Tickling the Ivories with Flash, Panache
This article originally appeared in the Houston Chronicle newspaper, on March 6, 2008.
by Colin Eatock
Some years ago, the legendary musician Artur Rubinstein remarked on the abundance of talented young pianists at large in the world. “But when they come on stage,” he added sarcastically, “they might as well be soda-jerks.”
Had Rubinstein lived long enough to see Lang Lang play, it's unlikely he would have criticized the Chinese pianist for lack of stage presence. The flamboyant Lang has been called many things ranging from “a true and beautiful artist” to “grossly self-indulgent,” but no one can deny he has a strong personality and has made a big splash in the classical music world.
In an interview Saturday in Toronto, the first stop on the North American tour that brings him to Jones Hall tonight to play Chopin's Concerto No. 2 with the Houston Symphony — Lang defended his flashy style, on stage and off.
“It's who I am,” he says, going on to explain how his life has shaped his attitudes. “I'm from China, and we don't have a long tradition of classical music in China. Beethoven is a hot new composer! And I've learned a lot from Americans, to be creative and not afraid of breaking rules. I'm not like some classical musicians who are very shy and very introverted. I'm a very open person.”
And so he is, until the name of China's other superstar pianist, Yundi Li, is mentioned. Lang is clearly not comfortable with the widely held notion that China's two leading pianists are locked in a bitter rivalry.
“I don't want to talk about any colleagues,” he says flatly. “There's no rivalry; this is just the media making up a story.” End of discussion.
At 25, Lang is in full bloom: He's fit and handsome, a trendy dresser, and his fashionable hairstyles have become a trademark. Like many young men, he's interested in movies and sports. Yet in some ways he seems both older and younger than others his age.
He's been on the international circuit for almost a decade now, playing more than 100 performances annually. This has made him experienced beyond his years. In addition to his regular concerts, he frequently appears at high-profile events: He's played for England's Queen Elizabeth II, and at a Nobel Prize concert in Stockholm. On New Year's Eve, he performed at the opening of Beijing's new National Centre for the Performing Arts. He's already recorded 10 CDs for Deutsche Grammophon and Telarc. There's even an autobiography in the works, which should be in print by July.
However, Lang still considers himself a student. Feeling the need to delve more deeply into the roots of classical music, he takes lessons from pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim in Berlin and also coaches with former Houston Symphony conductor Christoph Eschenbach in Paris and Philadelphia.
“From Daniel, I've learned so much about European tradition,” he says.
“And Christoph Eschenbach is my second father; we're very close.” (It was with Eschenbach and the Orchestre de Paris that he recently recorded a Grammy-nominated CD of Beethoven's Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4.) “These are my two main teachers.”
And like the child prodigy he once was, he still travels with family members. On his current tour, he's accompanied by his mother. Indeed, his parents have been deeply committed to his career at every step.
When the opportunity arose for the 9-year-old Lang to study in Beijing, his father moved to the Chinese capital with the boy, while his mother remained in the family's hometown of Shenyang to work and support the family. They were difficult times, and Lang's father had to take out loans so the wunderkind could enter international competitions.
Nevertheless, Lang was in the right place at the right time: After suppression during the Cultural Revolution, the piano made a big comeback in China. Today there are millions of piano students in the country, although Lang takes a skeptical view of this phenomenon.
“In China,” he says with a wry smile, “playing the piano is a luxury or a fashion. I don't think many people really care about the music, or love the art. I think 80 percent of the children who play the piano in China are doing it because their parents are pushing them.”
Still, he's pleased with the strides that China has made in the field of classical music, and he believes strongly in the power of music to enhance relations between nations. He points with pride to the New York Philharmonic's recent trip to North Korea. For this initiative he has much enthusiasm, and he gives full credit to Zarin Mehta, the Philharmonic's president, for making the tour happen.
“This was Zarin's idea,” he says. “He talked to me about it in Beijing before he went to North Korea for negotiations. At that time he was still not so sure. The day after I spoke to him, he went to North Korea and when he came back, he said the orchestra would go.”
To Lang, such gestures are more than mere window-dressing.
“Look at the Philadelphia Orchestra, 35 years ago. Right after Nixon visited, the Philadelphia Orchestra went to China. The Chinese and American people were afraid of each other, but when the orchestra came, this shadow was gone. And now they're going back, 35 years later. Pop stars cannot change the culture, only classical music can do this. The American national anthem was never played in North Korea before, so already a bridge has been built. I'm happy that it's classical musicians who are making a difference.”
Making a difference is what it's all about for Lang, who intends to establish a foundation to provide financial assistance to gifted young pianists.
“My goal is very clear,” he states with conviction. “I want to make the classical music world bigger.”
