• Burger & Jacobi grand and upright pianos – Since 1872, the Swiss firm Burger & Jacobi was born and, with its upright and grand pianos, launched more than a century of music making, in concerts and the home, by hundreds of professional pianists and enthusiastic students. Their mantra, “an instrument of great value is only created if it is constructed with love and painstaking manual work,” has been the hallmark of  Burger, Jacobi and their successors. The success of Burger&Jacobi instruments, grounded in skilful workmanship and the efforts of four generations of the founding family, is testament to the exceptional nature of the pianos: solid, long-lasting construction, the outcome of working with top grade materials. The enthusiastic endorsement of composer Johannes Brahms has resulted in production of more than 100,000 pianos, many still providing customers with an excellent study piano and a top performance instrument. Today, the  Burger&Jacobi brand is under the tutelage of famed Italian instrument purveyor  Ciampi Group (Rome) which, drawing on the experience of three generations in the sector, recently decided to expand beyond the European continent. R.KASSMAN is proud to have been chosen the first dealer in the USA to represent this venerable brand.
• Kayserburg  grand and upright pianos – When Steinway contracted with noted piano manufacturer Pearl River, of Guangzhou China, to build its Essex line of pianos, they decided that while it was an honor to be awarded this honor, they would prefer to build an even better piano with their own brand. They approached retired C. BECHSTEIN piano designer Lothar Thomma, of Basel Switzerland, with the project of re-designing their Ritmüller line of pianos. After several years of discussion, Mr. Thomma agreed under two conditions: First, that he would control all facets of production, including materials and labor, and second, that he could design his OWN line of pianos – from the ground up- where he controlled, the parts, origin of components, specific manufacturing techniques and specific factory workers who would produce the new instrument. In 2010 the new line of Ritmüller pianos was introduced and received immediate industry and consumer acclaim. We are proud to announce that R.KASSMAN has been selected to be the FIRST American distributor for Mr. Thomma’s Kayserburg line of pianos, designed completely by Mr. Thomma and incorporating traditional German manufacturing techniques and components, at very affordable price-points!

Our first shipment of these magnificent instruments will arrive from the recent trade show on Friday, Jan. 27^th , a great reason to celebrate with a post-NAMM sale. Come on in…we look forward to you experiencing the magnificent quality of these pianos that set a new paradigm for the piano industry.

As in every year for the last 20 or more, R.Kassman and staff will be attending the famed NAMM show. An acronym for National Association of Music Merchants, the association and it’s trade shows, are the premium of trade shows for those in the business of  music. From their own promotional materials, NAMM claims a “not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion global music products industry. Our association—and our trade shows—serve as a hub for people wanting to seek out the newest innovations in musical products, recording technology, sound and lighting. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages.”

Walking along the show floors and various halls,  is always an experience in auditory indulgence. You might hear the sounds of a renowned classical pianist playing the latest Sauter grand piano, or Billy Sheehan jamming out on a bass guitar in the Yamaha booth, while the Sam Morrison Band rocks it’s tribute to Bob Seger on the Convention Center B/C Patio. I, for one, will be sure to head for the “15th Year Lennon Bus Celebration with Bootsy Collins & special guests” on the  Convention Center Wanna Play? Stage this year. While owner of R.Kassman Pianos, Russell, will no doubt skip that act and opt for Caroline Brenner, presented by Septien School of Contemporary Music, performing on the Anaheim Marriott Center Stage.

There’s something for everyone at the NAMM show. But one thing is a certainty: An increase in R.Kassman’s  piano inventory! Oh…and we should add…lots of fun!

“Every year, tens of thousands of new acoustic pianos, made by 30 builders in a dozen countries under 70 brand names, are sold in the U.S. No wonder buying a piano is one of the most difficult purchases a consumer makes,” notes Larry Fine. “Piano Buyer exists to make shopping for a piano easier and more enjoyable.“

Brookside Press announces the release of the Fall 2011 issue of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer, successor to the well-known reference The Piano Book, by Larry Fine.

Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer is a 280-page, semiannual publication devoted to the purchase of new, used, and restored pianos and digital pianos. Available free online at http://www.PianoBuyer.com, it can also be purchased in print from the website and in bookstores.

Piano Buyer is a hybrid book/magazine. The “book” part consists of a collection of how-to articles, such as:

• Acoustic or Digital: What’s Best for Me?
• Piano Buying Basics
• Buying a Used or Restored Piano
• Buying Pianos for an Institution
• Buying a Digital Piano
• Buying an Electronic Player-Piano System

The “magazine” part consists of feature articles that cover areas of special interest; piano brand reviews and ratings; and piano prices, updated for each issue, for virtually every brand and model of acoustic and digital piano sold in North America. Features in the Fall 2011 issue include:

• a review by concert pianist Judith Cohen of five of the best professional-size grands made in China
• an article by piano technician Sally Phillips on selecting a performance piano for concert hall or home
• an article by piano technician Steve Brady on the use of nontraditional materials in pianos.

