Audi Design Grand Piano: Inspired by Jazz

INGOLSTADT, GERMANY – July 8, 2009: Jazz and Audi simply belong together. Jazz captivates large audiences: since 2001, more than 37,000 people have attended some 270 jazz concerts at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt. The Ray Brown Trio, Paul Kuhn and Freddy Hubbard are just a few of the performers that have appeared there. As a further sign of its close links with jazz, Audi decided to create its own concert grand piano at its concept design studio in Munich. The Audi Design grand piano is built by the celebrated Bösendorfer company of Vienna.

“A large number of jazz pianists favour the Bösendorfer sound. Our grand pianos produce a wide variety of timbres and have a broad range of dynamic elements. The firm, singing sound and warmth of tone are specific Bösendorfer features that suit jazz pianists extremely well,” says Ferdinand Bräu, Bösendorfer’s Technical Director. “Oscar Peterson, one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, chose to play exclusively on Bösendorfer grand pianos. He once said that only with these instruments could he truly reproduce his music and fully express his feelings.”

In the words of Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG: “This unique concert grand piano perfectly embodies the Audi design philosophy and our dedication to high quality. It enriches our cultural commitment in a very special way.”

The Audi Design grand piano can be heard and seen very soon at a series of jazz events at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt, with the Birdland Jazz Club of Neuburg, one of Europe’s oldest and best-known jazz clubs. One of these instruments will have its permanent home at the Audi Forum – but others may soon be found at many other locations all over the world, as it can be ordered at audi@bosendorfer.com starting on July 16.