Pianist shows his chops

Twenty-four-year-old, Beijing-born pianist Wu Muye will hold a second piano recital in his native city on Saturday and will play works by Western composers.

Unlike his debut recital last year, this time he has chosen more difficult pieces, including Sonata in B Minor, S 178 by Liszt, 4 Impromptus from Chopin and Sonata No 18 in D Major KV 576 by Mozart.

Eight years ago, he was admitted to the Conservatoire National Suprieur de Musique de Paris (Paris CNSM), one of the most prestigious music academies in Europe. Wu recently earned his PhD from the school. Among the programs on Saturday, Liszt's 30-minute Sonata in B Minor is considered quite demanding; while Chopin's works require him to shift from gaiety to melancholy.

"I think how to present my feelings through these masterpieces is more important than showing off my sophisticated playing techniques," Wu says before the trip from Paris to Beijing for the recital.

Wu was born to a musician's family and started learning music at 5. When he studied at the China Central Conservatory of Music, he won first prize in the Hong-Kong Piano Competition at 9 and three years later, he was voted "the best young Chinese musician".

Although Wu has held recitals and performed at many music festivals during his years in Paris, like the renowned Piano en Valois, Nuit du Piano d'Annecy and Piano aux Jacobins, he looks forward to this recital very much.

"Every performance is different to me because of my feelings at the time, reaction of the audience, the environment and even the weather," Wu says.

7:30 pm, Dec 12. Forbidden City Concert Hall in Zhongshan Park, Northwest of Tian'anmen Square. 6559-8285

中山音乐堂，中山公园内