Edelweiss Pianos

Edelweiss Pianos is a British piano company, founded in 1975 in Cambridge, UK, as 1066 Pianos by research physicist and pianist John Roy Norman.[2]

Edelweiss Pianos
IndustryMusical instruments
Founded1975 (1975)[1]
in Cambridge, UK
FounderJohn Roy Norman
HeadquartersCambridge, UK
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Chris Norman (Current owner and manager)
Products • Grand pianos
 • Upright pianos
Services • Piano manufacturing
 • Piano restoration
Websitewww.edelweisspianos.com

History

Founder Roy Norman, a research physicist at Cambridge University, originally tuned pianos as a hobby. When he saw the lack of quality piano restorations, he started tuning pianos himself and soon found himself restoring and reselling his first piano from his living-room. From the money he made he bought two pianos which he restored and resold. He opened a small shop in Cambridge, and the company was named 1066 Pianos.[3] The company's workshop and headquarters is now located in the village of Fulbourn, just outside Cambridge.[4]

Expansion

In 2008, the Edelweiss brand was born and Roy's son Mark Norman became the head of design and began introducing futuristic designs that distinguished Edelweiss from other piano companies[5][6] as well as offering pianos that were totally bespoke.[7]

Models

Edelweiss pianos are sold through the Cambridge headquarters and through Harrods, and come by default as player pianos.[8][9]

Grands and uprights

The Edelweiss workshop in Cambridge makes the following four models of grand pianos, of which the smallest two are baby grands, and two models of upright piano (The numerical portion of the model designations represent the length of the grand pianos and the height of the upright pianos in inches):

  • Baby grand pianos: G52, G62, G66, Transparent G66[10]
  • Grand piano: G75[11]
  • Upright pianos: U46, U52, Transparent U49[12]

Special designs
Designer piano The Elmer on display at Harrods department store in London.

Inventive designs and colour combinations have been a part of Edelweiss from the very beginning. Since each piano offered can be totally bespoke, the possibilities are virtually endless. Through a number of collaborations with designers and hotels, Edelweiss have positioned themselves as one of the top piano makers in the world.[13]

Player pianos

In 2016, Edelweiss introduced their own player pianos with full audio.[14] The company's fast growth led luxury department store Harrods to invite Edelweiss to their furniture department in 2017, four years after Harrods' original piano department had been shut down.[15][16]

In 2018, Edelweiss Pianos were featured on the YouTube channel of the Financial Times, and said to be "regarded as the most upmarket of today's breed of the self-playing piano".[17]

In March 2022, a modified version of an Edelweiss piano that was modified to play itself using a solenoid was featured on Mark Rober's YouTube channel, where he also used it to attempt to play Rush E by Sheet Music Boss, which is well known as a song that is genuinely impossible to play by one person.[18]

See also

References
  1. Scialom, Mike (May 28, 2019). Edelweiss Pianos play well at Harrods. Cambridge Independent. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  2. Scialom, Mike (May 28, 2019). Edelweiss Pianos play well at Harrods. Cambridge Independent. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  3. How to be an Innovative Leader in Artistic Excellence for 45 years. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  4. Play On: The Edelweiss Pianos You Can Customize. Elite Traveler. May 29, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  5. Le Silex. August 13, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  6. How to be an Innovative Leader in Artistic Excellence for 45 years. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  7. "Edelweiss Lets You Tinkle With The Look Of Their Self-Playing Pianos". July 8, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  8. "Edelweiss at Cambridge and Harrods". Edelweiss Pianos. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  9. "Edelweiss at Harrods". Harrods. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  10. "Edelweiss Grand piano models". Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  11. "Edelweiss Grand piano model G75". Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  12. "Edelweiss Upright piano models". Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  13. Financial Times 'How to Spend it' featuring Edelweiss Pianos. November 30, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  14. Roll Over Beethoven, The Edelweiss Self-playing Traditional Piano Is Here. Luxurious Magazine. February 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  15. Edelweiss Pianos: New Harrods Display - April 2019. Edelweiss Pianos. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020 – via official YouTube channel of Edelweiss Pianos.
  16. Edelweiss brings customizable pianos to Harrods. Luxury Daily. December 27, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  17. Financial Times 'How to Spend it' featuring Edelweiss Pianos. November 30, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  18. Robot Piano Catches Fire Playing Rush E (World's Hardest Song), retrieved June 13, 2022
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