An intimate evening of world-class classical piano, drinks, and dessert
You are invited to a private recital by the young Taiwanese pianist Han Chen in our home in New York City.
Han, a noted interpreter of György Ligeti’s piano etudes, had a highly acclaimed and sold-out show at the National Sawdust last fall, called “Infinite Staircase”. The program featured the complete Ligeti piano etudes, as well as 18 new commissioning pairings.
Han will play select pairings from “Infinite Staircase” in the first half of the program, with second half all Liszt, one of Han’s favorite composers. We will begin with a Hungarian composer and end with a Hungarian composer.
Saturday, May 18 — doors open at 7pm — recital starts 7:30pm — drinks and dessert reception with the pianist afterwards until about 10:00pm. For photos/videos of previous Lilacs events, see here.
To RSVP, go to the Eventbrite page here. As always, 100% of the proceeds will go to the pianist.
About Han
Gold Medalist at the 2013 China International Piano Competition and a prizewinner at the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition, Han has emerged among the new generation of concert pianists as a uniquely fearless performer in a wide variety of musical settings.
Praised by Gramophone as “impressively commanding and authoritative” and further cited by The New York Times for his “graceful touch,” “rhythmic precision,” and “hypnotic charm,” Han’s virtuosity is enriched by a probing commitment to new and lesser-known works, as well as the great cornerstones of the piano repertory. This vision is manifest in his four solo Naxos CDs focusing on Franz Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, Thomas Adès, and György Ligeti’s Complete Piano Études.
A native of Taiwan, Han Chen graduated from The Juilliard School and the New EnglandConservatory, studying with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Wha Kyung Byun. He is now a doctoral candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center with Ursula Oppens.
The program
Ligeti – Etude No. 15 “White on White”
Vivian Fung – White on Black (2023)
Ligeti – Etude No. 2 “Cordes à vide”
Jihyun Kim – A leaf falls, the water ripples… (2023)
Shiuan Chang – Digital Chants (2023)
Ligeti – Etude No. 10 “Der Zauberlehring”
Nina Young – it is within you that the ghosts acquire voices (2023)
Ligeti – Etude No. 6 “Automne à Varsovie”
Liszt – Impromptu “Nocturne” S. 191
Liszt – 3 Petrarch Sonnets, S. 161 No. 4-6
Liszt – Funérailles, S. 173 No. 7