Classical pianist wombling free

Gabriela Montero is creating something of a stir in the somewhat staid world of concert pianists.

She has been playing a series of concerts in London's Royal Festival Hall, taking suggestions from the audience for tunes and themes to improvise with - something she repeated in memorable fashion on Newsnight this week.

She set herself a challenge: to perform a live improvised piece based on a viewer's suggestion. We chose Janet Sussex's request - the Wombles theme tune.

Classical improvisation was a serious art for masters such as Beethoven and Liszt, and Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero is fast proving it is not a lost art.

Gabriela can take whatever suggestions she is given and turn them into fully formed compositions, drawing on jazz, tango and even blues.

In the past she has improvised around classical works from Vivaldi, crossed Bizet with Scott Joplin and played Bach in the style of Italian pianist Busoni. Her repertoire also includes more eclectic inspirations - the Archers theme tune, Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive, Christmas carols and even football chants have been woven into pieces. She is also happy to use abstract themes - weather, moods, seasons - as leitmotifs.

You can see the results above and Madeleine Holt's report and interview with Gabriela.