Russian Steinway Copy

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PianoFifty
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Russian Steinway Copy

Post by PianoFifty »

On a recent holiday visit to Cuba I came across a very nice piano situated in a backstreet art gallery in Havana old Town. It appeared to be an approximate copy of a Steinway D and, given the limited opportunity I had to play it, sounded like a very fine piano indeed (and was, surprise surprise, in tune!). Nobody in the gallery seemed to have any knowledge of it, or why it was there. The fall displayed the name 'Mockba', which I believe is Russian for 'Moscow', and a little research on the web leads me to believe that it might have been a 'Moskva' concert grand (getting a bit lost in the transalation). Anybody know anything about these pianos? I had always thought that Russian pianos were poor, but this was anything but.
All the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order......
Gill the Piano
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Re: Russian Steinway Copy

Post by Gill the Piano »

Ben Treuhaft - an american descendant of one of the Mitford sisters - has a 'Send a Piana to Havana' campaign as the yanks are starving Cuba of any piano supplies/new pianos. He goes out there with a team of tuners to mend and maintain pianos for the people of Cuba. He probably looks after this one. Sounds like a nice piano...never seen a MOCKbA one in the flesh!
I play for my own amazement... :piano;
vernon
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Re: Russian Steinway Copy

Post by vernon »

GILLTHE PiANO

Where on earth do you dig up all this information?
My daughter's just back from hols in Cuba and didn't mention all this.
Our mission in life is to tune customers--not pianos.

Any fool can make a piano-- it needs a tuner to put the music in it

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Gill the Piano
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Re: Russian Steinway Copy

Post by Gill the Piano »

There was a fantastic documentary on Channel 4 called 'Tuning With The Enemy';. Yanks aren't supposed to trade/deal with the Cubans, so every time Treuhaft gets back from Cuba he posts the president of america a Cuban banknote, daring them to prosecute him. They haven't so far. There was a little book to accompany the series; it might still be around on Abebooks. Excellent reading...
I play for my own amazement... :piano;
vernon
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Re: Russian Steinway Copy

Post by vernon »

Gill
Where do you get this book?
not listed on Amazon.
x
vk
Our mission in life is to tune customers--not pianos.

Any fool can make a piano-- it needs a tuner to put the music in it

www.lochnesspianos.co.uk
Gill the Piano
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Re: Russian Steinway Copy

Post by Gill the Piano »

In that case, if Channel 4 don't have any left then it's a trip to the British Library. i can't find my copy....:(
I play for my own amazement... :piano;
vernon
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Re: Russian Steinway Copy

Post by vernon »

ta anyway :)
Our mission in life is to tune customers--not pianos.

Any fool can make a piano-- it needs a tuner to put the music in it

www.lochnesspianos.co.uk
NewAge
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Re: Russian Steinway Copy

Post by NewAge »

vernon wrote:Gill
Where do you get this book?
not listed on Amazon.
x
vk
Interesting extract from the book half-way down this page.
http://www2.cruzio.com/~yogi/cuba.htm

These links here and the email ref may help to procure a copy. (Par. 3a)
http://www.cubasolidarity.net/sphsnoo.htm

http://www.sendapiana.com/
I was playing the piano in a zoo, when the elephant burst into tears. I said, "Don't you recognize the tune?" He replied, "No, I recognize the ivories!"
Finland_tuner
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Re: Russian Steinway Copy

Post by Finland_tuner »

In Russia, made ​​several copies of Steinway:
1. The piano company Tresselt produced grands "in the system Steinway"
2. Schroeder Piano Company produced a series of cabinet grand pianos - Steinway copies
3. In the Soviet Union in the factories of "Red October" (Leningrad), and "Lira" (Moscow), made ​​up of concert grand pianos D under the name "Moscow".
PianoFifty
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Re: Russian Steinway Copy

Post by PianoFifty »

Thank you - mystery solved!

See http://www.lira-piano.ru/eng/
All the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order......
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