Hans von Bülow and Carl Bechstein had a friendship that shaped musical history. Hans von Bülow held Carl Bechstein’s craftsmanship in the highest regard. In 1856, the very first C. Bechstein grand piano was inaugurated by Hans von Bülow himself, who performed Liszt’s Sonata in B minor – a powerful endorsement of the piano’s quality. He frequently wrote to friends and colleagues, praising the C. Bechstein grand pianos, which quickly gained fame and esteem among leading pianists of the time. Their