A Confession of Truth — Chen Pi-hsien Piano Recital

Chen Pi-hsien plays Schubert's Ninth Sonata in B major D 575, Bartók's 14 Bagatelles and Schubert's D 960 at the Shanghai Symphony Hall's chamber hall on 13 December 2026. Tickets ¥100–480, on sale since 20 August. The programme keeps its two Schuberts apart. D 575 was written in 1817 by a twenty-year-old; after the interval there is only D 960, finished in September 1828, two months before he died. Between them sits Bartók's 14 Bagatelles of 1908 — the first of them gives each hand its own key signature, four sharps against four flats, which is where he parts company with functional harmony. Set between the two sonatas it breaks the evening's tonality and lets it re-form. Born in Taipei in 1950, Chen went to Cologne to study at nine and took first prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich in 1972, the same year she was a laureate of the Queen Elisabeth. First prizes at the international Schoenberg competition in Rotterdam and the international Bach competition in Washington followed. She became the youngest piano professor at the Cologne Hochschule in 1983 and moved to Freiburg in 2004. She premiered Haas's Limited Approximation at Donaueschingen in 2010 and has worked with Cage, Carter, Boulez and Stockhausen; the ground she stands on is Bach and Schoenberg. An evening built on Schubert is another side of her. The concert is a private hire of the hall and sits outside the orchestra's own season. She returns in September 2027 in the Chinese Beethoven cycle, which is a separate matter.

1. 01

   Schubert 舒伯特 (1797–1828)

   Piano Sonata No. 9 in B major, D 575

   B大调第九钢琴奏鸣曲，D 575

2. 02

   Bartók 巴托克 (1881–1945)

   Fourteen Bagatelles, Op. 6, BB 50

   14首钢琴小品，BB 50

3. 03

   Schubert 舒伯特 (1797–1828)

   Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D. 960

   降B大调第二十一钢琴奏鸣曲，D. 960

Soloist, Piano

Chen Pi-hsien

• Limit 4 tickets per order
• Children under 1.2 m are not admitted. Above 1.2 m, a child needs their own ticket.

• Bartók set between two Schuberts

  D 575 was written in 1817, D 960 in September 1828. Between them sits Bartók's 14 Bagatelles of 1908, whose first piece gives each hand its own key signature — four sharps against four flats. The evening's tonality breaks once and re-forms.

• First prize at the ARD in 1972, and rarely in Shanghai

  Chen Pi-hsien was the first Chinese pianist to win the ARD in Munich, was a Queen Elisabeth laureate the same year, and later took first prizes at the international Schoenberg and Bach competitions. Her last Shanghai recital was in 2025.

• The 559-seat chamber hall, not the main auditorium

  392 in the stalls, 80 in the gallery, 87 in the balcony, and the stalls are thirteen rows deep. At this scale the pedal and the breathing are part of what you hear.

• Tickets from ¥100, outside the season package

  ¥100–480, with the balcony at ¥100. The concert is a private hire of the hall, so it is neither in the orchestra's season nor counted against a season subscription.

When is Chen Pi-hsien Piano Recital: A Confession of Truth?

Sunday 13 December 2026, 19:15, at Shanghai Symphony Hall · Chamber Hall.

Where is it?

Shanghai Symphony Hall · Chamber Hall, 1380 Middle Fuxing Road.

What is on the programme?

Schubert：Piano Sonata No. 9 in B major, D 575; Bartók：Fourteen Bagatelles, Op. 6, BB 50; Schubert：Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D. 960. There is an interval. The programme as played may differ.

Who is performing?

Chen Pi-hsien（soloist）.

How much are tickets?

¥100 / ¥180 / ¥280 / ¥380 / ¥480. 4 tickets per order.

When did tickets go on sale, and where?

20 August 2026 at 14:00 (Shanghai time) — already on sale.

Can I bring a child?

Children under 1.2 m are not admitted. Above 1.2 m, a child needs their own ticket.

Answers are generated from the record on this page and change when it does. Where we do not know, no question is asked.

• Permit no. 沪文旅许[2026]4424号granted

  Issued by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism · issued Aug 12 · 上海艺翔文化传播有限公司