Playing with Fire: Yuja Wang
Venture into an immersive odyssey at a multisensory, mixed-reality concert charting world-renowned pianist Yuja Wang’s personal and artistic journey.
Be immersed in a remarkable musical and visual world alight with life and wonder, that centres around a virtual piano performance by Yuja Wang.
At once intimate and personal, monumental and transformative, surrealistic animations and spatial audio combine with a precise acoustic recreation of a live piano performance by Yuja. All thanks to the self-playing technology of a Steinway Spirio piano, which records and reproduces the pianist’s keystrokes – synchronised with the holographic fingers of her virtual self.
Yuja’s personally selected repertoire showcases the expressive creativity of art and music. And the stunning music and visuals explore fire as the spark of human imagination: feel the divine, transcendent light of Bach and the primordial, revolutionary blaze of Stravinsky and Prokofiev, illuminated by the works of great poets and painters.
In response, the award-winning writer and director Pierre-Alain Giraud has crafted a transformative visual and sonic world in collaboration with artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir.
The grand narrative of Playing with Fire is intertwined with Yuja’s personal story. By sharing her thoughts and emotions as she plays, Yuja invites audiences into her mind, and paints a portrait of her path from a young pianist in China to a world-renowned virtuoso.
Yuja Wang is an Opus Klassik- and Grammy-award-winning pianist, whose charismatic artistry, emotional honesty and captivating stage presence has established her place among the world’s leading classical musicians.
Please note that Playing with Fire does not feature Yuja Wang in person. The experience is a virtual concert featuring a pre-recorded avatar of Yuja and her recital, presented in an immersive environment.
Need to know
To celebrate the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary, you can book a ticket for performance dates between Wednesday 9 and Sunday 27 September for just £13.50.
But hurry – only 750 tickets are available at this special price. Just select the ‘Southbank Centre 75th Anniversary Offer’ ticket type when booking. Subject to availability. Limited to 750 tickets.
Produced by VIVE Arts and Atlas V, in collaboration with production partner Lightroom.
Performer: Yuja Wang
Writer, director & creative director: Pierre-Alain Giraud
Creative director & original artwork: Gabríela Friðriksdóttir
Art director: Arthur Maugendre
Sound designers: Nicolas Becker & Antoine Martin
Lead developer: Sylvain Hayot
Scenographer: Laurence Fontaine
Lighting designer: Philippe Berthomé
Technical team: Studio Albyon
Supported by Steinway & Sons, the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée) and Pictanovo.
Yuja Wang appears courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft.
All artist performances recorded and played back on Steinway & Sons Spirio.
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
09 Sep 2026 – 03 Jan 2027
Standard entry
from £22 + £4 booking fee
Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
Concessions
Learn more about concession discounts
Refunds and exchanges
Find out more about our refund and exchange policy
Multi-buy Autumn/Winter 26/27 discount
3 – 4 events: 10% discount
5 – 7 events: 15% discount
8 – 10 events: 20% discount
11 – 14 events: 25% discount
15+ events: 30% discount
Discounts apply to selected events, September 2026 – January 2027 inclusive. Offer can’t be combined with the Spring/Summer 2026 multi-buy.
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For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.