|
 Down to just 14 employees after a 206-year history that produced
more than 250,000 pianos, the Pleyel piano factory in Saint Denis,
north of Paris, announced this week that it's closing "because of
recurrent losses and a very low level of activity."
Like so many industries that Europe once dominated, today the piano
market has moved east, grown more democratic, and gone digital. A
study by ResearchMoz says China is the world's biggest producer and
consumer of pianos, many of them budget or electronic models.
The company was founded in 1807 by Ignaz Pleyel, a composer and
music publisher who studied with Franz Joseph Haydn. The factory
became a leader in acoustic innovation in its heyday, coming out
with new models as technology advanced. Its factory made instruments
for music greats Chopin, Lizst, Ravel and Stravinsky.
"When I feel I feel energetic and strong enough to find my own
sound, I need a Pleyel piano," said Chopin, who collected
commissions from the company for prompting others to buy
instruments.
Pleyel pianos graced the court of Josephine, Napoleon's wife, and
other European royal residences, and were the centerpieces of salons
in Paris.
The last 100 years have been rockier for Pleyel, as it changed
ownership repeatedly and production plunged to about 20 pianos last
year. But the name still conjures melodic memories for many with
classical music training around Europe and beyond.
After closing its factory, Pleyel is "looking for alternative
solutions," said its director, Bernard Roques. That might include
hooking up with a prominent figure in the music industry, or finding
another space to produce a select few high-end pianos and revive the
Pleyel brand.
[to top of second column] |
Competitor Olivier Colin says it's too late. His company, Colmann,
is now the only French company still making pianos.
Sort of.
Colmann's main production facilities are in China. "Otherwise it
would cost way too much," Colin said. "We use China in an
intelligent way, to have pianos on the market that are not too
expensive, but that can retain the same quality, the same French
technicians."
Colmann is investing in research in new technology in grand pianos
that play themselves and be programmed remotely, such as one placed
at the center of a fountain in Dijon. Or acoustic pianos that, like
electric pianos, can be hooked into headphones so that only the
pianist can hear the music played.
Across the Atlantic, another famous name in piano-making is facing a
time of transition. New York's Steinway Musical Instruments Inc.,
whose pianos are coveted by concert halls around the U.S., was sold
this year to an investment firm as it tries to restore business to
pre-recession levels. Paulson & Co. paid approximately $499 million
for the 160-year-old Steinway, founded by a German immigrant.
The hope is that Steinway's fortunes are improving along with the
recovering U.S. economy, and amid increased overseas demand for
high-end pianos — including from China.
Meanwhile, the Pleyel name lives on in Paris at a major concert
hall, the Salle Pleyel, which was separated from the piano business
long ago.
[Associated
Press; ANGELA CHARLTON]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
