The pianist, who was born and educated in California but now lives in Paris, is looking forward to his first visit to the city and to the opportunity to play the new instrument.

"One of the things about Bosendorfer is that they are still very personal instruments,” he suggested. "With Steinway or Yamaha or Kawai you have a better general idea of what to expect. Bosendorfers are more like people, they are individuals rather than a type. I'd expect it will have a greater range of colours, especially in the treble. There aren't that many new Bosendorfers around on the circuit, and I'm really looking forward to playing it."

The pianist has made some changes to the originally-published programme for the Inverness show. He will now begin with two "Sonatas in F", one by Handel and the other by Bach, followed by the world premiere performance of John L. King's "Sonata".

Three of Debussy's "Preludes" will close the first half, and the second will contain four (not three as announced) of the "Moments Musicaux" by Schubert, and Liszt's "Variations on a Theme by Bach".

"I had proposed to play a second piece by Liszt and some Rachmaninov, but I lost my rehearsal space recently and have had to do my practising at home,” he explained.

"The neighbours were objecting to the Liszt and Rachmaninov because they were so loud! Basically, I always look to try to get a good variety of music in a programme. I think it's important to have a range of moods and styles.

"I remember as a youngster I loved going to concerts, but there were always pieces I liked more than others. If I just liked one piece a lot and was bored the rest of the time, I would still have a good memory of that concert, and I try to make sure there will be something there for everybody."

He began playing piano at the age of six, encouraged by his music-loving parents, who, he revealed, actually had their first date at a classical music concert. He went on to study music and mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, a combination that is perfectly logical once over the surprise of a first glance.

"I think so,” he agreed. "In fact I just read a study by a Canadian group that said that music develops the part of the brain that is later used in mathematical reasoning. I still read mathematical and physics papers on-line when I get the chance. I would say it's a psychological advantage in that it makes me less intimidated by very complex or very abstract music. When you study higher mathematics you get used to going up against things that you are not going to understand immediately, but that will take time to absorb."

The premiere of John L. King's new "Sonata" is part of a group of works that he has commissioned from a range of young composers, including Reynold Tharp, Fernando Benadon, Keeril Makan, Mei-Fang Lin, Brian Current, and Dmitri Tymoczko.

Ivan Ilic will be the first professional musician to perform with the Town House's new Bosendorfer piano.

"It's been a way to get back in touch with people I value both as friends and composers,” he said.

"I had this idea of doing a project that would involve them all. Beyond that, I also feel that people in Europe don't really know what is going on in American classical music, and that pattern applies all over. The music of the younger generation of composers isn't travelling much, and I like to think I can be a conduit for them.

"I also believe that live performance makes a huge difference - you just don't get the same impression from a recording as when you go to a concert. I can remember every piece of new music I heard in the last 10 years, because they make so much more of an impression when you hear them live."

John L. King is an American composer and jazz pianist living in England. His "Sonata" has been composed with Ivan in mind, and reflects particular strengths in his own playing.

"I'm lucky in that John knows my playing very well,” he explained. "It's a single movement about seven minutes long, and has a very organic feel, I think. It makes sense from beginning to end even though it goes through a lot of changes, and that is something John is always very keen on.

"I would say there are some rhythmic elements that harken back to his love of jazz as well. I think our generation that grew up with classical and popular music in tandem are finding very interesting ways of fusing the two. It doesn't sound like jazz, but I think you can feel that influence.

"There is a lot of breathing space within the piece and you have to use those silences in a really dramatic way. I'm looking forward to hearing how people react to that in Inverness - it is one of the scariest things for a performer to be doing nothing, and in a first performance people don't really know what is going on. It's a nice way to build tension, as long as people don't think the piece is over before it is!"

He hopes to record it later in the year, but has an unusual attitude to that whole business. He is a strong advocate of making recordings available for free download on the internet, and currently has some examples of his work available at download.com. For him, it is the way that music should go.

"I think we are moving toward a model when most music will be available free, and I feel that is how it should be,” he declared. "I liken it to a community library. Most musicians, even very famous ones, don't make much money from recordings anyway, so why not share it and get your work out there? I feel it's in my interest for anyone to be able to access my music for free."

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