CLASSICAL pianist Paul Lewis is used to playing all over the world, but he is one Liverpool talent who was certainly no stranger to his hometown in 2008.

The Huyton-born musician came back to the city to perform a complete cycle of Beethoven’s piano concertos throughout the year with the RLPO and conductor Vasily Petrenko.

“Playing at the Phil means a lot,” he says.

“When I first started going to concerts when I was a kid, I would be on a high for days.

“So it is strange and nostalgic to play there. It was a huge part of my musical upbringing.

“It was fantastic to go back there and I really feel that same buzz again.”

Lewis’s acclaimed and award-winning recordings of the Beethoven Sonatas secured his growing reputation as a real international talent.

“I knew I wanted to play my first concerto cycle and it just so happened it seemed to really fit in with 2008 to happen in Liverpool – I was really delighted.

“Beethoven, I feel, is the music I am going to be playing my whole life.

“His music is very human, very emotional and it’s something we can all understand, and that is what draws me to it.