© Copyright Colin Eatock 2008
by Colin Eatock
Some years ago, the legendary musician Artur Rubinstein remarked on the abundance of talented young pianists at large in the world. “But when they come on stage,” he added sarcastically, “they might as well be soda-jerks.”
Had Rubinstein lived long enough to see Lang Lang play, it's unlikely he would have criticized the Chinese pianist for lack of stage presence. The flamboyant Lang has been called many things ranging from “a true and beautiful artist” to “grossly self-indulgent,” but no one can deny he has a strong personality and has made a big splash in the classical music world.
In an interview Saturday in Toronto, the first stop on the North American tour that brings him to Jones Hall tonight to play Chopin's Concerto No. 2 with the Houston Symphony — Lang defended his flashy style, on stage and off.
“It's who I am,” he says, going on to explain how his life has shaped his attitudes. “I'm from China, and we don't have a long tradition of classical music in China. Beethoven is a hot new composer! And I've learned a lot from Americans, to be creative and not afraid of breaking rules. I'm not like some classical musicians who are very shy and very introverted. I'm a very open person.”
And so he is, until the name of China's other superstar pianist, Yundi Li, is mentioned. Lang is clearly not comfortable with the widely held notion that China's two leading pianists are locked in a bitter rivalry.
“I don't want to talk about any colleagues,” he says flatly. “There's no rivalry; this is just the media making up a story.” End of discussion.
At 25, Lang is in full bloom: He's fit and handsome, a trendy dresser, and his fashionable hairstyles have become a trademark. Like many young men, he's interested in movies and sports. Yet in some ways he seems both older and younger than others his age.
He's been on the international circuit for almost a decade now, playing more than 100 performances annually. This has made him experienced beyond his years. In addition to his regular concerts, he frequently appears at high-profile events: He's played for England's Queen Elizabeth II, and at a Nobel Prize concert in Stockholm. On New Year's Eve, he performed at the opening of Beijing's new National Centre for the Performing Arts. He's already recorded 10 CDs for Deutsche Grammophon and Telarc. There's even an autobiography in the works, which should be in print by July.
However, Lang still considers himself a student. Feeling the need to delve more deeply into the roots of classical music, he takes lessons from pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim in Berlin and also coaches with former Houston Symphony conductor Christoph Eschenbach in Paris and Philadelphia.
“From Daniel, I've learned so much about European tradition,” he says.
“And Christoph Eschenbach is my second father; we're very close.” (It was with Eschenbach and the Orchestre de Paris that he recently recorded a Grammy-nominated CD of Beethoven's Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4.) “These are my two main teachers.”
And like the child prodigy he once was, he still travels with family members. On his current tour, he's accompanied by his mother. Indeed, his parents have been deeply committed to his career at every step.
When the opportunity arose for the 9-year-old Lang to study in Beijing, his father moved to the Chinese capital with the boy, while his mother remained in the family's hometown of Shenyang to work and support the family. They were difficult times, and Lang's father had to take out loans so the wunderkind could enter international competitions.
Nevertheless, Lang was in the right place at the right time: After suppression during the Cultural Revolution, the piano made a big comeback in China. Today there are millions of piano students in the country, although Lang takes a skeptical view of this phenomenon.
“In China,” he says with a wry smile, “playing the piano is a luxury or a fashion. I don't think many people really care about the music, or love the art. I think 80 percent of the children who play the piano in China are doing it because their parents are pushing them.”
Still, he's pleased with the strides that China has made in the field of classical music, and he believes strongly in the power of music to enhance relations between nations. He points with pride to the New York Philharmonic's recent trip to North Korea. For this initiative he has much enthusiasm, and he gives full credit to Zarin Mehta, the Philharmonic's president, for making the tour happen.
“This was Zarin's idea,” he says. “He talked to me about it in Beijing before he went to North Korea for negotiations. At that time he was still not so sure. The day after I spoke to him, he went to North Korea and when he came back, he said the orchestra would go.”
To Lang, such gestures are more than mere window-dressing.
“Look at the Philadelphia Orchestra, 35 years ago. Right after Nixon visited, the Philadelphia Orchestra went to China. The Chinese and American people were afraid of each other, but when the orchestra came, this shadow was gone. And now they're going back, 35 years later. Pop stars cannot change the culture, only classical music can do this. The American national anthem was never played in North Korea before, so already a bridge has been built. I'm happy that it's classical musicians who are making a difference.”
Making a difference is what it's all about for Lang, who intends to establish a foundation to provide financial assistance to gifted young pianists.
“My goal is very clear,” he states with conviction. “I want to make the classical music world bigger.”
© Copyright Colin Eatock 2008