Noteworthy time for pianist

On Monday, distinguished French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet will receive the Best Instrumental CD of Year award for his album Debussy Volume 3, from the BBC Music Magazine in London. And right after the ceremony, he will fly to Beijing to give two recitals of Beethoven Sonata at the Forbidden City Concert Hall.

Bavouzet's return to Beijing is a result of his successful concert series last December at the same venue. The pianist thrilled the local audience with his virtuosity and artistry in performing Beethoven's sonatas. The annual Classical Elites Beijing, Beijing's awards for classical music, voted his concert "Instrumental Recital of the Year."

The brilliant and charismatic pianist displayed his talent at a young age and then took intensive studies at the Paris Conservatory. In 1986 he took the first prize in the International Beethoven Competition in Cologne, and three years later he attracted international attention when he was awarded the Steven de Groote Chamber Music Prize at the Van Cliburn Competition.