Steinway & Sons, builder of the world’s finest pianos, has announced the launch of its new Limited-Edition Piano, the “Kravitz Grand,” in collaboration with world-renowned rock star musician and modern-day renaissance man, Lenny Kravitz.
For 167 years, employees at the Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria, Queens have been meticulously handcrafting pianos, which can take many months and even years to produce. With each year that passes, Steinway finds new ways to shake up the classical category and introduce its brand to a wider audience through its Steinway Limited Edition pianos. These unique pianos have a limited run and consist of collaborations with some of the most notable artists and designers of our time, including Lang Lang, Dakota Jackson, Karl Lagerfeld and Dale Chihuly, all of which combine classic Steinway craftsmanship with expressive designs.
Since 1853, Steinway pianos have set an uncompromising standard for sound, touch, beauty, and investment value. Because of a dedication to continuous improvement, today’s Steinway remains the choice of 9 out of 10 concert artists, and it is the preferred piano of countless musicians, professional and amateur, throughout the world.
The Kravitz Grand is Steinway’s latest collaboration, venturing away from their classical roots and reaching beyond the traditional. Having always been an admirer of Steinway & Sons, Lenny Kravitz teamed up with Steinway to design a limited edition of 10 Model B pianos. For this personal passion project, he and his Kravitz Design team dissected every aspect of the piano’s construction, looking at the case, action and even the screws to create a completely new look that is unlike anything Steinway has ever produced.
The Kravitz Grand is inspired by the African themes utilised in paintings, sculpture, and fabric design from the Paris art scene of the 1920s. The piano is comprised of 15 layers of hard rock maple and rare Macassar ebony personally selected by Lenny Kravitz for the exterior. The Model B features hand-carved motifs on the piano rim, the inner lid, and music desk requiring over 200 hours of carving by Steinway artisans, and hand-carved, block-style piano legs in black ebony finish. Other stunning design elements include a “crackle” metallic finish on the cast iron plate, and solid bronze castings for the top stick and pedal lyre, the latter weighing more than 40 pounds, envisioned by Kravitz Design and cast by Modern Art Foundry. There are also custom metal finishes for the pedals, brass music trays, hinges, and a numbered brass “Edition” plaque. The piano keys are in ebony and matte cream, and the handcrafted piano bench features Macassar ebony from the same flitch of wood found on the piano and a faux cheetah print fabric. The finishing touch is the Steinway and Spirio logos inlaid in faux tortoise by Pearl Works.
Every Kravitz Grand also comes equipped as a Spirio | r, the world’s finest high-resolution player piano, and retails for $500,000.
“The Kravitz Grand is one of the most interesting takes on a 167-year-old classic design,” said Ron Losby, CEO of Steinway Musical Instruments. “Lenny has been a fantastic partner with an extraordinary eye for design. Everyone involved in designing and building this piano really had to push the boundaries and create something unlike any designs in the past. This collaboration with Lenny allowed us to take our history and heritage of creating the best pianos and put a unique spin on the design that no one has ever seen before. We are so excited to unveil the piano and share it with those who love Steinway and those who love Lenny Kravitz.”
Kravitz Design, Inc. (KDI) is a conceptual creative studio founded by music icon Lenny Kravitz in 2003. With a modern sensibility and a focus on interiors and product design, the work of Kravitz Design always conveys a soulful elegance through a natural, relaxed sense of style. The company’s team encompasses a diverse group of creative professionals that have executed a variety of projects globally. KDI touts an impressive portfolio of noteworthy ventures, with a range that includes, hotels, condominiums, private residences and consumer products.
Kravitz Designs clients include world renowned brands such as Pepsi, Leica, Dom Perignon, SBE, Fred Segal, Rocky Mountain Hardware and CB2. Kravitz Design recently completed a 35-unit condominium in New York City called 75 Kenmare and is currently working on a unique hotel project in Detroit called Temple. Temple will include 110 guest-rooms, suites and extended stay apartments along with two restaurants, multiple bars and an entertainment space that will feature live music and a nightclub.
For more information, visit www.steinway.com.
www.kravitzdesign.com
@kravitz_design
