Stevns Klint Experience X PH Pianos
In a special collaborative project with Stevns Klint, PH Pianos introduces its first PH Grand Piano Curated Edition, a very special piano inspired by the unique story of Stevns Klint.
Just over one hour south of Copenhagen is one of the hidden diamonds of Denmark: Stevns Klint. It is a quiet and beautiful part of Denmark’s eastern island, Sjælland: fields are dotted with trees and cows, and the wind plays with wheat stalks and supple trees alike.
Stevns Klint: a Danish National Treasure with an Impactful Legacy
And, underneath this fertile farmland lies important proof of humanity’s beginnings. On the face of the chalky cliffs along the coast of Stevns, one can see a layer of fish clay: a grey line in the long-accumulated layers of sediment. This fish clay contains irrefutable proof of the huge meteor strike that wiped out about half of all life on earth, including the dinosaurs. While that was an ending for the dinosaurs, it was the beginning for mammals including humanity.
Stevns Klint Experience has made the phrase “A Change for Life” their main message. Their goal is that everyone who visits has an experience that changes how they see- and feel- their place in the world.
Integrative Architecture
The building of Stevns Klint Experience was designed by Praksis Arkitekter in such a way as to integrate with the landscape. Almost like buried treasure, the building is invisible when approaching the space from the street and is cut into the hillside. Yet, when one approaches its wall of windows looking toward the sea, one looks in to an amazing space with exhibition space, kitchen and dining, and the stunning performance space with the PH Grand Piano as the jewel in the center of the architectural crown.
The SKE building has a total of almost 1,500 square meters, of which the exhibition space is 520 m2, divided between the Klintesalen and the World Heritage Hall. With beautiful large bricks made of the same color as the chalk cliffs that Stevns Klint is known for, this is truly an extraordinary space. And this very special place required a very beautiful instrument.
A PH Piano is the Only Piano for Stevns Klint Experience
Jacob Shaw is the cultural director for Stevns Klint, and had the PH Grand Piano in mind from the very beginning of his involvement with the center. A world-class cellist and highly decorated musician, Shaw has performed in the world’s most iconic performance spaces all over the world. “To make this space come to life, we wanted an instrument with as much story as the rest of the incredible pieces here.”
“To make this space come to life, we wanted an instrument with as much story as the rest of the incredible pieces here.”
He reached out to us with his ambitious plan: he wanted us to collaborate to create a special edition piano that could harmoniously complement the atmosphere- and message- of the Stevns Klint Experience.
“I knew from the beginning that it had to be a PH Piano. There was no other option in my mind. The architects of SKE represent the epitome of Danish design, and the instrument that we have co-created in this special collaboration fits in so well. It is an instrument we are proud to invite world-class artists to play.”
“I knew from the beginning that it had to be a PH Piano. There was no other option in my mind. The architects of SKE represent the epitome of Danish design, and the instrument that we have co-created in this special collaboration fits in so well. It is an instrument we are proud to invite world-class artists to play.”
Chosen colors for the piano
Stevns Klint Experience tasked us to assemble a special customization of the PH Grand Piano which would be inspired by their space. After design work and a lot of back-and-forth, we created the first PH Grand Piano Curated Edition for Stevns Klint. It measures 159cm long, and uses piano action of the customer’s choice (as always, utilizing Renner action).
“The materials and finishes of this piano have been completely customized to represent and express the fundamental elements of the Stevns Klint Experience,” shares Søren Vincents Svendsen, CEO of PH Pianos. “From the leather banding, to the type and finish of the wood, to the metal parts, this piano is very special.”
Artistry and History
Svendsen gives us the context for the project:
“From the beginning we had this goal in our mind to make this PH Piano approachable, simply to downplay in a way the exclusivity, and to make it a part of the Stevns Klint Experience. Of course we wanted to do this in a beautiful and elegant way, but let it be part of the space, as if it had always been there.”
“I think where we started was with all the color tonalities. We had communication with the director [of SKE] to understand the colors, the materials, and we also had very thorough discussions with our designers and our craftsmen—what kind of materials could we use, what kind of colors could we use.”
“For us, the PH Piano is a piece of art that has to stand for a century. It has to look as good in a century’s time as it does today. For us, all the details are so important.”
