Hear a Sample of Our Work

These two files are "before" and "after" recordings by legendary pianist Alfred Cortot. He's playing Chopin's third prelude, lasting 45 seconds. The recordings offer a glimpse into what is possible when a performance can be re-created separate from its original acoustical setting.

We deliberately made our "after" recording different from the 1926 monaural original, so it would be clear that they were not remasterings. We used a superbly voiced and tuned nine-foot concert grand piano, set in a small, resonant recital hall. We invited Peter McGrath, a renowned recording engineer, to make six-channel high-resolution (DSD) recordings, although you're only hearing two stereo channels on these CDs. He intentionally set his microphones well back from the piano, so you hear a lot of the room ambience. The sound has been neither equalized nor filtered. However, to speed download times, we have reduced them to 320kbps MP3 files.

This is just a sample of what is possible, and isn't the final word on how these re-performances might sound. Delightfully, the high-definition MIDI file can be re-performed identically by the Disklavier Pro piano, and can be re-recorded in a myriad of venues.

Before
Alfred Cortot's original mono 78 rpm recording for HMV in 1926, playing Chopin's prelude #3 in G major. Posted with permission of Music & Arts Programs of America, Inc. CORTOT PLAYS CHOPIN: THE RARE 1925-1929 RECORDINGS, CD-4871(1).

After
Zenph Studios re-performance of Alfred Cortot playing Chopin's prelude #3 in G major. Recorded in stereo by Peter McGrath in April 2005.

Renowned concert pianist Ruth Slenczynska studied with Alfred Cortot in the 1930’s. Upon hearing this new recording in August 2005 she wrote, “I’ve listened to your CD and certainly recognized his touch on the rendition of Opus 28 No. 3. French pianos 70+ years ago weren’t great and Mr. Cortot’s fingers were perhaps ‘creaky,’ but that was his sound and I loved it!”