Hi David,

Should you ever find yourself in Australia, my colleague Alastair McAllister has a very fine Pleyel that he has meticulously restored over the last twenty years, in supreme playing condition. Several improvements have been made to the instrument, all of which are fully reversible, should any curatorial issues arise in the future. I can tell you that the abasement people put in their email apologising for even being interested in Pleyels is entirely unnecessary, once you have heard and played this machine. They are very fine indeed. Most Pleyel criticism appears to come from people who have not had direct experience of a well regulated and finely adjusted Pleyel. They are indeed what they are, but what this is, is really astonishingly good. You are welcome to come and try it out. And it is a subtle point that many Pleyel instruments that people encounter may not be well regulated or voiced well, and can give a bad impression, as they are very fussy and fidgety to get right. McAllister's point in restoring and improving the Pleyel is to show what they are really capable of when at their best.

Not only that, but today another Pleyel arrives at our workshop for restoration.

It's true that some folks just don't like the sound. I have observed that it is quite hard to record a Pleyel to best advantage, in a similar fashion it's difficult to record clavichords (but for different reasons obviously). Heard live and direct, it's a pretty amazing sound, and fills the room with glorious noise.

Andrew

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