When the concert halls fell silent

However, as he slowed he felt he gained some equilibrium, and unexpected opportunities appeared.

He wrote his first original composition, Impromptu No 1, which he named Hope and which was released recently as part of his latest album, titled Fate& Hope.

"I love improvising on my piano after daily practice," he says. "I just put my hands on the keys and randomly play melodies. It's a habit I picked up as a child. I feel freer playing my own music, which has a natural emotional flow.

"During the pandemic I had a lot of time at home, and that allowed me to finish my composition. I started writing the four-movement Hope at the beginning of the pandemic. Hope has been particularly important during the pandemic, and I wanted to write a piece to give people comfort and warmth."

He did not plan to include his composition on the new album but changed his mind after Universal Music Group, to which he is contracted, encouraged him to do so, he says.

He placed his composition at the end of the album after Beethoven's Symphony No 5 in C Minor, Op 67, which was arranged for solo piano by Franz Liszt, Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 8 in C minor Pathetique and Beethoven's Piano Sonata in C sharp minor, Op 27 No 2 Moonlight.

Performing those very well-known pieces by Beethoven is a rather audacious feat, given that plenty of great recordings already exist.

As a pianist Niu Niu learned about Beethoven's scores and notes. As a composer, he decoded Beethoven's pieces with a deeper understanding.

"I am 24 years old and by playing Beethoven's music pieces, I want to keep his spirit alive with my own interpretation. For example, Beethoven's famed fifth symphony expresses his unbending spirit of lifelong struggle with fate. But in the end, it brings hope."

Niu Niu has just played a concert in Shanghai.