Playing Mozart's piano in Mozart's house: Alexander Melnikov interviewed

8 November 2012, 17:24 | Updated: 16 October 2013, 14:32

Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov spoke to Classic FM's Anne-Marie Minhall the day after playing a concert on Mozart's own personal piano, recently brought home to Vienna, to the exact spot where Mozart lived.

Fewer things could be more daunting for a pianist than performing a work in front of its composer. Well, Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov has gone one better - he performed a concert of Mozart works, on Mozart's piano and in Mozart's house.

As we reported last week, Mozart's own piano has been brought back to the composer's residence in Vienna (now a museum) from the Mozarthaus in Salzburg.

Speaking to Classic FM's Anne-Marie Minhall, Melnikov gives us a fantastic account of playing a concert on one of the most important musical artefacts in the world: "A big, positive shock was how good the instrument is… one can't experience something more overwhelming as a pianist than this."

Listen to the interview below.