Pianist Khatia Buniatishvili at centre of French National Day show

Award-winning Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili was under the spotlights at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Saturday, where the celebrated artist performed alongside stars of opera and classical music for France's National Day celebrations.

Buniatishvili went on the grand stage, set up on the the Champ de Mars square, to mark the countrywide festivities also known as the Bastille Day.

She was flanked by performers including mezzo soprano Joyce di Donato, soprano Aïda Garifullina and baritone Matthias Goerne, all appearing before crowds filling the central square in thousands.

Citizens celebrating the nationwide date under the floodlights were treated by the pianist to a performance of the Piano Concerto No.2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, accompanied by the French National Orchestra.

While delighting classical music fans, the winner of 2016 TF1 television’s Musician of the Year Award also offered a rendition of Marseillaise, the national anthem, followed by fireworks for the conclusion of the celebrations.

Buniatishvili also met dignitaries attending the concert, with the Minister of Culture of France Françoise Nyssen and Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo thanking the artist for her part in the show.

Born in Georgia’s seaside city of Batumi, the pianist has appeared at famous international venues such as the Carnegie Hall in New York, the United States.

She has also received prizes at classical music competitions such as the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and the ECHO Klassik Award from Germany's Music Industry Association.

The Saturday show marked the second time in succession that a Georgian artist was at the centre of the annual Bastille Day concert.

Last year, mezzo soprano Anita Rachvelishvili was on the Champ de Mars stage to perform alongside American soprano Nadine Sierra in the festive occasion.