Is there anything that makes a room look more opulent than a grand piano? From the sensuous curvature of its casing and the other-worldliness of its high-gloss wood veneer to the sheer scale and size of the structure, a grand seems to enlarge a room rather than fill it.

Never mind that a Clavinova with earphones is more social, that GarageBand on an iPad is more versatile or that a ukulele is more fashionable - a grand piano is the non plus ultra of the music world, a thing of beauty even before a single note is played or chord struck.