Han Chen Solo Piano Recital: Infinite Staircase

The vibrant pianist Han Chen will be presented by the National Sawdust in a solo piano recital entitled “Infinite Staircase.”

Celebrating the iconic Hungarian-Austrian composer György Ligeti's centenary birthday in 2023, Mr. Chen juxtaposes the composer’s formidable 18 Études with eighteen world premiere solo piano works he commissioned from composers of diverse cultures and backgrounds: Nick Bentz, Shiuan Chang, Victoria Cheah, Jessie Cox, Fjóla Evans, David Fulmer, Vivian Fung, Chiayu Hsu, Tengku Irfan, Molly Joyce, Jihyun Kim, Jared Miller, Tom Morrison, Gity Razaz, Sugar Vendil, Meng Wang, Xinyang Wang, and Nina Young.

Mr. Chen assigned each composer one of the Ligeti Études. Composers could study the Étude, go against the Étude, or sit with the Étude while composing. They had the choice of writing an Étude or something entirely different. Nevertheless, the pairing is both conscious and subconscious, a basis for the composers to give free rein to their imagination. The project is co-commissioned by the Metropolis Ensemble.