21:22

Hurriyet Daily News
Monday, August 1, 2011
İPEK YEZDANI
One of the world’s rare piano factories is in Azerbaijan after German master Hans Beltmann turned an old tobacco factory in the town of Qabala into a piano factory. All the pianos manufactured in the factory are hand-made by locals recruited did not have previous experience in the field
Hans Beltmann, the great-grandchild of the founder of world-famous Beltmann pianos, chose an unlikely place to launch a piano factory two years ago: a town in northern Azerbaijan.
Invited by the Azerbaijani government to set up shop, Beltmann has converted an old tobacco factory in the town of Qabala into a place to make pianos.
Workers in the piano factory had had no prior experience in making pianos, Beltmann told the Hürriyet Daily News in a recent interview. “They were chosen from the street. We taught them how to make a piano for months.” Now, all the pianos manufactured in the factory are hand-made.
After the steep learning curve, the Beltmann factory succeeded in turning out 500 pianos in 10 months.
“There 14 thousand parts in a piano, we bring these parts together with a secret design for the frame of the piano,” said Beltmann.
Beltmann uses old traditions in crafting his pianos. “First, we prepare the frame; one frame has a weight of 100 kilos. We make the metal frame with iron and 16 different parts – it is a secret design. Normally, you have to wait two and a half years to use it. But we produced a design, we put it in a sauna and it can be finished in 60 days. We are the only factory in the world that uses this system,” said Beltmann.
They drill 440 holes by hand in the piano while also preparing panels. “We don’t work with polyester, because it is very poisonous,” said Beltmann. “When I was invited to Azerbaijan to open this factory, my only condition was not to work with polyester, because I don’t want to kill people. We use natural, non-toxic products to finish the work.”
Beltmann procures the wood from a small village between Germany, Czech Republic and Austria where the climate remains stable, meaning the quality of the trees is dependable. “They have the nicest wood in the world; to make a tone excellent, you need a perfect soundboard,” said Beltmann.
The piano strings are also made by hand in the factory, as are the 88 different hammers. Each piano, meanwhile, is tuned seven times before it is deemed ready for use.
The factory also includes its own 330-person-capacity concert hall, while Beltmann said there were plans to create an on-site piano academy so that people could learn to play the instrument.
Beltmann pianos have one showroom in Germany and are planning to launch two new ones, one in Moscow and the other in Baku.
His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Your Excellency,
It is with utmost pleasure to extend my warmest greetings conveying to Your Excellency my wholehearted wishes on the occasion of the advent of Eid Al-Fitr, beseeching Allah the...
02 April 2025, 20:47His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Dear Mr. President.
I convey my sincere congratulations to Your Excellency on the occasion of the blessed Eid al-Fitr.
I pray to Almighty Allah to grant you good health, happiness and success,...
02 April 2025, 18:19His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
I sincerely congratulate Your Excellency and the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr - the great holiday of Muslims around the...
02 April 2025, 16:44His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
It is our pleasure to extend to Your Excellency our heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.
We wish Your Excellency personal well-being and happiness, and your friendly people...
02 April 2025, 16:37His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Dear Excellency President Ilham Aliyev,
On the occasion of the holy Eid al-Fitr, it is with great pleasure that we extend to Your Excellency and the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan our...
02 April 2025, 16:24His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Dear Mr. President,
On behalf of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), I would like to wish Your Excellency and the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Novruz Mubarak....
02 April 2025, 16:22His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Dear Mr. President.
On behalf of the people of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and my own behalf, I sincerely congratulate you, your family and the entire people of Azerbaijan on the...
02 April 2025, 16:20His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Dear Mr. President.
I convey my heartfelt congratulations to Your Excellency, the government of Azerbaijan and your brotherly people on the occasion of Novruz holiday. I wish you good health,...
02 April 2025, 16:18His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
I am pleased to extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to you on the occasion of the blessed Eid al-Fitr.
I pray Allah the Almighty to...
02 April 2025, 15:24His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Excellency,
I sincerely congratulate you on the occasion of the blessed Eid al-Fitr.
I convey my best wishes to Your Excellency.
Sincerely,
Mohammed VI
King of Morocco
02 April 2025, 15:22