Paolo Fazioli makes some of the world’s most sought-after pianos. His concert grands cost around £80,000. He lives close to his factory in Sacile, near Venice. I start the day with orange juice, two kiwi fruits, vitamins, weak coffee with milk and biscuits, before driving in my green BMW 530 to the factory. Building the best piano I possibly can: that is my passion, my life’s work. I started studying piano late, but I obtained the diploma in piano from the Conservatorio di Pesaro. I had an engineering degree, too. And because my father was in the furniture and wood industry, it seemed obvious to me what my career must be. I knew there was a gap in the market, for as a pianist I had never found a piano I was happy with.
So I started from scratch. I rebuilt that piano 17 times before I was happy. Now I have my own factory, I do as I please. I spend eight hours a day in the workshop, and if I see a change that needs to be made, I can make it straightaway.
Each piano is born, like a human being, with its own unique character. It is the combination of good materials and good construction that gives the best results.
For this we use the red spruce, sometimes called ‘the tree of music’. I like to choose the trees myself, in the Val de Fiemme forest. These are 150-year-old trees, descended from the ones Stradivarius used for his violins, and only one in 200 will have the natural resonance I am looking for.
But first the wood must rest for up to a year, so that any tension in it disappears. A piano’s case, too, is important. It must be very solid, with 8 to 10 layers glued together. Then there is the iron frame – the iron and wood work against each other with a beauty that is fundamental. A piano has thousands of working parts and the strings must be able to bear 20 tonnes of tension. Then there are 88 keys to be balanced, the hammers to be ‘voiced’ and the strings tuned. My 35 workers take hours over each detail, like spinning copper round steel for the strings.
Last year we made about 90 pianos – our best since we started in 1980, but 120 would be our maximum. Quality is my only interest. My staff go home for lunch with their families. They are important to me. We are like a family. Sometimes, when we have made a special piano, perhaps with a beautiful inlaid case, my workers ask me if they can invite their friends in to look at it. So on Sundays the factory is open to their friends and families. Maybe 100 to 150 will come.
In the evening my colleagues and I often eat out. I like simple food: spaghetti alla carbonara, or with basil sauce. I sleep well. Because, you know, when you have such an intensive day, then you sleep like a log.