Chinese pianist Zhu Xiaomei performs for an audience. Photo provided to China Daily

In June, Zhu was invited to play the piece live at the St Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, where Bach was buried.

Zhu's fingers are considered short for a pianist, and her performance unconventional.

Professor Yang Yandi of Shanghai Conservatory of Music says he spotted "a few missed notes" in a some variations emphasizing high-speed techniques on Nov 9, but her "deep understanding of the piece" reigned supreme. "She played exceptionally well, with unique flavors of the East," Yang adds.

Many of her fans find her life story interesting, though Zhu herself doesn't like to talk much about it.

Born in Shanghai, her talent emerged early as she played on radio in Beijing at the age of 8, and studied at the capital's Central Conservatory of Music.

During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), she spent five years in a labor camp in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province. When her parents sent her the family piano, she practiced hard, also as a way to keep her hands from freezing. She used to look for steel wires to mend broken strings on her piano.

"I want to hide behind the music, behind the composers. That will make the music more powerful."

In her early years of living abroad, she worked as a housekeeper for families, often in exchange for the opportunity to play the piano at people's homes.

Zhu says that the acoustic condition of concert halls in China is fine, and that the audiences are dedicated, yet she is wary of praise. "They've raised me too high and I am afraid I will fall badly."

When she can no longer play the piano, she wants to teach and share her experiences with the younger generations.

Other than playing the piano, her life has little excitement. To Zhu, performing to Bach's compositions is like "having a meal". It never bores her.

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