, 2023
July-September 2021
September 7, 2015
October 13, 2016
September 8, 2015
June 1, 2015
May 4, 2015
Read all about it! We have been making the rounds in the print-realm. You may have noticed us in the Grove, or already heard about the commentary on our collection. Come see why we're the leading location for historic pianos in New England.
The Frederick Collection of Period Grand Pianos includes over twenty original pianos in playing condition, specifically, the sorts of pianos known to important composers from about 1790 to 1928. At present, there is no comparable collection of period, playing grand pianos in the United States. Most museum collections that include pianos focus on their decorative appearance rather than their musical value. Such instruments are rarely used for performance; perhaps two or three pianos in each of the other major collections in this country are maintained in regular playing condition.
For more information, see our articles on changes in piano keyboard ranges, a different perspective on piano history, or how a piano works.