Interview with Mark Levinson

I have been always dreaming about showing people, how beautifully music can sound. I love sound of acoustic instruments. In the 60s I was a professional jazz musician playing with Keith Jarret or Chick Corea. I play double bass, flugelhorn, and sarod (a North Indian classical string instrument). I own a great Italian bass from 1680 and still play it as often as I can.

The piano is still one of the most challenging instruments to reproduce. It is a big challenge to record a great pianist with true, natural sound. There are plenty of piano recordings on the market, but only a few of them capture the real piano sound. First of all, you have to find piano with a soul that bring you an emotional experience. And then you must ensure that the piano will be perfectly regulated, voiced and tuned. Everything depends on a perfect preparation: wide dynamic range, rounded and clear tone, color of a tone, etc. And still, you have to choose the right piano. I was looking for it quite a long time and finally I was happy to find it all in PETROF pianos.