Maison Francis Kurkdjian presents Playing with Fire: an Immersive Odyssey with Yuja Wang”  at the Philharmonie de Paris 

Inaugurated at the Musée de la Musique in Paris in November 2025, Playing with Fire is a visual, musical and olfactory experience that blends augmented and virtual reality.  Conceived by Artistic Director Pierre-Alain Giraud, the experience celebrates the brilliance of Yuja Wang, internationally acclaimed Chinese-American pianist and Friend of Maison Francis Kurkdjian. 

The experience begins as a concert where visitors are seated around a  Steinway & Sons Spirio piano, the world’s most refined high-definition automatic piano, on which the pianist performs in augmented and then virtual reality. The notes and pieces draw the audience into a succession of fantastical scenes designed by Icelandic artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir, echoing the different pieces interpreted by Yuja Wang: Jeux d'Eau by Maurice Ravel, L'Oiseau de feu by Igor Stravinsky or Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy. 

Each of these musical and visual universes is complemented by a specific olfactory accord composed by Francis Kurkdjian and diffused throughout the space. Inspired by his exchanges with Yuja Wang and then immersed in her interpretations, he has sought to capture the nuances and intentions of her playing to create an 8-part olfactory score that can be played in harmony with the other senses. 

“Throughout my conversations with Yuja Wang, and later while immersing myself in her interpretations, I sought to capture the nuances of each of the eight musical chapters. composing olfactory impressions that reflect the variations of her incandescent and virtuosic playing." - Francis Kurkdjian

Co-produced by Atlas V and Vive Arts, Playing with Fire has been unveiled to the public for the first time at the Musée de la Musique in  Paris, with performances until May 3, 2026 ahead of an international tour.