Classical gas: Luu Hong Quang has won top prize at the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition held in Australia, a prestigious contest for piano artists and students in the Asia-Pacific region. — VNS File Photo

Luu Hong Quang has won first prize at the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition in Australia, regarded as a most prestigious contest for pianists in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 21-year-old pianist won with stirring performances of Chopin and Liszt and a classical sonata in the best recital in round two at the event in Brisbane.

Quang is the only Vietnamese contestant in this year's competition and also performed works by Tchaikovsky, Haydn, and Beethoven during the four-round contest.

He said the joy of performing with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Edvard Tchivzhel, helped keep stage nerves at bay.

"The competition was very friendly and all contestants played in different styles but their approach to music was very sincere," he said.

Quang began learning piano in 1996, entering the secondary level piano programme of the Viet Nam National Academy of Music in June 1997 and a decade later received a full scholarship for the Australian International Conservatory of Music where he is in his final year of study.

He has won a number of prizes at international contests in Japan, Italy, Australia and Viet Nam.

The Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition was established in memory of the late professor Lev Vlassenko, a world-renowned international concert pianist and teacher.

It is the only major piano event in Australia that mirrors the requirements of an international competition, including a demanding repertoire, national and international jury members, rounds open to the public and final-round concertos performed with a major symphony orchestra.

This is the seventh biennial competition, for which more than 60 entrants auditioned and came to Brisbane to compete and share their love of music, said Ian Hanger, chairman of the competition.

"One of the purposes of the competition is to promote classical music to young people," he said. — VNS