On this fascinating recording, Alexander Melnikov performs four masterworks of the piano repertoire on four different instruments. Each of the pianos has characteristics corresponding to those of the instruments on which these virtuoso pieces were first performed. Featured works include Schubert's WandererFantasie, Chopin's Etudes Op.10, Liszt's Variations on Mozart's Don Giovanni and Stravinsky's Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka.

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REVIEWS:

For this release, Alexander Melnikov presents these core repertoire pieces on four different pianos, matching each to an instrument of the proper vintage; only the Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka is played on a modern piano. Melnikov has the talent and skill to play idiomatically, with brilliant technique and passion, giving the music considerable excitement while conveying its historical flavor. While Melnikov's probing performances may not suit all, anyone who has an interest in the piano's development will find this album a revelation. Highly recommended.

– All Music Guide

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 produces a leaner sound than the maker’s later instruments. – Guardian (UK)