Our piano has arrived!

Our new piano

Our new piano has arrived, and it’s beautiful.  It’s a Bluthner 6′ 3″ concert Grand made in 1895, so we’ll be treating it very gently. Apart from when we play marches.

A piano technician named Reg evaluated it for us, and couldn’t speak highly enough of it.  His comments went like this (though you’ll have to imagine a deep, husky, New Orleans-style drawl):

“Well, let me tell ya something about this piana.  If ya had asked me to find ya the perfect piana, well, Ah don’t think Ah coulda found ya a better one than

Max couldn't even wait for it to be set up properly. It's still got a moving blanket under one leg.

this.  It siiiiings, oh how it sings, and it has the most beaudiful sustain.  It sounds like a Steinway, that’s how it sounds. Ah’ve played a load o’ pianas in my time, and Ah ain’t never played one like this. Ah can’t tell ya how wonderful this piana is. Ah’ve played pianas worth $100,000 and they weren’t so good as this piana. Ah don’t know how ya could go wrong with this piana.  It’s beaudiful.”

And it really is lovely.  And it does sing. And has an amazing sustain.  And a beautiful, rich sound.  Unfortunately, it’s raised the benchmark here, and the temporary furniture is no longer cutting it.  We need our sofas from the container.  Meanwhile, I’m off to test-drive Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata on it.

Gabriella's playing Taylor Swift's "Love Story", which she's learning in her singing lessons and intends to perform at the Talent Show (a bit like the Dunnie Awards) in 3 weeks.

Barbara and Gabriella playing together. A cross-generational past-time.