Page 73 - PDF Flip TR Program Demo

From the start, CD-18 (Horowitz) was a piano destined for the spotlight. As soon as the instru- ment was completed in 1940, acclaimed pianist Vladimir Horowitz reserved the piano exclusively for his professional concerto recordings and con- certs. Horowitz eased into retirement in the 1950s, and CD-18 was passed along to the next piano superstar, Eugene Istomin, who swiftly fell in love with the instrument. While still in partnership with Istomin, CD-18 also took the spotlight as the house piano for Carnegie Hall and the Philharmonic (now David Geffen) Hall in Lincoln Center.
In the 1980s and early '90s, CD-18 went on tour. Istomin, piano technician Tali Mahanor, and CD- 18 hit the road, traversing the midwestern United States and bringing to rural communities what might have been the first classical concerts ever performed in their small towns. When CD-18 returned to New York in the early 1990s, it re- sumed its life of big-city glamour. With pianist John Browning and conductor Leonard Slatkin,
it performed and recorded the Barber Piano Concerto, first in St. Louis and then in New York. CD-18 remained the loyal and lifelong piano of Istomin until his death in 2003. It then passed into Tali’s care, who, with the enthusiastic blessing of
Istomin’s equally legendary widow, Marta Casals Istomin, brought it out west and into a new spot- light at Tippet Rise.
Whether because of its legacy or its unparalleled palette of sound colors, CD-18’s reputation as a legendary piano continues at Tippet Rise. From the delicate pastels of Haydn’s sonatas, to John Luther Adams's towering mountains of sound, to the watery depths of Medtner’s mythical Impro- visation No. 2, the musical landscapes that CD-18 paints are extraordinarily diverse. Its exchange- able action adds yet another dimension to its sonic possibilities. Like a violinist who chooses be- tween bows, pianists can select from CD-18’s two sets of hammers. The denser German hammers activate high harmonics for acrystal-blue clarity, while the softer Americanhammers evoke a tone brimming with warmth and roundness. CD-18 is also outfitted with custom bass strings that bring a thunderous depth to its lowest registers.
Recent performances include summer recitals by Michael Brown, Vicky Chow, and Anne-Marie McDermott. CD-18 also made its film debut in Kathy Kasic’s The Stainless Stealer Steals the Universe, with music improvised by Julien Brocal.
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