This is a wonderful instrument for earlier piano music. It seems almost half-way between a modern Steinway and earlier types of fortepianos in the following respects:

• it has a very light, flexible action, very easy to play
• it has registral color, meaning that each register (I would classify them as high, upper middle, lower middle, and lower) has a distinctive color; the bass in particular has a distinctive edge which adds great character to low notes, a sort of tangy flavor (like a pungent wine)
• it has great clarity, and in contrapuntal passages, each voice stands out
• it has a wide dynamic range without getting boomy or muddy

I performed a program of Mozart violin sonatas using this instrument. In order to maintain a good balance with the violin, I left the lid closed, but all the colors remained intact and the audience reported that the balance felt perfect. The instrument has most of the power of a modern grand, but without the rich mingling of harmonics. It seems extremely appropriate for Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert and would be very interesting in Mendelssohn, Schumann, and even Brahms. I imagine that Chopin would also be heard in a fresh way when played on this instrument. Finally, I think this is a great instrument for chamber music, particularly for the composers listed and any others from the late 18th to early 19th centuries.
-Larry Wallach