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Yuja Wang plays piano in front of a surreal illustration
View all events for category: Classical music

Playing with Fire: Yuja Wang

Wed 9 Sep 2026 – Sun 3 Jan 2027

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

Age guidance
For ages 12+. Under 12s must be accompanied by an adult on our site.
Event information

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.

Creative team

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

As part of our classical music multi-buy offer, book multiple Autumn/Winter 2026/27 concerts in the same transaction to receive a 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.

View all events in this multi-buy offer

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.