It was in Paris, as spring was beginning to flourish that Steinway & Sons unveiled its new and possibly most beautiful piano yet: the Lang Lang Black Diamond Grand Piano. This beautiful instrument was presented to 1,600 guests during an exclusive Lang Lang concert at the Paris Philharmonic.
This piano has been specially designed for the virtuoso pianist and marks the first time in history that a classical pianist has been invited to join the design process of a Steinway & Sons grand piano. Besides its unique design, which is visually distinctive from traditional concert grand pianos, the Lang Lang Black Diamond is the very first Steinway & Sons piano to come with the revolutionary new Spirio R technology, which enables pianists to record their own playing, then reproduce it identically and instantly on the same piano. This iPad®-controlled system creates new ways of interacting with the instrument and a new way of experiencing music.
US designer Dakota Jackson, a long-time friend of the company, was chosen to collaborate with Lang Lang to take on this unique project and to design a piano embodying his talent and passion. With its reflections and expressive lines, the Lang Lang Black Diamond exemplifies the black diamond, a rare and precious stone whose origin is shrouded in mystery; there is even a theory that states that black diamonds are of extra-terrestrial origin. Maybe a parallelism with Lang Lang’s out-of-this-world performances?
The design of the Lang Lang Black Diamond combines the elegance of either classical ebony high polished or Macassar ebony with the brilliance of chrome. Three slender diamond-shaped silhouettes punctuate the line of the rim. It features metallic accents on the legs, the music desk and the back of the case. A small diamond silhouette is engraved in silver above the keyboard and Dakota Jackson’s final touch is provided by the S-shaped top stick, holding the one-piece piano lid.
This year, Lang Lang will tour with the Black Diamond including a concert at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie in October and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw in November.
Only eight concert grand pianos Model D in Macassar ebony finish and 88 grand pianos Model B in black high gloss finish or Macassar ebony will be available – all equipped with the new Spirio R. POA.
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