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Cristofori’s Dream : 1988 / Narada

Producer : Paul Speer; David Lanz
Engineer : Paul Speer

In 1709 in Florence, Italy, a harpsichord builder named Bartolomeo Cristofori completed work on what is regarded as the first piano. He replaced the harpsichord’s plucking mechanism with a hammer action that allowed keys to respond to varying degrees of pressure, resulting in a sound that could range from soft to loud. He further refined the instrument in 1726, installing knobs at both ends of the keyboard which became a forerunner to the soft pedal. Cristofori’s work elicited little notice in his home country, where opera dominated public interest, and he died without fanfare at the age of 76 in 1731.

“I cannot imagine the world without the piano. In my mind, it is the most divinely inspired instrument on earth, and Cristofori’s work produced quantum-leap advance in its development. For the first piece on this album, I imagined Cristofori in his workshop late at night, putting away his tools and blowing out his candles after a long day of work, wondering to himself how his new instrument might sound. He drifts off into a deep sleep and in a dream he finally hears the depth and beauty of our modern piano. We all owe Cristofori a debt of gratitude, and this album is dedicated to him, a great inventor whom history has overlooked. May his ‘dream’ live forever.” – David Lanz

Personnel includes:
David Lanz (piano, synthesizer);
Paul Speer (guitar);
Richard Warner (flute, soprano saxophone);
Nancy Rumbel (English horn, oboe);
Matthew Fisher (organ);
James Reynolds (synthesizer, electronic percussion, programming);
John Serrie (synthesizer);
Steve Allen (acoustic & electric basses);
Neal Speer (drums);
Luis Peralta (percussion).

Recorded at Miramar Studios, Seattle, Washington between November 1987 and April 1988.

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