Chen Sa
Chinese pianist Chen Sa has established herself as “one of the most charismatic pianists of her generation”. She started with earning critical acclaim at Leeds, Chopin and Van Cliburn competitions in her early teens and since then she began her professional performing career worldwide with her evocative playing. Praised for her poetic sensitivity and intimacy of playing, her music was described as “makes you feel the lyrical beauty, but at the same time shows a volcanic underground and the enormous potential of desperation of the music.”
 
Sa performed with many prestigious orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, WDR Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra dell’ Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The enthusiasm for chamber music has brought her to appear in some historical music festivals, such as Lockenhaus Festival, Salzburg Festival, Dusznicki Festival, Ruhr Piano Festival, and St. Petersburg Piano Festival.
 
Highlights of Chen Sa’s recent seasons included the debuts in Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Champs Elysees Theater in Paris, the 26th Singapore International Piano Festival in Victoria Concert Hall, and Pyeong-Chang Winter Olympic Game 1st Anniversary Gala Concert. In the unusual year 2020, in honor of the great composer Beethoven, Chen Sa had held Beethoven’s sonatas recitals and concertos concerts in more than ten cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, to critical acclaim. Sa was nominated for the esteemed Tokyo series “The 100 Greatest Pianists” and as the cover artist of the launching issue of Gramophone magazine (Chinese edition). She was also named by the French magazine L’OFFICIEL as one of the “Top Ten Chinese Artists” and the Polish Government honored the “Chopin Art Passport” to Sa in 2010 for her unique interpretation and achievement in Chopin’s music.
 
Up till now, Sa has released 10 audio albums. Three solo albums were on JVC and IMC labels in Japan, two live recordings from both Chopin and Cliburn competitions were published by the Chopin Competition Warsaw and Harmonia Mundi, then three albums were on Pentatone in the Netherlands, of which two featured Chopin Piano Concerti, Grieg Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff Concerto and one featured Russian Solo Piano Works. Classical FM selected her Chopin Album as the “Best CD of the Month” for her “soulful performance”. She then recorded a Chinese Compositions album for BIS which she had experienced piano concerti with Chinese instruments instead, and it was described as “the most interesting and successful recording of new Chinese music so far” by BBC Music Magazine. In pursuance of wider comprehensive creativity freedom, Sa and her office ATELIERSA China came together with recording producer Johannes Mueller and Neri & Hu Design and Research Office for her solo album of the complete Preludes by Claude Debussy with a special graphic design. All albums are all published on Apple Music Global. The latest album of Chopin 21 Nocturnes was released in September 2021 with Decca label.
 
Chen Sa continuously supports Chinese modern compositions and gave the premiere performances of the piano concerto “Xinqiban” by Chinese Australian composer Julian Yu with the China NCPA Orchestra in 2016 and the piano concerto by Wang Xilin with Basel Chamber Orchestra in 2013.
 
Aside from her regular performance schedule, Sa engages herself in charity work as well. She was invited as the Classical Artist by World Bank and the Norwegian government to join the environmental protection project, giving the premiere of multimedia piano concerto “Green Call” and performing it throughout China. She also appeared at the “Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day” event in Washington D.C. as the only classical artist to help promoting environmental protection. Sa has also visited special education schools in China, played for the students who have hearing difficulties and performed with blind girls who have musical talent, sharing wonderful music with them. In 2020, Chen Sa was invited to attend the world's first offline forum of the UNESCO “ResiliArt” in Beijing, China.
 
Since 2016, Chen Sa has received invitations to serve as the judge in some prestigious competitions, such as the 11th Sydney International Competition, the 61st Busoni Concourse Bolzano Italy, the 19th Leeds International Piano Competition in the UK, and the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. 

 
Program
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.10 in G Major, Op.14, No.2
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Scherzo: Allegro assai
 
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.4 in E-flat Major, Op.7
I. Allegro molto e con brio
II. Largo, con gran espressione
III. Allegro
IV. Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso
 
Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op.15
I. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen
II. Kuriose Geschichte
III. Hasche-Mann
IV. Bittendes Kind
V. Glückes genug
VI. Wichtige Begebenheit
VII. Traümerei
VIII. Am Kamin
IX. Ritter vom Steckenpferd
X. Fast zu ernst
XI. Fürchtenmachen
XII. Kind im Einschlummern
XIII. Der Dichter spricht
 
Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op.16
I. Äußerst bewegt
II. Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch
III. Sehr aufgeregt
IV. Sehr langsam
V. Sehr lebhaft
VI. Sehr langsam
VII. Sehr rasch
VIII. Schnell und spielend
 
(Please check program updates at the concert.)