Ulrich Gerhartz finely tunes each piano to suit the preferences of its player.
Ulrich Gerhartz finely tunes each piano to suit the preferences of its player.

Striking a chord



Perhaps the single most important person in the highly strung world of classical music, the master tuner Ulrich Gerhartz knows all there is to know about the piano, writes Jasper Rees. It's amazingly easy to disembowel a grand piano. With little more than a flick of two wrists, the blocks are removed from either end of the keyboard and the entire internal mechanism comes away. I am onstage with Ulrich Gerhartz, a wiry man in a trim blue apron in whose lap the keyboard now rests. The hundreds of seats out in the concert hall are unoccupied. Around us are three pianos, each a Dh534,000 Steinway concert grand model D with its lid up. Gerhartz is possibly the single most important figure in the entire piano world. Stored in his mobile phone he has the number of just about every top pianist on the planet. When Alfred Brendel made on his farewell tour, Gerhartz came too. When Lang Lang lands in London and needs his Steinway set up for maximum impact, who's he going to call? But back to the innards. With one hand, Gerhartz has isolated a particular hammer from the other 87 serried either side. With the other he is painting a clear liquid on to the hammer's green felt coating. "There was one note here, an F sharp, that wasn't bright enough," he explains. "So I used a mixture of collodion and ether to bring the hammer note out a bit. You apply it right on the nose of the hammer and it stretches the felt, so it makes it slightly harder and gives the note a bit more attack and brightness." From his array of little instruments, Gerhartz chooses what looks like a hypodermic dart, and starts pricking the felt of the F sharp hammer nose. "Having made it brighter you don't want it dull again. That makes the felt softer." Steinway's director of concert and artists services is a master piano tuner. Maybe even a maestro. There's nothing he doesn't know about Steinways, which are the top pianos in the world, including the Middle East. "The Middle East is certainly a growth market unless everything goes belly up" he says. One of Steinway's key clients is the Sultan of Oman, though his resident team of piano tuners are trained in London and Steinway's European HQ, Hamburg. Are there problems with keeping the pianos in tune in the hotter climates? "In the past, in the damp sub tropical climates pianos were made to last a bit more. But if it's really bad, the piano is going to suffer. Now with climate-controlled halls it's much easier. As long as pianos are in an air-conditioned environment all the time, they are fine. The worst is to have a venue that is not air-conditioned when it's not used and then they turn it on full welly." Even in temperate climates, tuning is not always simple. American orchestras tune to a pitch of 440 Hz, while European ensembles generally go for 441. There is one horror story - before Gerhartz's time, he insists - when the Russian pianist Mikhail Rudy requested a last-minute change of Steinway at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Somehow no one noticed that the piano was pitched at 440 while the orchestra played at 444. "It was awful. It made the newspapers." In preparing a concert grand for performance, there's a bit more to the job than pitching. Every note has to pull its weight, every hammer, every string, every key, which is why when he gets under the bonnet of a piano he might not come up for air for an hour and a half. There is regulating, voicing, balancing between bass and treble to do. His fingers trickle neurotically up and down the keyboard playing chromatic scales. Anyone else would be doing this to hone technique. Gerhartz is hunting for bum notes. When he finds something, in an area an octave above middle C, he takes a stick of chalk in a smart gilt holder and deftly marks the wood above that offending F sharp. Without wishing to go in for national stereotyping, there is a Teutonic reliability about Gerhartz that may help account for his pre-eminence. He seems extremely meticulous as, for the umpteen thousandth time, he picks up a short stick and starts taking measurements from strings inside the piano. "It's a blow gauge," he explains. "You hold it down from the string to the hammer and you can see what distance the hammer is from the string. The hammer has a certain distance to accelerate before it hits the string. And that has a very big impact on the depth of touch - how far you push the key down in order to get the hammer to the string." Depth of touch is all-important. Some pianists like the piano to be set up so that all they have to do is tickle the key and a note sounds. Others opt for resistance. Preference is not necessarily gender-specific. Gerhartz sometimes gets pianists asking him to set up the piano just as the legendary Vladimir Horowitz preferred it in the belief that it'll make them sound like him. "Horowitz made an amazing sound with a very, very light shallow keyboard with a very, very, very bright tone. But if you gave a piano like that to Alfred Brendel it would be unplayable for him. Unthinkable." He never has problems with the great pianists. If anything in the highly strung world of solo performance tries his patience, it's the youngsters. "A lot of them grow up in such a bubble of how wonderful they are and they just think, 'A piano tuner is trade and I'm too good for them'. Pianists who don't talk to me won't get any service because I don't know what they want." As he prepares their Steinways for performance in an empty concert hall, do his fingers never ache to strike up a sonata? "Not really, no," he says sheepishly. "That's not my job. I can play a bit, yes. But I'm not a pianist by any means." And he gets back to the everlasting hunt for bum notes.

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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Queen

Nicki Minaj

(Young Money/Cash Money)

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

yallacompare profile

Date of launch: 2014

Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer

Based: Media City, Dubai 

Sector: Financial services

Size: 120 employees

Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)

Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
  • Drones
  • Animals
  • Fireworks/ flares
  • Radios or power banks
  • Laser pointers
  • Glass
  • Selfie sticks/ umbrellas
  • Sharp objects
  • Political flags or banners
  • Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association

A Prayer Before Dawn

Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire

Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai

Three stars

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

Company%20Profile
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Expo details

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

It is expected to attract 25 million visits

Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.

More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020

The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area

It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs

Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo

Gearbox: 7-speed automatic

Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 350Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km

Price: Dh235,000

Europe’s rearming plan
  • Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
  • Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

Details

Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny

Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books

Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Anna and the Apocalypse

Director: John McPhail

Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton

Three stars

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

Results

6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi

8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe