We asked our eminent guest pianist from Australia a few questions about his life and his past.

London-based Piers Lane is looking forward to meeting old and new colleagues and discovering new parts of Norway when he performs at this year’s Fjord Classics in Sandefjord. The acclaimed pianist reveals that he also has the sense of the more profane pleasures in life – he makes his own dark chocolate. Take a look at what he answers: 

What´s the best thing about playing the piano?
– A piano provides a whole orchestra on its own and my playing has taken me to many parts of the world and given me social experiences I could never have had with a different career.

What made you choose a career as a musician? 
– I was born into a musical family and so it was entirely natural to me to want to be a musician. It was only when I arrived in London as a 21-year-old that I suddenly felt wobbly about it: there were so many other pianists and musicians wanting the same thing!

What is your best/worst concert experience? 
– One of the best was my first Prom in the Royal Albert Hall: so thrilling to have that huge audience so close to the stage for a Rachmaninoff 1, not so often performed thirty years ago – but then discovering after my bows that the fly in my tails trousers had been open the whole time! 

What makes you happy? 
– Most things! Music, nature, good company, food and wine, travel – actually all things that festivals provide! 

What music makes you cry? 
– The slow movement of the Bach Double Concerto. Who can say why something touches one deeply? But it’s very special when it happens! The worse thing is when you get hysterical with laughter for no reason and sometimes in very serious situations. That has happened at various times over the years and I’ve been doubled up trying to stifle uncontrollable laughter! 

What´s your favourite place in the world, and why? 
– Brisbane, Australia: so many wonderful growing-up memories!