“The Pleyels have exceptional singing qualities, that we’ve lost in our modern pianos.
“When we play them we can be sucked into another world, we can have sound sensations and worlds of sound that are completely different,” d’Anfray said.
Finding these revered pianos is by no means a simple task.
“Very old pianos in good condition are very rare but when you find one, it’s paradise,” d’Anfray remarked, pleased that there are 20 period pianos available for the pianists to explore at the competition both on stage and in rehearsal rooms. According to Chevallier, there is also an ecological and social note to the event.
“It’s really organic, I mean we’re recycling existing instruments and that could create an extraordinary market and a lot of work for many restorers and tuners.”
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