In 1875 Steinway & Sons opened Steinway Hall in London. This was a significant milestone, establishing the company’s first cultural center in Europe, nine years after its predecessor in New York City.
To celebrate the venue’s 150th anniversary, Steinway & Sons has produced a special limited edition piano. This model has been built in Hamburg, but designed by a Brit, and features evocative images commemorating the UK’s rich cultural and musical legacy.
London’s first Steinway Hall, an elegant building, was located on Lower Seymour Street, in the Marylebone area. It was Steinway’s first foray overseas, and opened five years before the company established its Hamburg factory. The area was renown for its musical connections with William Anderson, Joseph Dore, Robert Wornum and John Brinsmead all building and retailing pianos nearby, and latterly companies such as Bechstein establishing shop premises.
Steinway Hall acted as a musical hub for the company and its artists. It was established as a sales vehicle for Steinway’s instruments and included comprehensively stocked showrooms, workshops, and a 600-seat auditorium.
In 1924 Steinway’s lease on the premises ran out, and Grotrian-Steinweg, took over the building renaming it Grotrian Hall. It continued as a concert venue until 1938 whence it closed, and was subsequently acquired by the London department store Selfridges.
Steinway moved their operations to 1 &2 George Street / Conduit Street, Hanover Square, before relocating in 1982 to their current premises in Marylebone Lane. Over the years the facility has evolved to include more showrooms, a comprehensive restoration workshop, rehearsal spaces, practice rooms, offices, and a small concert space.
The London Hall also has a “piano bank” offering a range of Hamburg and New York Steinways for its contracted artists, and for hire.
Over the years Steinway Hall has welcomed an extraordinary collection of artists including: Vladimir Ashkenazy, Alfred Brendel, Alicia de Larrocha, Dudley Moore, John Lennon, Imogen Cooper, Paul Lewis, Yuja Wang, Julian Joseph, Lang Lang, and Jacob Collier.
The 150th Anniversary Limited Edition
To commemorate the 150 years Steinway has been in London, it has created a special handcrafted piano. The instrument is designed to honour notable aspects of Steinway Hall and the UK’s musical journey. Eight instruments will be built.
The pianos have a lacquered white finish adorned with a timeline featuring 67 intricately drawn images.
Beginning with a depiction of Steinway Hall’s facade in 1875, these motifs meticulously chart the nation’s rich cultural and musical heritage. Edward Elgar, Myra Hess, the Royal Albert Hall, the Suffragettes, Punk Rock, Girl Power and countless other icons appear in a flowing visual narrative, which culminates in a depiction of today’s Steinway Hall. The music rest is inscribed with the handwritten words “The sounds of nations in the lines of time”.
The concept is the work of contemporary artist and designer Chris Moss, who lives and works in Hamburg.
The Limited Edition comprises 3 Steinway Model Ds and 5 Model Bs, and are made available to order. Each piano has a medallion affixed to it detailing the name of the edition and the instruments number and limitation, and are delivered with Steinway’s Spirio | r player piano system. .
One of the Steinway Hall 150th Anniversary Limited Edition grand pianos is currently available for viewing at Steinway Hall, 44 Marylebone Lane, London, W1U 2DB. More information can be found on Steinway & Sons UK Facebook page.