Occasion, C. Bechstein, A 182

A Berlin grand with well over a century of history behind it. C. Bechstein is among the great names in piano history, and this salon grand dates from around 1880. The black case in an elegant satin medium-gloss finish wears its age with quiet dignity, understated, refined, free of glare. At 182 cm it delivers the broad, noble Bechstein tone, a singing treble over a deep, resonant bass, across the full 88 keys and two pedals. This is the sound that filled European concert halls and salons in the romantic age. Not merely a piano but a piece of music history, a characterful and sought-after instrument ready to make music for a new century of playing.