On May 22nd, Steinway & Sons (Hamburg) held a special event in Paris to reveal the latest addition to its Concert Hall Series of grand pianos: the Philharmonie de Paris Limited Edition.
International concert halls are generally pretty spectacular buildings created by world-leading designers and architects. They have their own distinctive characteristics and design elements that make each one unique.
Steinway’s Concert Hall Series presents grand pianos designed to capture the essence of some of these renowned venues. Each piano reflects the unique architectural features of its namesake venue. The series already includes pianos inspired by the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (2018), the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall (2019), the Royal Albert Hall London (2021), and more recently, the Dubai Opera (2024).
The fifth and latest piano added to the list is the Philharmonie de Paris Edition.
The Philharmonie de Paris
The Philharmonie de Paris is a cultural institution with spaces dedicated to the musical arts, these include a 2,400-seat concert hall (Philharmonie 1, aka “Grande Salle Pierre Boulez”) designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and opened in January 2015. It forms part of the Cité de la Musique complex which comprises a smaller concert hall, a music museum and exhibition spaces, rehearsal rooms, restaurants and bars. It is built on the northeastern fringes of Paris.
In 2007 Nouvel won a design competition for the Grande Salle building. The initial budget was €170million but ended up costing €381million. The exterior of the building is covered with a distinctive bird mosaic reminiscent of the work of Dutch artist M.C. Escher.
Most concert halls have a rectangular prism “shoe-box” layout, but here the innovative auditorium features flamboyant curves with balconies sweeping around the stage.
Limited Edition Piano
Steinway’s designers have decorated the casework with the mosaic bird motif rendered in silver leaf and protected by a clear high-gloss coating.
The legs, lyre and prop stick have also been reimagined to reflect the elegance and architectural flavour of the building. The music desk reflects the Philharmonie’s elegant façade.
The Philharmonie de Paris Limited Edition offers a classic design with an ebony-stained inner rim and a dark silver cast iron plate. Chrome metal fittings and double studio castors provide a touch of refinement, whilst the custom bench incorporates a hydraulic glissando mechanism with the obligatory Steinway & Sons lyre logo on the knob.
Each Philharmonie de Paris Limited Edition piano comes fitted with Steinway’s high-resolution player piano system SPIRIO | r.
This is a limited edition, and only 8 of these pianos will ever be produced — 3 Model D Concert Grands (8′ 11¾”) and 5 Model B Classic Grands (6′ 11″). Each piano has a serial-numbered medallion attached to the inside of the rim.
More information can be found on the Steinway Europe website