March 2003 - Nr. 3
A Grand Tradition:
Steinway at 150
TWIG - Composer Franz Liszt called it "a glorious masterpiece." Virtuoso Anton Rubinstein pronounced it "capable of enduring the severest trials." Prodigies have played their way to fame on it; its black silhouette graces concert halls and the homes of Hollywood stars. The Steinway & Sons grand piano came into being 150 years ago, and its legacy is still strong. Some 375 employees at the Hamburg branch of the piano company celebrated Wednesday (March 5) with a piano-shaped cake and the tune "Happy Birthday" played on - what else? - a Steinway grand. In the United States, Steinway & Sons president Bruce A. Stevens rang in the day by striking the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange.
Founded in New York by German immigrant Henry E. Steinway on March 5, 1853, Steinway & Sons continues to hand-build its prestigious instruments - each with some 12,000 components - at its workshops in Queens, New York and Hamburg, Germany. The company has sold more than 565,000 pianos so far, and Thomas Kurrer, manager of Steinway & Sons Germany, believes the success story will continue. "For 150 years we have been producing a simply ingenious, almost unaltered product, and have always entered new markets at the right time," he explains. Current growth markets for the company include China and Japan.
To celebrate its success, Steinway & Sons will present a jubilee concert series at New York’s Carnegie Hall June 5-7, as well as a number of anniversary performances in Hamburg and Berlin. The company has also commissioned two limited-edition models for its 150th year: an historic replica and a modern design created by fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
