Fazioli Pianos
This article originally appeared in the May-June 2006 issue of Musical Opinion magazine.
by Colin Eatock
The gleaming white building just outside the northern Italian town of Sacile looks like it could house some kind of high-tech industry: computers or pharmaceuticals, perhaps. But for those who know, the name Fazioli, emblazoned on the façade in grand letters, indicates a different purpose.
This five-year-old factory is the home of Fazioli pianos, the hand-built instruments that were first introduced to the world at a press conference in Milan 25 years ago. Back then, the idea of re-inventing the way pianos are manufactured looked like a daring, almost quixotic, venture. But today, Paulo Fazioli, seated behind an imposing desk in his spacious office, is literally surrounded by the proof of his success.
“We started in one corner of an old furniture factory,” says the professional engineer and amateur pianist, gesturing out the window towards a dowdy building just down the road. “Step by step we increased our space, and then it was not enough for us. So we built a new factory.”
Today, the firm of Fazioli Pianoforti employs about 40 people: wood and metal workers, and other skilled technicians. Clad in green coats they ply their various trades on the bright, modern shop floor, constructing about 100 pianos a year. Only the finest materials and components will do – including sound boards made of the same red spruce that Antonio Stradivari used in his violins. And because Fazioli pianos are built without recourse to assembly line methods, it takes two years for an instrument to be completed.
Paolo Fazioli is firmly convinced that mass production inevitably leads to compromise in standards. “From the beginning, our ideas was to build only high-quality instruments,” he explains, leaning inside a piano to point out how each string of a Fazioli is individually adjusted for maximum resonance. “We continually try to increase the quality, to reach the wishes of the pianist – what they prefer, what will give the musician some inspiration. We’ve built 1,400 instruments. Not so many – but enough, no?”
According to Terry Lewis, of London’s Jacques Samuel Pianos, the UK’s only Fazioli dealership, demand is strong. “We sell all we can get,” Lewis says with a smile. “We have a standing order for any pianos that become available.” The smallest model, F156, a baby grand just over five feet long, costs £38,000. The full sized concert grand, model F278, sells for £82,990. Finally, the massive F308, just over ten feet in length, can be purchased for £90,990, and is designed for particularly large auditoriums where it has become necessary to use microphones, tending to spoil the natural sound quality of pedigree instruments.
While most of the instruments go straight into private homes, there’s a growing interest in Faziolis in professional circles: such well-established pianists as Stephen Hough, Angela Hewitt, Nikolai Demidenko and Louis Lortie are converts. Lewis also notes that some prominent institutions have bought Faziolis, including the Royal College, the Royal Academy, the Guildhall and the Menuhin School. While Wigmore does not yet own one, Lewis told me that he has often hired out instrument to the hall for recitals by leading soloists.
From Paris to Perth and Munich to Montreal, Faziolis are gradually appearing in concert halls around the world. Last April, Fazioli’s own concert hall opened in Sacile: a 200-seat room attached to the factory. In its first year, its recital series features such artists as Aldo Ciccolini, Filippo Gamba, Angela Hewitt and Mark Swartzenbruder (whose impressive recent recording of music by Debussy on the Solo Records Label, was made in Sacile in November 2005).
Today, a quarter-century after Faziolis were first unveiled, Paolo Fazioli is clearly proud of what he has accomplished. “I’ve given vitality to piano-building,” he states with conviction. “Our presence was proof that something had to change.”
Has he perfected the piano? “Yes!” he declares – adding, with just a touch of modesty, “but we are always trying new things.”
© Copyright Colin Eatock 2006
by Colin Eatock
The gleaming white building just outside the northern Italian town of Sacile looks like it could house some kind of high-tech industry: computers or pharmaceuticals, perhaps. But for those who know, the name Fazioli, emblazoned on the façade in grand letters, indicates a different purpose.
This five-year-old factory is the home of Fazioli pianos, the hand-built instruments that were first introduced to the world at a press conference in Milan 25 years ago. Back then, the idea of re-inventing the way pianos are manufactured looked like a daring, almost quixotic, venture. But today, Paulo Fazioli, seated behind an imposing desk in his spacious office, is literally surrounded by the proof of his success.
“We started in one corner of an old furniture factory,” says the professional engineer and amateur pianist, gesturing out the window towards a dowdy building just down the road. “Step by step we increased our space, and then it was not enough for us. So we built a new factory.”
Today, the firm of Fazioli Pianoforti employs about 40 people: wood and metal workers, and other skilled technicians. Clad in green coats they ply their various trades on the bright, modern shop floor, constructing about 100 pianos a year. Only the finest materials and components will do – including sound boards made of the same red spruce that Antonio Stradivari used in his violins. And because Fazioli pianos are built without recourse to assembly line methods, it takes two years for an instrument to be completed.
Paolo Fazioli is firmly convinced that mass production inevitably leads to compromise in standards. “From the beginning, our ideas was to build only high-quality instruments,” he explains, leaning inside a piano to point out how each string of a Fazioli is individually adjusted for maximum resonance. “We continually try to increase the quality, to reach the wishes of the pianist – what they prefer, what will give the musician some inspiration. We’ve built 1,400 instruments. Not so many – but enough, no?”
According to Terry Lewis, of London’s Jacques Samuel Pianos, the UK’s only Fazioli dealership, demand is strong. “We sell all we can get,” Lewis says with a smile. “We have a standing order for any pianos that become available.” The smallest model, F156, a baby grand just over five feet long, costs £38,000. The full sized concert grand, model F278, sells for £82,990. Finally, the massive F308, just over ten feet in length, can be purchased for £90,990, and is designed for particularly large auditoriums where it has become necessary to use microphones, tending to spoil the natural sound quality of pedigree instruments.
While most of the instruments go straight into private homes, there’s a growing interest in Faziolis in professional circles: such well-established pianists as Stephen Hough, Angela Hewitt, Nikolai Demidenko and Louis Lortie are converts. Lewis also notes that some prominent institutions have bought Faziolis, including the Royal College, the Royal Academy, the Guildhall and the Menuhin School. While Wigmore does not yet own one, Lewis told me that he has often hired out instrument to the hall for recitals by leading soloists.
From Paris to Perth and Munich to Montreal, Faziolis are gradually appearing in concert halls around the world. Last April, Fazioli’s own concert hall opened in Sacile: a 200-seat room attached to the factory. In its first year, its recital series features such artists as Aldo Ciccolini, Filippo Gamba, Angela Hewitt and Mark Swartzenbruder (whose impressive recent recording of music by Debussy on the Solo Records Label, was made in Sacile in November 2005).
Today, a quarter-century after Faziolis were first unveiled, Paolo Fazioli is clearly proud of what he has accomplished. “I’ve given vitality to piano-building,” he states with conviction. “Our presence was proof that something had to change.”
Has he perfected the piano? “Yes!” he declares – adding, with just a touch of modesty, “but we are always trying new things.”
© Copyright Colin Eatock 2006
