When it comes to Italy's music traditions, the world knows a lot about the country's opera. But the nation also boasts of a strong piano tradition. An exhibition and concert were held at Beijing's Millennium Monument Museum, dedicated to the piano. Song Yaotian brings us this story.

This organ was made before 1746, or more than 270 years ago, and can still generate dulcet sounds, thanks to the hands of Claudio Brizi, a master on antique keyboards.

It's one of several old instruments on display at Beijing's Millennium Monument Museum, for the exhibition called "a journey through rare early keyboard instruments".

The piano was invented in 1699 by an Italian, Bartolomeo Cristofori. Since then the artisanal traditions of producing excellent musical instruments have been continuously cultivated in Italy.

The exhibition illuminates the evolution of keyboard instruments, from the piano's oldest ancestors to the modern concert masterpieces. Items of great importance also include the first modern copy of a fortepiano Cristofori.

This exhibition is also part of the ongoing Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, with the country "guest of honor" being Italy.

GUIDO BIZZI, CURATOR ITALIAN HISTORICAL KEYBOARDS EXHIBITION "This is the story of the instruments that were in existence before the piano where Italy, Europe in general, but Italy in particular has a historic tradition. So we wanted to start with this, with the hope to continue and strengthen relationship in the field of classic music and the use of historical instruments in classic music."

Bizzi says these instruments were accompanying all kinds of performances for three centuries between the 15th century to the late 18th century before the modern piano even appeared. The significance of these instruments is for performing music as it was originally written and composed.

SONG YAOTIAN BEIJING "The contribution of Italy to the world of classic music is much more than opera. Not many people know that it was an Italian who invented the first piano in the world in the year around 1700. And the word piano was also derived from Italy, it is the shorted form of Italian term "pianoforte". This exhibition and the following concert inform visitors the distinguished history of Italians producing and playing piano."

Visitors can immerse themselves in this fascinating world, not only by seeing, but also by listening, to a concert played by Claudio Brizi, on some of these historical instruments. Brizi is one of the most authoritative players and experts in Italy on these ancient keyboards.

He played four different instruments at a same time, which were Harmonino, Harpsichord, Fortepiano and Pedalpiano. He says "hybrid music", which combines multiple keyboards, pipe and strings, was popular in old Europe. Playing pieces from Ferrini, Bach and Scarlatti, he says these instruments give these classics a different color.

CLAUDIO BRIZI ANCIENT KEYBOARD PLAYER "When we are playing the modern piano, the range or the interpretation is anyway wide, the dynamic range, temple, nuance, but it's not possible to change color, for example, to pipe to strings. To play Mozart music for example, Bach music on hybrid instrument, it means, we orchestrate the music according to the instruments. Every time I play different hybrid instrument the music sounds different."

Interest towards these old instruments has been growing since the 70s. Brizi has received hundreds of invitations to perform all over the world. He's brought his music all over Europe, to the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Osaka, and now, the Chinese capital. Song Yaotian, CGTN.