Angela Hewitt said her final recording would be a tribute to the lost piano. Photo / File
Angela Hewitt said her final recording would be a tribute to the lost piano. Photo / File
An irreplaceable Fazioli piano described by virtuoso Angela Hewitt as her "best companion" was damaged beyond repair when it was dropped by specialist movers in Germany.
Hewitt, 61, a Canadian pianist, had finished recording Beethoven's piano variations at a studio in Berlin, where she was making her new album, whenshe was informed by the movers that the piano had been dropped when they attempted to hoist it on to a trolley.
The instrument, a F278, had a market value of more than £150,000 ($301,000).
It had been custom made by hand and was the only one in the world that had a four-pedal mechanism.
When the damaged instrument was inspected by its creator, Italian piano maker Paolo Fazioli, it was deemed "irreplaceable" and could not be repaired.
