Last week I had the pleasure of attending a tour of the Fazioli piano factory in Sacile, Italy. The headquarters of this illustrious firm of piano makers is based a short drive from Venice. Fazioli was established in 1981. It is swiftly becoming an increasingly popular choice of instrument amongst pianists and institutions. Celebrated artists like Angela Hewitt, Louis Lortie, Daniil Trifonov, and Boris Giltburg, to name a few, prefer it. Many international competition finalists now request to perform on a Fazioli. Music schools and conservatoires all realise the vast array of tonal possibilities available from this hand-built, high quality piano.

The trip was arranged beautifully by Jaques Samuel Pianos, and a whole day was spent looking around the factory. We observed how the instruments are constructed. Every stage was fully explained and demonstrated. We enjoyed a lecture by owner and founder Paolo Fazioli. Finally, we were able to appreciate the Fazioli sonority in a recital given by young Australian pianist John Granger Fisher. He is the winner of the Chappell Gold Medal at the Royal College of Music, amongst many other accolades.

After the tour, I had the opportunity to chat to Paolo Fazioli in the elegant concert hall.