Traditional rebel

You can't blame Croatian pianist Maksim Mrvica for being marketing savvy. He has managed to successfully straddle the border between classical and pop music and attract young audiences to his live performances. His shows are peppered with special effects such as video and laser shows and billowing clouds of dry-ice, not to mention his stylish fashion.

'I always want to do something different. I want to offer a surprising atmosphere for my audiences' said Maksim, sitting in a hotel room with electronic group Depeche Mode playing in the background.

The young pianist confessed that he is inspired by violin player Vanessa Mae who wows audiences worldwide with her brand of classical crossover.

Born in 1975 in Sibenik, a Croatian town on the Adriatic coast, Maksim is a classically-trained pianist who started playing at the age of nine and gave his first public performance at the same age.

But his career path was not rosy, especially when war broke out in his homeland in 1990. Despite the daily explosions of hand grenades, he kept practising, in the school basement. 'It was a difficult time. I was only 15 years old then. But it made me stronger and more determined,' Maksim said.

The gifted pianist entered the Music Academy in Zagreb and won his first major competition in 1993. Then he spent a year at the Ferenc Liszt Conservatoire in Budapest. In 2000, he moved to Paris to study with Igor Lazko, and he won first prize in the Pontoise Piano Competition a year later.