Gabriel Merrill-Steskal, fortepiano

“Encounters with the English Piano in 1794 and 2023 (feat. Joseph Haydn and Michael Kropf)”. This lecture-recital will explore the differences between Viennese and English pianos at the turn of the 19th century. It will include a demonstration on how Haydn wrote differently for Viennese and English pianos, performing a fantasy he wrote in Vienna on a replica of a Schantz piano from 1800, and one of his “London” sonatas on a Broadwood piano from 1799. Also included will be a piece written in 2023 by Michael Kropf for Gabriel’s very own early 19th century Broadwood square piano. Investigating how two very different composers changed how they wrote piano music for the c. 1800 English piano (Haydn on trips to London in the 1790s, and Kropf in Detroit in 2023) will provide an excellent launching point for discussing these pianos, pianos in general, and the music written for them. Additionally, music from this time invites the performer to actively engage with the musical text in the form of ornamentation and embellishment. 

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