Great post and fabulous pictures - cheers Rich - sounded like a wonderful trip!

Rich is right:

People working in European factories take great pride in what they are doing: often these trades are handed down from one generation to another.

This is what makes European pianos so unique: they represent history, art and a very special kind of identity.

It puts into perspective the world we live in in North America and are often made to believe in: there's always the elusive "best" - the all important Nr.1 - next someone else with tag Nr. 2 - Nr.3 - and so on.

Thanks God, pianos are not like football, baseball or ice hockey games.

Not even soccer....

Piano are made for *people* - like you and me...

Norbert

Rich, thanks so much for sharing this trip with us in pictures!

Thanks, Rich, for taking the time to post up these pictures. I really enjoyed them!

Pictures, shmictures....where are the trip trinkets that you promised me???

Hi Norbert.

I had a recent conversation with a Bluthner exec. He made a comment about fine pianos being fine art which only the very fortunate few can afford. I believe that he is right. Many people enjoy the fine art. Only a few are able to afford fine art, and most people enjoy the fine art which the wealthy few donate to museums for the public.

With pianos, again, just a few people are donating money to the fine music halls so the public can enjoy the accomplished pianists performing on wonderful and expensive pianos.

At least with pianos, any good pianists can go to a fine piano store and play and enjoy the very best artistic grands and uprights. So thank you Norbert and Rich for allowing many people to come to your stores and enjoy fine art pianos.

That is an interesting perspective.
Other than the cabinetry, I would argue that a piano is more analagous to a painter's brush, paints and canvas rather than whatever they are used to create.

I happen to share this sentiment.

Pianos, at least for me, are more tools to *create the art* rather than the art itself.

Beethoven and Mozart are remembered - but much less the instruments these guys were using....

But it's also nice to have sometimes the "other perspective"

We all have to have dreams and some romance in life....

Norbert

Thanks for the pics and the story, Rich.

My wife is pressuring me to go to Europe now that it's no longer affordable for just about any American, and she wants Italy so if I can't make it to Wien, maybe I can at least make the Fazioli factory and offices. Although unlike here, you find out that entire countries are mere hours apart so maybe both.

I'd say relegating a Bosey Imperial down to the status of a mere painter's brush is a serious underestimation. Maybe a better analogy would be a play (music) and a theater (piano).

Well, I did say, brush, paints and canvas. I don't consider any of these things "mere".
However, perhaps your analogy really is better. But if the pianist ( actor ) is performing music ( a play ) on a piano ( theater? ) in a concert hall....err....isn't the concert hall the theater?

And, by the way, thanks Rich for sharing your trip with us.

Rich, a couple of comments:

a) thanks for the photos! They were great.
b) your purse is larger than your sister's.

:p

Keith and Tluv,

Interesting analogies. I think that deserves a few hours over a bottle of wine for further discussion - or some Viennese coffee.

Gryphon said:
[/b]

Dear Gryphon,

You are very perceptive. How else could I smuggle out all of that expensive spruce and sets of chisels?

Really though, here in Philly we call that a briefcase.

Rich

Any interesting anecdotes you would like to share about the costs associated with travel to Europe these days?

[/b]

Furt,

I have made European trips before, and in the past, things were cheaper.... WAY cheaper. Also, back in the '80s and even into the '90s, folks in other countries sometimes seemed willing to accept American dollars. In Greece they preferred them. This time around though, when I ran short of Euros once and offered American tender, they said,"Haben Sie eine Visa Kreditkarte?"

Unfortunately, I have a Visa... and now a bigger bill than I had planned on.

I can't decide which photo I like best, St Stephens, the church, the library... or Norbert's beer! Norbert, I thought you'd be having your beer the... stein way...

All kidding aside, awesome photos. Thanks for sharing. I hope to get there myself someday.

Balf

Great Picutres, I am sure you know that you did not need to walk up the 400 steps in St., Stephens, on the other side of the church is a lift that will have you on the roof in seconds, )), just behind the church on the left hand is a MKozart house complete with lots of letters etc., written by the man and also again at the rear of the church in a little street just off to the right is another Mozart house where they hold nightly concerts in the same room that the great man performed himself, the acoustics in that room are AWESOME. it is the oldest concert hall in Vienna, The Sala terrena with its beautiful vault was designed and painted in the second half of the Eighteenth century in late renaissance.
Noel