On My New Piano – Daniel Barenboim

   in Piano International (May, 2017)
This is Barenboim’s first recording on a piano designed by Belgian instrument maker Chris Maene which has straight-sprung strings (not crossed, as is the norm). Inspired by a visit to Sienna to play Liszt’s restored piano, Barenboim decided to create an instrument that combined the stability, evenness and power of a contemporary instrument with the transparency and colour of Liszt’s piano: the result was the Barenboim-Maene concert grand.

Barenboim playing Scarlatti is another novelty. His script here seems to make the Trio as gentle and beautiful as possible, with rubato, pedals and a decidedly Romantic aesthetic. For the Beethoven element, Barenboim chooses the 32 Variations in C minor, which receive …