In early May I played a recital in Vienna on perhaps the most beautiful pre-modern piano I’ve ever played. The piano, dating from 1819, was built in Vienna by André (Andreas) Stein. It has a range of six octaves, from FF in the bass to f”” in the treble. The programme I played consisted of a sonata by Weber (Op. 39) and the ‘Eroica’ Variations by Beethoven, which I’ve played a few times recently. It was a huge privilege to play on this instrument and I appreciated each moment in its sound world. It is, of course, impossible to describe the extraordinary beauty of its sound – it’s enough to say that playing it was an experience which will be difficult to match under any circumstances. My thanks to all the staff at the Sammlung alter Musikinstrumente for making it happen.