Following his profound interpretations of Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Chopin’s Préludes last year, pianist Xi Zhai continues his exceptional concert series in Hamburg. On 13 September 2026, he invites audiences to his fourth guest performance at the Elbphilharmonie. This year’s evening is dedicated to the sonata form in its most radical manifestations.
The program opens with Joseph Haydn’s Variations in F minor. Originally conceived as the first movement of a sonata, the work evolved during its creation into a form that transcends traditional boundaries. The result is a profoundly moving, unique piece: no longer a sonata in the strict sense, yet possessing an inner coherence and emotional depth that extend far beyond the principle of variation.
Beethoven’s final piano sonata, Op. 111, opens up a space beyond classical notions of form. Two movements stand in contrast to one another without demanding a continuation. The famous Arietta leads into a sphere of meditative calm—time seems to stretch, movement dissolves into sound.
Finally, Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B minor preserves the name of the genre while simultaneously pushing it to its limits. In a single, uninterrupted arc, power, drama, and poetry coalesce into a musical narrative of great density.
PERFORMERS
Xi Zhai piano
PROGRAM
Joseph Haydn
Variationen f-Moll Hob. XVII:6
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata for Piano in C minor, Op. 111
- Interval -
Franz Liszt
Sonata in B minor, S 178
