Steinway Art Case Pianos
Left,
"Reflections",Center
"Reflections in
Cardinalwood", Right
"Europa"
The
Steinway Art Case
piano is considered by many as the highest visual
expression of this instrument. Few are made. Steinway
commissions individual veneer artists to design and
fabricate the veneers which are then applied to the wood
substrate at their factory in Queens, New York City.
My first Art Case piano was "Reflections", in 2000. It was
followed by "Reflections in Cardinalwood" in 2001. In 2005
the fully bookmatched burl "Europa" was commissioned, and
in 2008 a second iteration, "Europa II" was produced. The
most recent piano, "Europa III" is
currently the featured piano on the Steinway & Sons
website, accompanied by a detailed description of the
design considerations in producing the layout (click
"View Details" on the right side of the page) and an
"About the Designer" page.
The piano is an interesting and challenging commission, but
filled with unique opportunities. Panel shapes and
configurations include rectangular, rectangular with a
single curved edge, flat with a curving and recurved edge,
curving dimensionally, at varying angles from each other,
and one major part, the lid, is articulated. For each piano
I have taken the terms "rhythm" and "variations on a theme"
and applied them as the basis for the design of the
veneers.
Photos are courtesy Steinway & Sons, New York.
Europa II
