Notes of poetry

Cigar in mouth, dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, he talks in an intelligent manner. When he plays the piano, his controlled, soft touch delivers poetic thoughts and feeling thought the keys. This is the impression Fu Cong (also known as Fou Ts'ong) often gives to music lovers.

The legendary 79-year-old "poet of the piano", son of the late great translator Fu Lei, will bring Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven back at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Dec 1.

Fu says he has felt closest to Schubert's music in the past decade, as he feels the composer's transparency and cosmic sense share a spirit with those in traditional Chinese culture.