New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Bösendorfer is proud to announce the release of the 185VC concert grand piano at the 2019 Winter NAMM Show. The VC (Vienna Concert) series represents an unprecedented effort by Bösendorfer to combine all the wisdom and old-word craftsmanship of its 190-year legacy of building the world's finest concert pianos with cutting-edge materials, and the best computer-aided design and manufacturing techniques of today. The result is an instrument with phenomenal power and projection as well as the facility to capture the subtlest of an artist's nuances — a piano that is as consistent and versatile across all musical styles as it is viscerally engaging in any one of them.
Launched in 2015, the full-sized 280VC brought this new but recognizable Bösendorfer sound to venues from Carnegie Hall to the Vienna Konzerthaus. Now, the 185VC brings the same revolutionary design and legendary build quality to the six-foot size class. This makes the 185VC ideal for studios, schools, and smaller halls or theatres where an uncompromising piano is called for, but a larger size may be physically and/or sonically overwhelming.
The unique resonance case principle applies the philosophy that, like in a violin, the entire body — not just the soundboard —creates the piano's tone. The outer piano rim is grooved to allow it to bend and mirror the shape of the inner rim. The grooves are later filled with spruce. All the spruce components of the piano resonate as one, producing the signature Bösendorfer sustain and projection.
Bass strings comprise a steel core with one or two copper windings, producing thunderous and warm bass.
Key actions are optimized for a new intimacy of finger-to-music connection that will put pianists of all skill levels at ease from the first notes they play.
Optimized placement of the string section and bridges at the soundboard for even string load results in improved sustain, projection, and dynamics.
An independent Capo d'Astro for the upper register allows for precise adjustment independently of the lower.
Maximum tuning stability is provided by an open pinblock consisting of three layers of 7mm maple glued cross-grain to one another, a base of red beech, and a top layer of 1.5mm walnut veneer. Stability is further enhanced by single-stringing as opposed to looped stringing.
The 185VC will also be available in a Disklavier Edition, featuring the latest and best iteration of the state-of-the-art reproducing piano technology Yamaha has been continuously improving upon for over three decades. Disklavier ENSPIRE PRO technology can both record and play back not just players' notes, but every nuance of their dynamics, legato, pedaling, and other technique, capturing performances with ultimate precision and refinement. Of course, any pianist can record and play back his or her own playing for later review or enjoyment, making the 185VC Disklavier Edition an ideal partner in music education.
The 185VC Disklavier Edition comes with more than 1,000 recordings in different styles, including original performances by legendary artists such as Arthur Rubinstein, Sergei Rachmaninoff,
George Gershwin and Oscar Peterson. Thousands more songs can be downloaded from the vast Yamaha MusicSoft ecosystem, or streamed from more than 30 Piano
Radio channels, allowing listeners to experience a command performance at the touch of a button. An app for Apple® iOS and supported Android devices, or a web app for PCs and Macs, controls the system, freeing the piano from attachment to a control box. The larger 280VC and 214VC pianos are also available in the Disklavier Edition. With the Viennese sound of Bösendorfer as the voice of Disklavier, the musical experience is nothing short of breathtaking.
While the 185VC is available in traditional polished or satin black finishes, the fact that Bösendorfer makes approximately 300 instruments per year allows the purchaser to specify virtually any bespoke finish or wood veneer he or she desires. For exceeding the expectations of the world's most demanding pianists while offering an inviting playing experience to players of all levels of ability, the Bösendorfer 185VC packages concert grand sound, quality, and innovation into a studio grand size.
Pricing and Availability
The Bösendorfer 185VC concert grand piano (MSRP: $133,999) is available for immediate shipment.
For more information, visit the Yamaha Booth at the 2019 NAMM Show in the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, Marquis Ballroom, January 24-27, 2019, or https://yamaha.io/2OYiGh0
