ANAHEIM (January 16, 2020) — Bösendorfer unveiled the Secession 214VC Vienna Concert grand piano, the first in the company’s Architecture Series, at the 2020 NAMM Show in Anaheim being held January 16-19, 2020.
The Secession 214VC combines technology, design and craftsmanship into a seamless synthesis of the arts that exudes the spirit of unity in diversity. As a collector’s item, the model is limited to 21 instruments worldwide.
Since Bösendorfer’s founding, famous architects including Theophil Hansen, Anton Grosser, Josef Hoffmann, Josef Frank and Hans Hollein have designed grand pianos for the company. The tradition now resumes with the Secession, inspired and named for the most revered edifice in Vienna today.
More than just a building, the Secession is a cultural movement encompassing an artists’ association, a philosophy and an architectural and design style, often referred to as Viennese Art Nouveau. The building’s focal point is a 30-foot dome covered in handcrafted golden laurel leaves.
The Bösendorfer Secession takes this towering symbol of the Secession in ornamental form from the façade and replicates it in 23-karat gold on the classic black background of the lid. The cast frame continues this shine with 23-karat gold plating. Both the inside of the inner rim and the pinblock echo the tender green shade from under the dome. “Ver Sacrum” (Holy Spring), the Secession movement's motto, is engraved letter-by-letter in the music stand and is also gilded with 23-karat gold. Additional elements from the Secession building adorn the legs of the grand piano, with hand-gilded lines framing the lid edge and lyre box.
“This grand piano is a sincere tribute to precious materials and Secessionist art, not only beautiful in design, but also possessing the incomparable Bösendorfer sound with its unparalleled tonal color,” says Sabine Grubmüller, Managing Director of Bösendorfer. “Austrian craftsmanship, Viennese sound and heritage perfectly complement the Secession’s inimitable Viennese Art Nouveau style, reflecting a convergence of all levels of Austrian culture — art, music and craftsmanship.”
The Bösendorfer Collector's Item Secession was created in cooperation with the Secession in Vienna.