Hotel's a grand place to have a piano

A RARE, antique grand piano, built around 1874 by acclaimed English piano maker John Brinsmead, sits in gleaming splendour in the Grand Hotel Wanganui.

Hotel owner Neville Gorrie said he bought the precious piano three years ago because he thought it would be the perfect finishing touch for the hotel's gracious old dining room.

British piano maker Brinsmead made pianos from 1836 to 1921 and patented many innovative improvements to piano design.

At their height, John Brinsmead and sons John and Edgar who joined their father in 1870, were producing 2000 pianos a year. Many of the early pianos, pre-1870, are now in museums throughout the world.

Bruce Greenfield, principal repetiteur and head of music for the NBR New Zealand Opera, here for the the New Zealand Opera School last week, saw the piano and was stunned.

"I was so amazed. Here is this exquisite old grand piano nearly 150 years old sitting in a hotel in Wanganui.

"It was so unexpected, because it's the kind of fine old instrument you'd expect to find in a museum, not a hotel."

Mr Greenfield, who described Brinmead as a prolific piano maker, had been visiting the hotel as part of his check of three local venues the opera students were singing at last week.

"I question the piano being in a hotel; I really do."

But Mr Gorrie said he thinks the placement of the beautiful old piano is perfect.

"I spent a long time looking for an antique grand piano for my hotel. I finally, after a lot of searching, found this one on Trade Me."

The piano came from "somewhere near Auckland" and cost $5000, he said.

"I really love it and think it looks wonderful, so it's staying right here."