Russian Steinway Copy

[PianoFifty]

On a recent holiday visit to Cuba I came across a very nice piano situated in a backstreet art gallery in Havana old Town. It appeared to be an approximate copy of a Steinway D and, given the limited opportunity I had to play it, sounded like a very fine piano indeed (and was, surprise surprise, in tune!). Nobody in the gallery seemed to have any knowledge of it, or why it was there. The fall displayed the name 'Mockba', which I believe is Russian for 'Moscow', and a little research on the web leads me to believe that it might have been a 'Moskva' concert grand (getting a bit lost in the transalation). Anybody know anything about these pianos? I had always thought that Russian pianos were poor, but this was anything but.

[Gill the Piano]

Ben Treuhaft - an american descendant of one of the Mitford sisters - has a 'Send a Piana to Havana' campaign as the yanks are starving Cuba of any piano supplies/new pianos. He goes out there with a team of tuners to mend and maintain pianos for the people of Cuba. He probably looks after this one. Sounds like a nice piano...never seen a MOCKbA one in the flesh!

[vernon]

GILLTHE PiANO

Where on earth do you dig up all this information?
My daughter's just back from hols in Cuba and didn't mention all this.

[Gill the Piano]

There was a fantastic documentary on Channel 4 called 'Tuning With The Enemy';. Yanks aren't supposed to trade/deal with the Cubans, so every time Treuhaft gets back from Cuba he posts the president of america a Cuban banknote, daring them to prosecute him. They haven't so far. There was a little book to accompany the series; it might still be around on Abebooks. Excellent reading...

[vernon]

Gill
Where do you get this book?
not listed on Amazon.
x
vk

[Gill the Piano]

In that case, if Channel 4 don't have any left then it's a trip to the British Library. i can't find my copy....

[vernon]

ta anyway

[NewAge]

Gill
Where do you get this book?
not listed on Amazon.
x
vk

Interesting extract from the book half-way down this page.
http://www2.cruzio.com/~yogi/cuba.htm

These links here and the email ref may help to procure a copy. (Par. 3a)
http://www.cubasolidarity.net/sphsnoo.htm

http://www.sendapiana.com/

[Finland_tuner]

In Russia, made ​​several copies of Steinway:
1. The piano company Tresselt produced grands "in the system Steinway"
2. Schroeder Piano Company produced a series of cabinet grand pianos - Steinway copies
3. In the Soviet Union in the factories of "Red October" (Leningrad), and "Lira" (Moscow), made ​​up of concert grand pianos D under the name "Moscow".

[PianoFifty]

Thank you - mystery solved!

See http://www.lira-piano.ru/eng/