Describing it as a ‘sound alternative’, Barenboim played part of Beethoven’s Appassionata on his Steinway, then the same piece on his new piano to a selected group of journalists at the unveiling.

Barenboim conceived the new piano in 2011 and had it designed and built by Belgian Chris Maene, with the support of Steinway and Sons.

During a trip ot Siena, Italy, Barenboim played Fran Liszt’s 200-year old restored grand piano, where he concieved the idea for his new piano which was to merge modern technologies with the transparent sound quality and distinguishable colour registers of Liszt’s piano.

Of his new piano’s sound, Barenboim said, “There is a difference in the quality of the sound. It has more transparency, more clarity and by itself less blend but it gives you the opportunity to create a blend yourself as a player – and I like that.”

The design of pianos hasn’t changed largely in the last 100 years. Although Barenboim’s piano has a similar casing to modern concert grand pianos, it has a number of major differences including straight parallel strings, horizontal soundboard veins, a double bridge and newly-designed ribs and bracings.

These dramatic differences mean Barenboim’s piano has an alternative sound must be played differently. “It is a different relationship between the tip of the fingers and the key. And the pedalling … the transparency of the sound makes you rethink the use of the pedals.”

Daniel Barenboim will be performing Schubert’s piano sonata on his new piano at London’s Southbank Centre from 27 May – 2 June.

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The conference is where the piano industry gathers to learn new skills and hone their trade. Since 1913 the PTA has hosted the convention each year in a different town across the UK to maintain high standards in piano tuning and maintenance.

A number of pianos were transported to the event, including a handcrafted Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano for Friday night’s concert by pianist Jenna Sung, who played Scarlatti, Haydn, Scriabin, Schumann & Shostakovich. The London-based South Korean pianist has been described by Gramophone magazine as “the talent of tomorrow – today”. In 2014 she won the Jaques Samuel Pianos Intercollegiate Piano Competition.

Specialist piano-industry traders, such as Fletcher and Newman, who have been supplying piano parts to tuners and technicians since 1876, also attended the conference.

Anne Burton was elected as the new President of the Piano Tuner’s Association at the convention.

Next year’s PTA Convention will be held at the Barnstaple Hotel in Devon from 11th  to the 14th May 2016