Christ the King Lutheran Church has acquired a magnificent grand piano, a concert-quality instrument from Blüthner in Leipzig. The purchase was made possible by dedicated gifts in memory of Al Jensen. The piano has its home in the parish hall, which will become an attractive venue for solo piano and chamber music concerts.
The congregation will have an opportunity to hear the new instrument in three introductory concerts given by international artists.
On Sunday April 17 at 7 p.m., pianist Ilgin Aka and the Fidelis string quartet, led by Houston Symphony member Ridica Weber, will play a concert of chamber works including Schubert’s Death and the Maiden quartet and Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A Major.These works are part of a program the ensemble will play on an upcoming concert in New York.
On April 24 at 7 p.m., Russian pianists Viatscheslav Gabrielov and Galina Gabrielova will play works by Mozart, Brahms, Schumann and Chopin, and a transcription of J. S. Bach’s Chaconne by Ferrucio Busoni. The Gabrielovs, who are husband and wife, are solo performers, chamber musicians, accompanists and teachers. In their native Russia, each began an impressive career which continued in this country. Mr. Gabrielov is also active as a composer and conductor; Ms. Gabrielova enjoys a successful legal career.
On May 15 at 7 p.m. Rüdiger Steinfatt, professor of music at the Conservatory of Music in Augsburg, Germany, will present a concert of works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, and the seldom-heard Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991). Mr. Steinfatt was born in Neubrandenburg (Mecklenburg), and grew up in Western Germany. He studied in Saarbrücken, Frankfurt and Munich. His concerts—mostly piano recitals or piano concertos with orchestra—have led him to Eastern Asia as well as Russia, Iran, Turkey, throughout Europe and the USA. His first LP record was recorded in 1968, and he has recorded many LPs and CDs over the years. Mr. Steinfatt’s appearance is made possible by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany.
All three concerts will be held in the parish hall; admission is free.
Blüthner pianos have been manufactured in Leipzig since 1853. Julius Blüthner founded a small business with only three craftsmen, but after only twenty years the quality of his instruments had drawn such acclaim that his firm had 800 employees. The company had a reputation for its excellence, but also for being innovative; they even built a lightweight grand piano for the airship Hindenburg! The business survived World War I and the Great Depression of 1929, but was completely destroyed in an air raid in 1943. Difficult times followed after the war and during Soviet occupation, but the handwork tradition was continued even though quality materials were seldom available. Since 1990, Blüthner’s son and grandsons—all master craftsmen—have quickly re-established the quality craftsmanship that have endeared their instruments to such noted artists as Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arthur Rubenstein, Peter Tschaikovsky, Claude Debussy, and hundreds of others.
The acquisition represents a further link in the relationship between the congregation at Christ the King Church and Houston’s sister city Leipzig. This piano—a Model 10 measuring 6’10"—is one of the most recent of over 150,000 built by Blüthner in their distinguished history. Those who have heard it since its arrival could only agree with the legendary conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler: “Blüthner grand pianos can truly sing, which is the most wonderful thing you can say about a piano.”