Also on the PianoBuyer.com website are two searchable online databases: The Acoustic Piano Model & Price database of 3,000 models will help consumers home in quickly on instruments that match their requirements for size, furniture style, and budget. The Digital Piano Prices and Features database can be searched on the basis of price and 11 different digital-piano features and specs.

We are listening to you! Please let us know what other type of news you’d like to hear about. Would you take a moment to answer our poll so we can make our blog even better?

We want to thank the many of you for participating in our bicentennial Liszt celebration and for being such good sports.

What’s next for the R.Kassman blog? Well that is what we are working on now, but we’d like to get your input. Would you take moment to answer our poll below? Feel free to write in through the comments section of this post with further ideas or more detailed thoughts you might have.

This is the last week of our Franz Liszt Bicentennial Trivia Game.

We are trying to decide which direction to take this blog after this week, and are open to suggestions. What would you like to discuss on a piano blog? What kind of information do you value most? What would you like to learn about? What kind of contests or games might you be interested in? We really would like to know. Please write in.

As a Reminder: To ensure you are kept in the loop about the latest and greatest at R.Kassman Pianos,  join us on Facebook and/or subscribe to this blog. As soon as a new blog article is posted, you’ll be the first to know. We also have a Sign Up form on our Facebook page for people who would like to receive the monthly R.Kassman newsletter. Just click here. You will be the first to know about special promotions, sales, events, concerts and other news.

By this time in the quarter, it’s evident that Joan R. is going to be named our final quarter winner. Joan has been very diligently playing and it’s paid off! She was in the lead with 9 points and after answering last week’s Q.12 correctly, she’s now got herself 10 points. Last week’s Liszt Trivia Game Q.12 was: Who wrote “My piano is my very self. . . Ten fingers have the power to reproduce the harmonies which are created by hundreds of performers.” and what was the writer specifically referring to when he boasts that “ten fingers have the power to reproduce the harmonies which are created by hundreds of performers”?

Joan R. wrote in first and correctly with: “Liszt wrote this about himself and he was likely referring to his prodigious abilities to transcribe orchestral and instrumental performaces for the piano to great effect. He transcribed Paganini’s violin pieces, Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique, the Beethoven symphonies and other orchestral masterpieces (Wagnerian opera overtures, the Liebestod, etc) for piano, capturing effects that might seem impossible to manage on one instrument with one player– but he did, in some cases doing so with seeming greater power than the original (this was said about the Berlioz). He was probably the greatest orchestral transcriber for the piano of all time.”

As a grand finale question to our game, here is the last Liszt Trivia Game question, #13, 3-parts: Who wrote this poem, who is it about and why is the tone of the writer so cynical?

“Oh, divine mystical Father ye touched this man’s soul
Yet forsaking his carcass predators took their toll
While enduring lashes, the venomous serpents tongue
His magnanimous spirit enhanced both old and young

A prophetic voice, borne on the golden wings of time
Transcends the beat of the human drum…ever sublime

Ancient strategic dots that plot a masterful score
Slumber for a century till given life once more
Clay digits cascade over ivories, black and white
Summoning reveries that croon and howl in the night

More profound than the Pole or diverse than all his peers
His rich tapestry of sound soaks in blood, sweat and tears

Once Prometheus bound his exhumed spirit now soars
Enlightening future generations both mine and yours
Enraptured by a _____ whirlwind of vivid sound
Heaven joyously splits open… a hero is crowned.”

Good luck!

With only two weeks left in our Liszt Trivia Game, we’re almost at the end of the R.Kassman Franz Liszt bicentennial celebration. What’s next?? We wanted to get your input on what you might want to see happen on our blog, what kind of contests, games or information would you like?  Please drop us your ideas through the comment section of this blog, post it on our Facebook wall, or send us an email from the contact section of this blog…any way you choose to voice your opinion, we’ll listen!

With that in mind, last week we presented our 2-part Liszt Trivia game Q.11: Who said the following?  “I would choose Hiller for my friend, Chopin for my husband and Liszt for my lover.” Write a short essay on why she would have made these three choice distinctions (for friend, husband and lover.)

To no one’s surprise, Joan R. answered first and correctly with: “The Countess Plater made this comment about these three famous pianists of the day, who she apparently knew well. Chopin with his impeccable manners may have seemed the perfect society husband– refined, but perhaps a bit on the docile or dependent side, at least externally. Hiller was stolid and affable, but perhaps not romantically attractive to the countess, thus a friend. And Liszt was, well, the rock star of his day– handsome, magnetic, sexy, already seen as a “chick magnet”– the ideal choice for a lover.” Good essay Joan! You now have 9 points in the game. Congratulations!! There’s no doubt that you will be this quarter’s winner!!! (But please keep playing…for the fun of it)

For this week’s Liszt Trivia Game Q.12 we’ve come up with the following: Who wrote “My piano is my very self. . . Ten fingers have the power to reproduce the harmonies which are created by hundreds of performers.” and what was the writer specifically referring to when he boasts that “ten fingers have the power to reproduce the harmonies which are created by hundreds of performers”?

