It’s easier to describe what Playing With Fire is not. It is not a conventional classical music concert. It does not include an appearance of Yuja Wang in person.
What it is, instead, is a collaboration between the pianist, the director Pierre-Alain Giraud and artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir, produced by Vive Arts and Atlas V.
It’s a virtual reality experience lasting 45 minutes, in which we see a digital avatar of Wang ‘playing’ nine pieces of music programmed on the Steinway Spirio piano.
As a member of the audience, wearing your headset, you can walk around the space or stay seated and enjoy the visuals. I recommend doing both, and turning round to catch different aspects of the virtual world as the show progresses.
At one point, the audience avatars you ‘meet’ when you pass by another person develop monstrous heads; there is a large expanse of water, fires, and a swooping firebird.
Bubbles float and structures tower; and if you approach the piano you can just have a moment close by the soloist in your own little private recital. The experience can feel a little overwhelming at times as images flood in from all sides.
There are staff in the room to help if you need their assistance throughout, and a digital grid warns you when you are approaching the walls. I stayed within one side of the room, but spent quite a bit of time just standing still and enjoying the VR spectacle.
Those nice pieces include work by Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, Liszt, Prokofiev, Brahms, and Chopin. Writer/director Pierre-Alain Giraud is co-creative director with Gabríela Friðriksdóttir.
Playing With Fire is part of the Creative Intelligence Festival, featuring talks, events and experiences. Its images and worlds are completely original and not generated by AI. Wang herself chose the pieces you hear and Friðriksdóttir created the original artworks.
This is a hugely enjoyable experience but pace yourself if you have neurosensivity or balance issues. With only a few people admitted per showing, you can wander safely alone or in a group.
I’m giving this 4.5*. It is a clever use of technology inspired by classical works; and Wang, of course, is spectacular even in her absence.
Playing with Fire: An Immersive Odyssey with Yuja Wang is at Spirit Level, Southbank Centre, until 3 Jan. Tickets here.
Photo credit: VIVE, Louise Penn