Audi wanted to celebrated its 100th anniversary with a cultural highlight. The team in the Audi design studio in Munich thus received the task of clothing a concert grand in Audi garb, and not just any piano: a Bösendorfer.

The most striking feature of the new Bösendorfer grand in Audi design is the closed bass side rim. It not only lends the instrument unusual presence and stability, it also allows it to project the bass more strongly into the auditorium.

- The liberal surfaces make for a clear shape; there are no ornaments; the edges and lines are sharply defined, the joints logically arranged – all important aspects of Audi design, says designer Philip Schlesinger, who realized the project in the Konzept Design studio in Munich.

- The most striking feature is the lid, which reaches seamlessly all the way to the floor. A large, closed surface emerges.

For this complex lid shape, Bösendorfer design engineer Otto Haller developed a custom press mold that is unique in piano manufacturing.

Without the otherwise typical flanges on the sides, the keybed looks as though it were slid in. The hydraulically attenuated fall board is recessed, and the respective hinge integrated into the lid. The music rack is covered with a net material for optimal sound permeability.

The Audi Design Grand celebrated its world premiere at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt on July 16, at a major ceremony for the Audi brand’s 100th anniversary.

www.audi.bosendorfer.com