“The Skaters Waltz” by Waldteufel played on Welte Piano Roll by Harry Perrella

“The Skaters Waltz” Op 183 is a still-familiar piece written in 1882 by (Charles) Émile Waldteufel, with this performance for solo piano issued as Welte roll # 7870 in February 1929, performed by Harry Perrella, who recorded many light classic and salon pieces for the Welte system. The piano is a fairly large 6’2” Sohmer instrument, built in New York in 1927, and restored at Historic Pianos in 2024. The instrument lived for many years in the Los Angeles mansion of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, Casa Encantada, and it will soon return from my shop to its new owner in California. Harry Perrella is one of my favorite Welte artists, showing of the expressive capabilities of the Welte system.