Sergei Roldugin, whose Panama fortune has come to light, says he begged the money off rich men to help musical causes in Russia. Roldugin went on state television yesterday to talk about his efforts to create a House of Music in St Petersburg.

‘I went around begging for this and that from anyone I could find,’ he said. ‘Everything is expensive, instruments are expensive, professors are expensive… Everything is outrageously expensive.’

A narrator added that ‘sponsors’ eventually gave him a ‘small share in business… so that he can stop begging’.

Valery Gergiev appeared on the programme to asset that the Panama Papers leak does not harm Russia.

We are sorry to learn of the death of Jeremy Siepmann, a civilised man who played many roles in piano music, most effectively as a propagator on the BBC.

A New Englander who studied with Rudolf Serkin, Jeremy became head of music at the BBC World Service in 1988 and, later, editor of Piano magazine. He was a frequent broadcaster on BBC channels and a gentle reviewer in music magazines.

He also produced and presented a get-to-know composer series for Naxos.