They are all works requiring formidable technical ability, and pianist Alexander Melnikov brings clarity of touch and virtuoso flair to them all, transferring as if effortlessly from instrument to instrument – though I bet it was not as easy as he makes it sound.

I don’t know of an orchestral performance of [Petrouchka] that evokes the title character with greater sympathy and pathos than Melnikov achieves… Nor can I think of recorded performances of either Liszt’s or Stravinsky’s benchmark creations more compelling than these…Melnikov’s prevalent richness of detail, unforced but precise rhetoric and exquisite sense of colour are skilfully captured by the engineers.

This idea of juxtaposing different pianos is a fascinating concept, but luckily it is more than just a gimmick. After the initial surprise of the varying timbres of each instrument, you soon forget about such technical considerations and become drawn in to the actual interpretations, all four of which are dazzling and highly recommended.

Melnikov gives thrilling performances of four cornerstones of the repertoire.

He makes good use of the tonal differences between registers on the Graff in the Wanderer Fantasy and exploits the light touch of the Érard to brilliant effect in the more bravura Chopin studies, while the Bösendorfer (missing from the London recital) produces a leaner sound than the maker’s later instruments.

Here’s a great idea; matching four monuments of the repertoire with four instruments of the period – virtuoso pieces that stretched the pianos of the day to the extremes of their expressive possibilities...As for the final work, Stravinsky’s Trois Mouvements de Pétrouchka played on a modern Steinway, I may run out of superlatives. Think of Pollini’s drive and clarity with the temperature raised a few notches in terms of dramatic flair – it sweeps all before it and lifts the roof.