One can only be gratefulfor the equally flamboyant Chinese pianist Lang Lang, who has created his own niche, almostsingle-handedly bringing forth a new awareness of the great Romantic classicaltraditions. He is stillregarded as a youthful prodigy at the age of 27.
His prodigiousness mayhave preceded his birth. Lang Lang’s music-loving mother played Westernclassical recordings continuously during her pregnancy, hoping for a giftedson. He was born June 14, 1982, in Shenyang, China. Whatfortune brought his mother was an eager tyke who was playing the piano at age 2after hearing a Liszt Rhapsody in a “Tom and Jerry” cartoon. He gave his firstpublic concert at 5, winning the Shenyang Piano Competition. He entered Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music at 9 and woninternational fame at the Young Pianists Competition in Germany at 11.His appearances with the Chicago Symphony in 1999 at age 17 finalized hissuccess.
Since then Lang Lang hasmade several TV appearances and performed on the soundtrack of the film Painted Veil.
He has none of the icy, bloodlessprecision often decried as a shortcoming of some fine Asian performers, nordoes he try to “redefine” the composer’s intentions with intrusive mannerismsof his own, although he has sometimes been criticized as “flashy and willful.”
Nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. His most idolizedpianist is the great Arthur Rubinstein, whose renditions of Chopin andRachmaninoff have neverbeen equaled. From this great Romantic pianist, Lang Lang has quoted thedictum, “The right hand may embellish the rubato to whatever poetic heights,but the left hand maintains the steady tempo to which the movement must alwaysreturn.”
RecordingsSpeak Volumes
Lang Lang’s own finerecordings speak volumes of his re-energized Romanticism. His RachmaninoffSecond Piano Concerto begins with an uncharacteristically slow introduction, asif preparing the listener for the soon-to-come dramatic configuration of theoften taken-for-granted firstmovement, but more importantly leaningtoward the nostalgic yearning of the great adagioa favorite of several filmscores. Lang Lang views this most poignant of all concertos as all of a piecerather than a series, avoiding the sleight-of-hand sentimentalism that cloysthe familiar melodies.
His approach toTchaikovsky is very Russian. He admits to a love for the neighboring country’smusic. Once more Lang Lang displays his misunderstood “willfulness” byhighlighting the andante’s temposto a savoring, quiet reticence, although audiences are more accustomed tohailing the boisterous warhorse of a first movement.
His feeling of centralunity works even better in his superb recordings of the Chopin concertos. Thiscomposer was never much of an orchestrator and his early concertos are not hisbest work, but Lang Lang caresses themusic with a tentative touch, allowing the listener to fully savor the slowmovements, the heart of the compositions. He does not allow the pieces’wayward, often-uncertain development to diffuse their poetic wholeness orpermit the truly beautiful moments to slip away.
Beethoven’s Fourth PianoConcerto is the first to really surpass the work of Mozart. Its tricky serenityis untypical for this composer, but the drama is carefully submerged in thatglorious first movement cascade. According to Lang Lang, “It is almost impossible tofind the relaxation necessary to begin the opening themeyou feel alone andpowerless.” Like the famous Rubinstein recording, Lang Lang lets the workbreathe at its own tempo, treating the dramatic moments as refreshing asides.
Lang Lang’s uniqueperception of this musical culture may not have come from his nativebirthright, but he embraces it with a new, refreshing understanding thatderives not just from a love of music, but with a feeling for music’s universalgreatness. Apart from his superbmusical gifts, this is something for which music lovers should be grateful.Like all the greats, he is one of a kind.
Lang Lang will play Prokofiev’s PianoConcerto No. 3 with the Milwaukee SymphonyOrchestra at 7:30 p.m. on April 21 at the Marcus Centerfor the Performing Arts.
