Three of the world’s great piano companies – Blüthner, Bechstein and Steinway – turn 150 this year. “Since 1853, artists have praised their instruments. Claude Debussy remarked that piano music should only be written for Bechsteins. For Wilhelm Furtwängler, Blüthner was best. ‘Blüthner pianos can really sing, which is the most wonderful thing you can say about a piano.’ Martha Argerich, an Argentinian-born artist, believes a Steinway sometimes plays better than the pianist — ‘a marvellous surprise’. In business terms, the three fared very differently…”