OF SYMPHONIC PORTRAITS

Bösendorfer captivates yet again, with the help of a certain Adele Bloch-Bauer, writes LEE HENG KEAN

The second model of the Klimt Series by Bösendorfer, the Bösendorfer Artist Series Klimt Woman in Gold is dedicated to the portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. In 1903, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer sought for a portrait of his beloved wife, Adele Bloch-Bauer. Being the connoisseur of great art that he was, he trusted only the best painter, and hence he turned to Gustav Klimt. One of the most revered Austrian painters and artists of the Viennese Art Nouveau, Klimt took on this responsibility, travelling to Italy where he was then inspired to translate gold-decorated church mosaics into contemporary art. The final portrait of Adele BlochBauer was the result of over 100 sketches and studies by Klimt, who experimented with various techniques until he found the perfect method in applying extensive amounts of silver and gold leaves to the oil painting.

“To every age its art, to every art its freedom.” Bösendorfer has thus stayed true to this famous quote by Klimt, using sophisticated modern reprographic techniques in producing a highresolution image of the original painting inside of a Bösendorfer Grand Piano lid, thus producing something of utmost elegance and sophistication. In true Bösendorfer Artisan fashion, their attention to detail is illustrated once again, lavishly gliding the music desk and the leg tops to reflect the golden expressions of Art Nouveau, with the Klimt painting further refined by the application of gold leaf.

Limited to only 25 instruments, each Grand Piano carries an individually-crafted brass plate, the sincerest of tributes to precious materials and lavish art. Complementing this Collector’s Edition is the exclusive Gustav Klimt / Josef Hoffman, Pioneers of Modernism book. Focusing on the Modernist Movement at the turn of the century, this informative book was originally published for an exhibition at the Belvedere Museum Vienna.

In terms of quality of the grand piano itself, a Bösendorfer Grand will always be a Bösendorfer Grand. When one talks about a Bösendorfer Grand, one not only talks of impeccable quality, but also exquisite craftsmanship. Each Bösendorfer Grand takes a whole year to build by the Bösendorfer artisans, a perfect representation of the meticulous attention to detail and perfectionism behind every Bösendorfer Grand. Prior to the one year of building, the wood in which makes a Bösendorfer Grand is also naturally dried, put through all four seasons to prepare it for its ultimate purpose: resonation. Adding the natural drying process to manufacturing time, it actually takes six years for a single Bösendorfer Grand to be produced. Of Austrian quality and Viennese soul, the incomparable sound quality can only be compromised by the surroundings in which it is placed.