Biography

 

"Ethereal, held-breath delicacy." (Erica Jeal, The Guardian) 

“He articulates the canonic lines as if each emanated from its own piano: the aural equivalent of three-dimensional chess." (Jed Distler, Classics Today) 

 

Hong Kong-born pianist Chiyan Wong's audacity and vision
continues to fascinate listeners, in a repertoire ranging from the early
Baroque to the 21st century, where often, inspired by the past, he rewrites the music in his own uniquely playful manner. 

 

Highlights from recent seasons include debuts at the Konzerthaus
Berlin, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and the Hungarian premiere of
Thomas Adès' Piano Concerto at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. His
recital for Premiere Performances Hong Kong, given in the spring of 2021,
was the subject of a feature-length concert film, "Encore", which was
shown in his native city. 

 

He will be giving performances this year at the Raritäten der
Klaviermusik Festival in Husum, Germany, later working with conductors
such as Markus Stenz and Elim Chan in concerto appearances with
Beijing’s National Centre of Performing Arts Orchestra and the Hong
Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Earlier, Wong has given solo debuts at the
Salzburg Mozarteum and the Wigmore Hall, coming to international
attention in festivals such as the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and
the Singapore International Piano Festival. As a soloist, he has
collaborated with Krzysztof Urbański, Edward Gardner, Long Yu, Xian
Zhang and Pascal Rophé. 

 

Wong's two recordings for LINN Records have met with critical
acclaim. In his debut album Liszt Transfigured, he was awarded the 40th
Franz Liszt International Grand Prix du Disque by the Franz Liszt Society
in Hungary, in which he completed and edited Liszt's opera transcriptions.
For his second album, he recorded his version of Bach's Goldberg
Variations, drawing from the edition by Ferruccio Busoni. In 2023, Wong
released his first digital album, SWING! - for Platoon/Apple Music,
comprising jazz influenced music by Alexander Tsfasman and Maurice
Ravel, joined by the London Symphony Orchestra and Christoph Koncz. 

 

Wong currently resides in Berlin, where he finds time to write poetry,
make drawings, and compose.