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Schubert Impromptu op. 142 in A flat Major and Beethoven Sonata op. 26 in A flat Major
Schubert’s Impromptu in A flat major is a case in point. We hear a tune clearly copying the opening theme of Beethoven’s Sonata in A flat major op. 26. But less obvious, Schubert also copies Beethoven on the subterranean level, sounding the note E flat in practically every measure of the outer sections (the inner trio has its own drone on A flat). In the Beethoven sonata, we hear an E flat drone almost continually through the first, third, and fourth movements. The 3rd movement funeral march itself is an entire essay on the note ‘E Flat,’ its main theme one of the those peculiar Beethoven melodies that sits on an a single note (contributing to the myth that Beethoven couldn’t compose decent melodies)!

I perform something unconventional to impart Beethoven’s E flat obsession by doing connecting the last two movements together. I play the opening note of the 4th movement (yes, you guessed it: an E flat) while yet sustaining the final chord of the funeral march. Not only does this connect the E flat literally between the movements, but we can also hear that the E flat is a natural overtone of the A flat chord that clearly emerges from it. In other words, that note actually was already sounding. Surely Schubert in his impromptu was even more inspired by this obsession of a resonant drone, than with Beethoven’s famous tune.

Bach French Suite IV
Bach’s keyboard music was written for instruments without a physical sustain pedal, so he frequently relied on drones to create resonance. The French Suite in E flat major has few literal drones, but the note E flat dominates the work. So here with have the same tone, E flat, dominating all three pieces—the Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert—yet each has its own special resonance.

Steinberg Beachcombing, Perotin’s Aura, and Triad Dance
These three pieces are from my large collection called Beach Pebbles (a set of 32 short works). Beachcombing is in two parts; the second switches the upper and lower voices, yet sounds quite different. Perotin’s Aura explores diatonic clusters inspired by Notre Dame 12th century composer Perotin’s in his organum. Triad Dance is a fast romp that shows the Bösendorfer’s ability to keep fast changing chords crystal clear.

Brahms Intermezzi op. 118#2, op. 117#2, op. 116#4
In a few pages, Brahms develops a musical idea in these "musical haiku" as imaginatively as he does in an entire symphony, going through a complete spectrum of moods and musical landscapes. These works also use drones as part of their mystery of resonance. The note A drones through the well-known tender A Major intermezzo op. 118#2 and the note F is sustained throughout much of the sad and somber B flat intermezzo op. 117#2, written literally as a bass drone that slips down and back up at the end of the piece. The E major op. 116#4 is not as often played as the other two, but I find it the most personal of all the Brahms intermezzi. It explores an excruciating balance between sentimentality and loss, droning on the note E through most of the piece.

Rachmaninoff Etude Tabeleaux No. 2 in C minor, op. 33; Prelude No. 5 in G Major, op. 32; Prelude No. 7 in C Minor, op. 23

Combining Bach’s organist conception of the keyboard with Chopin’s exquisite accompanimental figures, ornaments, and colors, Rachmaninoff’s short piano pieces create an orchestral sound that relies heavily on drones. The note C binds together both the Etude Tabeleaux No. 2 in C minor and Prelude No. 7 in C Minor, serving as a pedal tone held under dramatic rhythms and constantly shifting colors of chromatic harmony. In contrast, the note G drones among the gentle waves of a blue ocean throughout his gorgeous Prelude No. 5 in G Major.

About this Bösendorfer 200 Piano
While the Imperial 9 ft. Bösendorfer is the model famous for its five extra bass keys below the standard low piano A, the 6 ft 7 in. 200 model, even without those extra keys, possesses the same distinctive Bösendorfer sound with a power and resonance that rival most other 9 foot pianos. How incredible that Ignaz Bösendorfer founded his piano manufacturing company just shortly after Franz Schubert’s death in 1828—even today the company hand-winds its strings!

Most people agree the Bösendorfer excels particularly with music of the Romantic Era—Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, etc. The clarity in its bass register truly sets it apart from other pianos. Unlike the Steinway, it is never muddy. The tone of every key when properly regulated is rich, rounded, and lyrical. And always beautiful. This only becomes a problem with sharper percussive music that has difficulty “speaking” through its rounded tones, say music by Stravinsky or Bartok. For this recording, I especially selected music that demonstrates Bösendorfer’s strengths: Bach, early Beethoven, Schubert, and the late Romantic music of Brahms and Rachmaninoff.

This particular Bösendorfer 200 was built in 1955 and owned by noted Los Angeles psychiatrist Rachel Edgarde Pape. Her daughter Amy Pape Neish sold me the piano in late fall 2015. When I first played the instrument, all but the center octave sounded dull and lifeless. Apparently, the strings were rusted from years of salt air. But Franco Skilan of Precision Pianos in Los Angeles began to expertly restore the instrument, using Bösendorfer factory parts, including the legendary Bösendorfer strings that today are still hand wound! I will not forget the phone call from Franco several months later urgently asking me to come to the shop. My first thought: “Oh no. He broke it.” But when I arrived he was anxious for me to play. I truly couldn’t believe the sound I heard under my fingers with the new strings, hammers, and dampers. Like an art restoration expert patiently cleaning a great work, Franco had revealed underneath all the rust and crud a master instrument, a round singing treble and a bass register with jaw-dropping clarity. Its beauty surprised even him.

Russell Steinberg