Period instruments

Well, that's a good read and interview - thank you so much sigasa! (I would likely not have come across it)

Excerpt fta - the "aha" moment:

Interviewer David Weininger, New York Times:

What changed your skepticism about historical instruments?

Andras Schiff:

What converted me was when I first played Mozart’s piano in Salzburg, in the room where he was born.

No need to say another thing really Kind of a moment no amount of conscious thought can probably describe adequately. 

The Pianoteq library of period instruments is something I hope all new users find out about for that very reason, or 'moment' and beyond.

New York Times - David Weininger wrote:

"Schiff’s latest venture in this arena is his most convincing yet: a vibrant new recording of Brahms’s two piano concertos with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Aiming to recover the sound of this music when it was written, Schiff plays a piano made by Julius Blüthner in Leipzig, Germany, in 1859 — the year of the First Concerto’s premiere."

The whole interview at the link sums up exactly what most lovers of early instruments that I know were wishing for all along - if not just exposing a genuinely innocent love of the sound (or just for clarity in a period orchestra) - all valid, as is the joy in 'living it' somewhat or virtually re-living the time-period through experiencing 'what it was like' - understanding the 'feelings/inspirations' the composers where exposed to, more exactly perhaps, than what is experienced via a beautiful modern grand and etc. - and that 1859 Blüthner would be seriously interesting to hear for sure

And still, using one of the period pianos in Pianoteq's collection is a foremost inspiration for me (I began with quasi-classical intent and find I use them for all kinds of styles and unusual applications). Those lovely instruments I feel a kind of 'comfort' with - yet that doesn't wipe out my appreciation for the 'grand performance' or any other usage of a modern grand piano, which I now love about equally.

Thanks again you for this link sigasa. Hope others here who have shared a love of the fortepianos are able to find this article too - cheers!