Robert writes, “Chopin’s piano music is the stuff that makes the heart flutter and the blood boil, and many people list him as their favorite composer for the instrument. Yet Chopin never heard a modern Steinway grand, and most of us have never heard his favorite piano, the Pleyel.”
Chopin’s Pleyel was smaller, had a wooden (not iron) frame, different hammers, strings, and mechanics. And it produced a sound that Chopin adored.
There are currently no good Creative Commons licensed recordings or videos of original Pleyel pianos, but Kimiko Ishizaka wants to fix that, and record Chopin’s 24 Préludes in 4K video and studio-quality audio, and release everythig CC-BY-SA. She has her hands on a 173 year old Pleyel in original playing condition, and she’s looking for support on Kickstarter to make it happen. In her words, playing the Pleyel is like traveling back in time and hearing the music through Chopin’s ears.