Beethoven fans should not miss this. Distinguished French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet will return to the Forbidden City Concert Hall to complete the Beethoven Sonatas Cycle tonight and on Sunday.

The pianist has played 26 of Beethoven's sonatas in six concerts at the venue since last September. He will wrap up the cycle with the last six pieces including op90, op101 and op106 tonight and op109, op110 and op111 on Sunday.

"I really enjoy coming back again and again to the concert hall in the imperial garden," the pianist told China Daily as he practiced at the venue on Wednesday.

"It's such a wonderful and inspirational experience to share Beethoven with Beijing audiences. I know that some of them have attended all previous six concerts and I hope they will come on Friday and Sunday," he says.

As a multiple award-winning pianist, Bavouzet practices at least eight hours every day. "You may think the young pianist or student must practice more while established ones can play less. No, it's the opposite. It is because you are well-known, you should not disappoint the audience and must keep practicing and improving.

"Music is so vast and there are so many wonderful pieces you can play and share with the audience. It is like food, I want to try every taste. In terms of music, I want to play different composers and a variety of pieces, therefore, I have to spend time learning and practicing," he says.

Bavouzet's insatiable enthusiasm and artistic curiosity have led him to explore a repertoire ranging from Haydn, Beethoven, Bartok and Prokofiev to contemporary works. His flexible virtuosity, clarity in playing and thoughtful musicality have earned him plenty of awards. Recently, he was nominated "Artist of the Year" by the prestigious Gramophone Magazine.

The pianist says he feels honored to be nominated, because "it is such a big honor that many great musicians have won".

"Although I have won many prizes in my career, I feel happy every time. It is like a pretty woman who feels happy every time a man tells her, 'You are beautiful'," he says.

Beijing fans of Bavouzet need not feel sad that the Beethoven Cycle will end this weekend. Next year, the maestro will return to play the complete piano works of Ravel.

Time: 7:30 pm, July 24,26
Venue: Inside Zhongshan Park
Tel: 010-6559-8285

(China Daily July 24, 2009)