The Grand Piano Series

Project Outline

Grand Piano is a new series devoted to the art of the Reproducing Piano. It presents major performances by the legendary pianists who recorded for the Aeolian Company between 1915 and 1930.

The acoustic gramophone rarely attempted major keyboard works. The 78s' restricted sound and duration was acceptable for short virtuoso pieces but little else. In contrast, by 1915, the Aeolian Company's "Duo-Art" was already a highly sophisticated digital recording process. Pianists, well aware of the gramophone's limitations, turned enthusiastically to the reproducing piano. Hofmann, Bauer, Paderewski and Grainger were especially committed, not alone in believing that they had achieved the ultimate recording process. Great pianists joined them in recording their concert repertoire, including much that was never repeated on disc.

The reproducing piano was a tragic victim of the devastated economy of 1930's America. It disappeared, not because it was inadequate, but, because it was expensive. The pianist's faith in the reproducing piano remained overwhelming; one of the most exciting musical inventions of our age.

The Scope of the Nimbus Project: The piano-roll collection of Gerald Stonehill which is being used for the Grand Piano project contains approximately 99% of all the rolls ever issued by the Aeolian Company - classical and popular. As well as his huge collection of over 6000 rolls, Gerald Stonehill has also been responsible for the publication of rolls discovered in the Company's American and British archives following research ongoing from the 1960s. Gerald is certainly acknowledged as the premier authority on Duo-Art in England and probably in the World. Nimbus' proposal is to use this source and publish approximately 50 CDs over the next five years to become the ultimate reference on the Duo-Art.