What’s the best way to celebrate a birthday? Throw a party? That’s for mere mortals. When it’s Disney, there are celebratory collaborations. To mark the monumental anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, Steinway & Sons released a Mickey Mouse Limited Edition Grand. It doesn’t get better than a Steinway Grand piano, which is their largest offering, and Steinway made it even bigger by unveiling 25 Mickey Mouse Limited Edition grand pianos to celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary.
Each of the 25 hand-painted pianos is brought to life by animated artworks of Mickey Mouse done by acclaimed Italian artist Elena Salmistraro. Unlike the usual glossy black iterations, the Disney piano comes with a high-polished white bench playing the perfect canvas for a century of playfulness.
Salmistraro said, ‘The piano’s white background represents the sketch board that Mickey Mouse was originally created on years ago, while rich and colorful tones give energy to his iconic characteristics.’ Other fun elements of this bright white Steinway are the blue keyboard that makes for a very eye-catching change to the original design. The accidental keys transform from light blue in the low register to dark blue in the higher register.
The Steinway X Disney: Mickey Mouse Limited Edition, a special creation, was revealed in a special way on American ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” TV show as part of a special “Disney 100 Night.” ‘We’re thrilled for Steinway and Disney to collaborate in celebration of cherished stories and characters, as well as our historic legacies that have transcended borders and generations and have delighted audiences. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect moment to remember this milestone than watching the piano come to life on “Dancing with the Stars,”’ Rob Polan, Vice President, Special Pianos, Steinway & Sons, shared.
Every single one of the 25 pianos is individually numbered and displayed on a special plaque inside the rim of the instrument with Steinway’s SPIRIO|r player piano technology, making it the world’s finest high-resolution player.
Another cool element is no less than 100 Disney recordings are being added to the SPIRO|r library, especially for this instrument. These made-to-order instruments flaunt gold-plated hardware and come with a matching white piano stool to complete the set. Price available on request.