Scriabin in China: A Salon Concert and Cultural Exchange in Xi’an

In August 2026, Scriabin Club founder Martin Kaptein was invited to Xi’an, China, to present the music of Alexander Scriabin as part of a piano recital conceived in the intimate tradition of the European salon concert.

Xi’an holds an exceptional place in Chinese history and culture as one of the country’s great ancient capitals. For this reason, the city was deliberately chosen by the organisers and the Scriabin Club as a meaningful starting point for a deeper cultural exchange with China.

The programme placed Scriabin within a broader European musical context. It opened with Debussy’s Ballade, followed by Scriabin’s Fourth Piano Sonata, Op. 30, Chopin’s Revolutionary Étude, and, after the interval, a complete performance of Schubert’s Piano Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960.

At the centre of the programme was Scriabin’s Fourth Sonata, a work standing at a decisive point in the composer’s development. Written in 1903, it still retains the lyricism of his Romantic beginnings while already pointing toward the visionary and mystical musical language that would increasingly define his later works.

The salon setting was an intentional part of the event. Rather than separating performer and audience through the conventions of a large concert hall, the format created space for listening, conversation and exchange — recalling the intimate environments in which much nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century musical culture originally flourished.

Following the recital, the evening developed into a wider discussion with young participants about music, art and the importance of culture. Several young Chinese students also performed short works themselves, followed by comments and discussion at the piano. In this way, the event became more than a concert: it created a space in which different musical traditions, experiences and perspectives could meet directly.

The event was organised with the involvement of Ji Si and Chris Walker, whose work helped make both the salon concert and the surrounding cultural exchange possible.

For the Scriabin Club, the visit represents an important first step toward deeper artistic and cultural connections in China. Scriabin’s music has always reached beyond the boundaries of the conventional piano repertoire: it invites questions about art, philosophy, transformation and the role that culture can play in human life. Seeing these questions continue in conversation with a new generation of listeners and musicians in Xi’an made the encounter especially meaningful.

We hope that this first visit will lead to further musical and cultural exchanges in China in the future.

Follow the Scriabin Club on Instagram at @scriabinclub and Martin Kaptein at @martinkaptein.