As a Reminder: To ensure you are kept in the loop about the latest and greatest at R.Kassman Pianos,  join us on Facebook and/or subscribe to this blog. As soon as a new blog article is posted, you’ll be the first to know. We also have a Sign Up form on our Facebook page for people who would like to receive the monthly R.Kassman newsletter. Just click here. You will be the first to know about special promotions, sales, events, concerts and other news.

Good luck!

And so began the concept of “women’s liberation”!!

Last week we presented  our  2-part Liszt Trivia Game Q. 10: “What do these women all have in common with each other: Leah David, Jessie Laussot née Taylor, Friederike Meyer, and  Judith Mendès Gautier? Considering this commonality, what is so odd about the Leah David connection?”

Joan R. once again, answered first and correctly with: “Wagner was romantically involved with all these women — Leah was Jewish , which makes the liaison unusual for Wagner, who was notoriously anti-Semitic.” Congratulations Joan! You are in the lead for this final quarter with 8 points.

There are only 3 more weeks left in our game (including this one)! With that in mind, here is our 2-part Liszt Trivia game Q.11: Who said the following?  “I would choose Hiller for my friend, Chopin for my husband and Liszt for my lover.” Write a short essay on why she would have made these three choice distinctions (for friend, husband and lover.)

As a Reminder: To ensure you are kept in the loop about the latest and greatest,  join us on Facebook and/or subscribe to this blog. As soon as a new Liszt Trivia Game question is posted, you’ll be the first to know. We also have a Sign Up form on our Facebook page for people who would like to receive the monthly R.Kassman newsletter. Just click here. You will be the first to know about special promotions, sales, events, concerts and other news.

Good luck to all!

*this paragraph was taken from The Love Affairs of Great Musicians, Volume 2 by Rupert Hughes

Let’s see where our game stands. Last week, we presented Trivia Game Q.9: Who wrote this and what were the circumstances that prompted such an acerbic communication?“I must tell you with a bleeding heart that you have succeeded in separating my (spouse) from me after nearly twenty-two years of marriage. May this noble deed contribute to your peace of mind, to your happiness.”

Two players answered correctly: Joan R. and Vishnu. However, Joan R. wrote in her answer first making her the winner and putting her in the lead with 7 points! Here’s what she answered: “Minna Wagner , Wagner’s first wife, wrote this to Mathilde Wesendonck with whom Wagner was passionately involved at the time of the composItion of Tristan and Isolde, another story of infidelity”. Congratulation Joan!

And here is our  2-part Liszt Trivia Game Q. 10: “What do these women all have in common with each other: Leah David, Jessie Laussot née Taylor, Friederike Meyer, and  Judith Mendès Gautier? Considering this commonality, what is so odd about the Leah David connection?”

As a Reminder: To ensure you are kept in the loop about the latest and greatest,  join us on Facebook and/or subscribe to this blog. As soon as a new Liszt Trivia Game question is posted, you’ll be the first to know. We also have a Sign Up form on our Facebook page for people who would like to receive the monthly R.Kassman newsletter. Just click here. You will be the first to know about special promotions, sales, events, concerts and other news.

Good luck to all!

Going along this very line is the fact of the adulterous nature of our Franz Liszt, our Richard Wagner and indeed, the host of other characters surrounding them and those they cared about the most. But first….

Last week, Joan R. took up her lead in our Liszt Trivia Game. Her 5 points turned into 6 when she answered first and correctly to Trivia Game Q.8: The picture included in this post is a caricature. The three part question is: Who are the people in the caricature? What makes it funny? And finally, what does the concept of the caricature have to do with this purchase order? Order: ‘Pink satin stuffed with eiderdown and quilted in squares . . . lined with white satin, six widths at the bottom … a padded ruching all round’.

Joan’s  answer was, rightly: “This is a caricature of Wagner and his milliner. He had written in great detail about fabrics, style and so forth to the point of ridiculousness.. The pink satin was for a dressing gown that Wagner was ordering with the details described. The caricature is from “The Flea” a humorous publication. Wagner was held up to ridicule for his vanity and extravagance..” Congratulations Joan!

And now, in keeping with our opening contemplation, we present our Trivia Game Q.9: Who wrote this and what were the circumstances that prompted such an acerbic communication?“I must tell you with a bleeding heart that you have succeeded in separating my (spouse) from me after nearly twenty-two years of marriage. May this noble deed contribute to your peace of mind, to your happiness.”

As a Reminder: To ensure you are kept in the loop about the latest and greatest,  join us on Facebook and/or subscribe to this blog. As soon as a new Liszt Trivia Game question is posted, you’ll be the first to know. We also have a Sign Up form on our Facebook page for people who would like to receive the monthly R.Kassman newsletter. Just click here. You will be the first to know about special promotions, sales, events, concerts and other news.

Good luck!