PIANO fans will be able to hear romantic and modern pieces from young master Zhang Haochen this May.

    The program will include “Scenes From Childhood” by Robert Schumann, his “Symphonic Etudes,” Janacek’s “In the Mists,” two pieces from the “Transcendental Etudes” by Liszt and Sergei Prokofiev’s “Piano Sonata No. 7 in Bb Major.”

    Schumann’s “Scenes From Childhood” is a set of 13 piano pieces written in 1838.

    “More cheerful, gentler, more melodic” than his earlier works according to the composer himself, this piece is certainly not for children to play or intended for a young audience. The music of emotional maturity and sophistication evokes the emotional world of children, in the way an adult looks back upon their past. Popular during his time, the work remains today an audience favorite, with the No. 7 “Reverie” being one of Schumann’s best known pieces and was used as the opening and closing musical theme in the 1947 Hollywood film “Song of Love.”

    Schumann’s “Symphonic Etudes” is a set of etudes for solo piano, considered one of the most difficult works for piano by Schumann and in piano literature as a whole.

    The last substantial piano solo work by Czech composer Janacek, “In the Mists” is somewhat similar to impressionist works, in particular those of Claude Debussy.

    Liszt’s dazzling “Transcendental Etudes” are a set of sublimely moving sound illustrations as well as extremely difficult technical studies. Falling among the most demanding music by the virtuoso, they’re designed to build performance skills and be engaging and enjoyable at the same time. Each has a unique sound and its own special challenges for the performer.

    Zhang will perform No. 5 (“Will o’ the Wisp”) and No. 12 (“Snowstorm”) of the set. The former depicts the ghostly flickering lights which sometimes appear over swamps at twilight. Folklore attributes these strange lights to all sorts of fairies and spirits, which Liszt illustrated with a playfulness. The latter depicts the icy wind and deep snow in a blizzard, where Liszt used fast runs on the keyboard to illustrate the frenzy of the snowstorm.

    Finally, Zhang will play Sergei Prokofiev’s “Piano Sonata No. 7 in Bb Major.” Occasionally called “Stalingrad,” the sonata composed in 1942 is the second of the three “War Sonatas.” One of Prokofiev’s most dissonant pieces for the piano, the piece expressed his true feelings toward the world around him.

    Local classical music fans are already very familiar with Zhang, a 26-year-old pianist from Shanghai who has won the heart of audiences and critics with a combination of enchanting, sensitive lyricism and hypnotizing forcefulness in his performance.

    In June 2009, Zhang became the youngest and the first Chinese competitor to be awarded the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Gold Medal at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He has toured around the world as a soloist and performed with world-renowned orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic.

    Zhang is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied under Gary Graffman, who was also the teacher of Lang Lang and Wang Yuja. He was previously trained at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Shenzhen Arts School, where he studied with Professor Dan Zhaoyi.

    Time: 8 p.m., May 29

    Tickets: 100-480 yuan

    Booking: 400-610-3721

    Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)

    Metro: Line 3 or 4, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(Debra Li)