Photo provided to China Daily

"People don't know how to react," she says. "New music, especially difficult music - the success of such music depends on the performer."

By the time the two arrived in Vladivostok, Nauer was having backstage jitters, and she was asking herself if she should have given Hiroto something "safer" for his international debut.

However, it was too late to change now, so she told him: "Just make music. Music is not about how many right or wrong notes you play. It's about moving people. Impress them not by your technical level, but musically."

The advice paid off: Hiroto not only survived the opening round of competition - his teacher's goal for his first international contest - he walked away at the end with the silver medal.

"Hiroto was nervous and made a few mistakes, but his overall interpretation was first-class and I am delighted he came in second, against older competition," says composer Parker, who also had warm words for the pianist who accompanied Hiroto, Dmitry Volobuev.

"Dmitry interprets my work in a way that thrills me to say the least. His support of Hiroto is superb."

"Hiroto works very hard," Nauen says today. "He's not in a battle with others to be first. He's more in a battle with himself to push and see how far his abilities can take him."

But he's also a 12-year-old boy who likes soccer and other games, Nauer acknowledges with a smile. A week before the international competition, she was shocked when Hiroto told her that he was going away for a trip to the mountains with his classmates for a few days.

"If I had told this to my teacher, she would have killed me," Nauer says. "I said: 'No way, this is an international competition. You cannot imagine how difficult it is. You must think about it 24 hours a day, and practice!"

"But he said: 'I wanted to see this mountain so much, I have been waiting a long time for this trip'."

"What can you say?" asks Nauer, who acquiesced with the request. "Just don't break your hands, please."