Fortepianist Daniel Adam Maltz brings the sounds of the 1700s to Healdsburg

Daniel Adam Maltz is only 28, but musically, he lives in the 18th century. And the keyboard instrument he plays is a faithful copy of what was used then.

“The Viennese fortepiano is the instrument that Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven played and composed on,” said the musician who was born in South Carolina and now lives and works in Vienna, Austria. “It is profoundly different from the modern Steinway. It’s a delicate, almost angelic sound.”

Maltz will treat his audience to that unique sound in a concert Feb. 12 at the Raven Performing Arts Theater, in an encore of his performance there last year.

“It’s a chance to hear classical music in a new way,” he said from San Diego, where he recently opened his U.S. concert tour.

Maltz will play 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada before taking his tour to the United Kingdom in the fall.

“Because the sound is softer and more intimate, I naturally only play smaller halls.” he said. In his previous appearance at the Raven, he found the space very suitable.

It’s obvious Maltz can’t play 18th-century repertoire, written for the fortepiano of that era, on whatever house piano he finds at each venue.

“My fortepiano flies overseas with me,” he explained. “Once I’m on the ground, I drive it everywhere with me. I tune it and maintain it myself.”

Not many musicians have tackled that challenge.

“I am one of the few people in the world who only plays the fortepiano,” Maltz said.

He made his debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute at age 22, then moved to Vienna.

“I initially moved there to be closer to the classical music heritage, to walking the streets that the great composers walked,” he said.

Maltz studied historical performance at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna.

As he delved into historical research on the music of 18th-century Vienna, he found himself drawn to the fortepiano.

“The idea is that this type of instrument was what these composers knew,” he said. “The instruments today are built with very different things in mind. They are bigger, heavier and louder.”

As well as exposing the audience to the sound of the instrument, and the music originally written for it, Maltz seeks to educate in an entertaining way even offstage, with easy-to-understand YouTube videos. He also hosts “Classical Cake,” a podcast about Viennese classical music and culture.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.