Sir Georg Solti's Fabbrini-Steinway in the Tonhalle Zurich

Sir Georg Solti, born György Stern in Budapest in 1912, came to Zurich as a refugee in 1939. At the time, he was mainly regarded as a talented pianist - and received a decisive opportunity when he won first prize in the Concours de Genève for piano in 1942.

Above all, however, he wanted to conduct. In 1943, he made a test recording, together with a few members of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, at the Zurich Radio studios. He also conducted the orchestra in the Tonhalle Zurich, initially in the small hall.

In 1946, Solti moved to Munich to become General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera, but he remained in contact with Zurich. In January 1947, he signed his first recording contract with the Decca label as both pianist and conductor here. This included his earliest recording as a conductor, Beethoven's "Egmont" overture, with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

He conducted the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich - in Zurich and on tour - throughout the rest of his life. In July 1997, shortly before his unexpected death, he conducted Mahler's Symphony No. 5 at the Tonhalle Zurich. It proved to be his last concert as a conductor - but has fortunately been documented and preserved on a CD.

The Fabbrini-Steinway

Solti first played on the Steinway concert grand piano that now stands in the Kleine Tonhalle during a concert in Bologna in 1986. Shortly after his 70th birthday and at the height of his conducting career, he decided to make a serious return to practising the piano. Together with Murray Perahia, he gave a number of concerts with works for two pianos.

The instruments for the concert in Bologna were supplied by Angelo Fabbrini, the official Steinway representative in Pescara, who personally voiced and set up the pianos. Solti was so enthusiastic about this instrument that he asked if he could buy it. He eventually received it as a surprise gift on his 74th birthday. From then on, it remained in his studio in London. After his death, it was played by gifted players of the younger generation for 20 years at regular occasions organised by his widow Lady Valerie Solti.

The benefit for young musicians was enshrined in the Solti Foundation - and was one of the main reasons which led, ultimately, to its new home at the Kleine Tonhalle. Charles Kaye, Solti's long-time collaborator and trusted advisor to the Solti family, began the discussions with Solti's two daughters and the Tonhalle's Executive and Artistic director, Ilona Schmiel, which led to this special arrangement. They were guided by advice from Sir András Schiff, who himself had been encouraged by Solti in his early years as a young pianist in London.

After six months of negotiations with the CITES and customs authorities in the UK, Italy and Switzerland, the instrument could be transported from London to Angelo Fabbrini's workshop in Pescara. Fabbrini personally supervised the detailed restoration and re-voicing of its unique sound over a period of eight months from 2024 to 2025, after which the instrument was ready to be transported to Zurich.

The transport and restoration works were made possible thanks to the generous financial support of Adrian T. Keller and Lisa Larsson, who also support the ongoing collaboration between the «Série jeunes» of the Tonhalle Zurich and the Solti Foundation.

The Fabbrini-Steinway in film and recording

In October 1987, after a year of intensive practising on his Fabbrini-Steinway, Solti recorded the "Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion" by his former teacher and mentor Bela Bartók together with Murray Perahia and the percussionists Evelyn Glennie and David Corkhill. The work meant a great deal to him: in 1938, he had been present at its Hungarian premiere, given by the composer and his wife, for whom Solti turned pages.

The recording was accompanied by a film team from Portobello Productions. The documentary film and the performance of the work on the instrument that is now in the Tonhalle Zurich can be shown here, by kind permission of the producers.

Solti and the Fabbrini-Steinway - Timeline

• 1912 Born, György Stern, on 21 October in Budapest
• 1924-1930 Studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with Béla Bartók, Ernst von Dohnányi, Leó Weiner and Zoltán Kodály, among others.
• 1926 Hungarianisation of the surname to Solti
• 1935-1937 Assistant to Bruno Walter and Arturo Toscanini in Salzburg
• 1938 Debut as a conductor at Budapest Opera ("Le Nozze di Figaro", 11 March). Conducts Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in London. Changes his first name to Georg.
• 1939 Solti travels to Lucerne to meet Toscanini. His efforts to emigrate to the USA fail. He remains in Switzerland as a refugee.
• 1942 He conducts his first concerts in the Tonhalle Zurich and other Swiss concert halls. Wins the Concours de Genève in the piano category.
• 1943 Test recording for the Decca label with members of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in the Zurich Radio Studio.
• 1944-1946 Various piano recitals and orchestral concerts in the Tonhalle Zurich.
• 1946 Solti leaves Zurich and becomes General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Marries Swiss citizen Hedwig (Hedi) Oechsli (the marriage lasts until 1964).
• 1947 Exclusive contract with the Decca label, which remains in force until Solti's death in 1997. His recordings earn him 31 Grammys and many other awards.
• 1952-1961 General Music Director of the Frankfurt Opera.
• 1952 Concert with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich (further concerts take place in 1960, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1996 and 1997).
• 1953 West German citizenship.
• 1958-1965 First complete studio recording in stereo of Wagner's "Ring des Nibelungen" with the Vienna Philharmonic.
• 1961-1970 Music Director Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London.
• 1967 Marriage to BBC presenter Valerie Pitts (1937-2021).
• 1968 Knighted by HM Queen Elizabeth II.
• 1972 British citizenship.
• 1986 Performs as pianist with Murray Perahia in Bologna - discovery of the Fabbrini-Steinway, which he receives on his 74th birthday.
• 1987 Performance of Béla Bartók's "Sonata for two pianos and percussion" at the Tonhalle Zurich. CD recording and film of the work.
• 1995 World Orchestra for Peace - co-founded with Charles Kaye and first concert for UN 50th anniversary in Geneva with participation of musicians from the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.
• 1996 Tour of Spain with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.
• 1997 Last concert with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in July. Solti dies on 5 September in Antibes.
• 2000 Establishment of the Solti Foundation with mission and goal to support young talented performers at the beginning of their professional careers.
• 2026 The Solti Fabbrini-Steinway is inaugurated at the Tonhalle Zurich by Sir András Schiff.