Nicolás Bernáldez Gómez:
"the decision
wasn't hard to make!"
"This year I got an apartment where I could practice freely, so I decided to look for a new piano. After two years here in Amsterdam, I started missing the feeling of practicing at home, like I used to do in Spain. Before I received this Pleyel on loan from The Netherlands Musical Instrument Foundation, I didn't have a piano at home in Amsterdam. I always had to practice at the conservatory. Some grand pianos there are fantastic, but you can also find many that are in lesser condition. This instrument has absolutely expanded my possibilities for developing my own sound and expressive skills."
Which grand piano from our collection did you choose and why?
“When I started my search for an instrument with the fund, the Pleyel was the only one readily available at the Andriessen Pianos - Grand Pianos workshop in Haarlem, so I was a bit hesitant to take it home. At the time, I couldn't compare the grand piano to other instruments. But from the moment I first tried the Pleyel, I felt it was a fantastic instrument with an enormous dynamic range and a unique touch. So the decision wasn't hard to make!”
What are you looking forward to now that you have the Pleyel on loan from the foundation?
“It's unlikely I'll be giving concerts with my Pleyel outside my home, but I'll definitely be composing many works with it and giving lots of lessons! I've also already recorded quite a few videos for my social media accounts, so those count as mini-concerts ;-)
I'm also currently working on Chopin's First Piano Concerto, a work that's perfectly fit for this instrument. Chopin’s used to play a Pleyel too. I can now play the technical passages with ease, and the sound is clear, yet very warm at the same time.”
meet our musiciansWant to get to know more musical talent? On our website, you can introduce yourself to the more than 435 musicians currently supported by the Netherlands Musical Instrument Foundation.