Svendsen points us to the gorgeous ‘mineral’ colored leather banding of this PH Grand Piano, which represents the fish clay found at Stevns Klint. Fish Clay is the layer of grey clay which bears evidence of a terrible and catastrophic event on Earth that wiped out over half of all life on the planet. When scientists examined the fish clay at Stevns Klint, they discovered evidence of a massive meteorite that had collided with Earth. This very important discovery is the reason that Stevns Klint has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Fish Clay has a light sand color, and when it gets wet, it darkens to a richer color. The leather banding of the piano has been color matched to the fish clay and references the line of fish clay visible in the cliffs that make up Stevns Klint.
“The lid of our PH grand piano is crafted exactly the same way as they did back in the 1930s made of wood. It’s simply a skeleton made of wood. In this case it’s made of ash wood. And it takes more than 20 days of full-time work, just to do the lid skeleton out of wood, to make the right shapes and the right forms, according to the original design. And, this is what it’s all about: to follow the old design.”
Svendsen shares a little about the craftsmanship of the metal parts of the piano next.
“The legs on this unique piano are cast in brass, and a very good thing about brass is that you can chrome it or you can oxidize it. And, you can oxidize it according to any preferences, with the color and the texture. You can make an antique look, or in this case, you can go more to the burned kind of brass.”
The metal is not polished to a shiny finish, allowing it to beautifully balance the color palette of the instrument.
“All wooden parts including the intricate hand-carved lid are made of white ash wood. The wood was selected to represent the light-colored chalk, and it complements the space with beautiful light chalk-colored bricks of the walls in the light-filled main rooms. We have even set in four fossils from Stevns Klint, which are almost 65 million years old” adds Svendsen.
Set onto the frame of the instrument are four fossils which were found at Stevns Klint by expert Peter Bennicke. The priceless specimens are around 66 million years old, and the fact that the fossils were included in the piano bestows the instrument with the energy and ‘DNA’ of this enormous history. Bennicke comments, “For me, it is humbling, but also gives me colossal energy, to think about something that lasts for so long. All that, I hope, has been added to this special PH Grand Piano.”
The four fossils are: Shark Tooth, Water Candle (Belemnite), Sea Urchin, and Brachiopod.
Masterful Craftsmanship
“This piano reflects that we are able to do everything in-house, and that we are able to do everything based on the old tradition,” says Svendsen. "That may be a little bit of a contradiction in terms with the design that is so forward thinking… so modern, so extraordinary. We definitely use all the craftsmen’s traditional skills for building up the exterior as well as the interior—the fine-tuning of the piano action, the woodwork, the metalwork...everything. The metalwork is simply work of art. And it requires so much skill to do it in the right way. To get this burned brass on such big surfaces requires a fantastic craftsman with enormous skill.”
There is no doubt about the special nature of this exquisite PH Grand Piano. Together with a custom bench, the materials combine an extremely elegant instrument.
Stevns Klint Experience and the PH Grand Piano
The center has been open since mid-October 2022 and is already recognized as an internationally important destination. Combined with its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, SKE is also supported with funding secured from public and private institutions about the place.
Stevns Klint Experience is also nationally important: it was the Danish monarch, Queen Margarethe II herself, who cut the ceremonial ribbon for the opening ceremonies. And, the center’s reach and influence will only continue to grow.
Jacob Shaw, founder of the Scandinavian Cello School, has invited an impressive roster of artists to perform in the first seasons of Stevns Klint Cultural Experience, from Denmark’s beloved pop stars to jazz musicians, to some of classical music’s brightest and best. And the PH Grand Piano will be central to these plans. SKE’s winter season of scheduled concerts has already begun, including events with the adventurous Danish singer, Sys Bjerre, and the German classical pianist, Viviana Baudis.
A Perfect Pairing
It is an absolutely perfect combination to bring together the PH Grand Piano Curated Edition with the story and history of Stevns Klint Experience. They plan to develop their concert and cultural event offerings into a year-round whirr of activity, centering on the main theme of SKE: that each visitor experiences a Change For Life. And, in the center of that whirr of activity is the special Curated Edition PH Grand Piano.
Learn more about our curated editions.