Lang Lang: Live at Carnegie Hall (2003)

Perennial prodigy

I heard Lang Lang performing this recital a few years ago here in Amsterdam. And, last year, I saw him in Beethoven's 4th piano concerto. More than enough.

Suffice it to say that Lang Lang has a serious problem: at age 26, he still is a child prodigy. He hasn't the slightest idea of the profundity and emotional depth of, for example, Schubert's Wanderer Fantasie. His "interpretation" of Beethoven's piano concerto was a joke. Lang Lang hides his musical immaturity with mannerism, exaggeration and childish showmanship. The guy has no other choice.

Let's hope this extremely gifted pianist will mature in the near future. If not, I think he will be forgotten within 5 years from now.
May 25, 2008

The Lang Lang Controversy

One has to watch this DVD to find out exactly why Lang Lang's reception as a concert pianist has caused such a wide gap between critics and audience.

I could not imagine, not even now that am quite well-acquainted with his performance style, that he could bring such genuine vitality to pianoforte performance, and at the same time, so devastatingly but convincingly distort the music that he is playing.

Purists will undoubtedly `spam' his totally unorthodox performance upon viewing this DVD. Some may even say his style borders on vulgarity: look at his expression in the approach to the finale of the last movement of Haydn's Sonata.

However, the video also tells quite a lot about the artist himself, if one could sift through the jumbling notes and flashy virtuoso, and take a honest look at the various `expressions'.

Lang Lang was about 21 or 22 when this was being shot. He has not changed (or improved) his performance style much since. As one of his very early teachers Prof. ZHU Ya-fun so aptly pointed out, Lang Lang was the `monkey king' among her young students: he could barely sit still, and if so, only at the pianoforte. Alas, Lang Lang has not managed to `out grow' this trait.

Most child prodigies suffer from slow developments when grown up. Lang Lang does not appear to be the exception.

So is the music really so `bad' as most critics pointed out without hesitation, or is the performance so `dazzling' as most amateur viewers claim?

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Granted that Lang Lang possesses all the requisite technique and prowess, there is reason to demand from him a more `decent' or mature performance. This, however, would be to deny Lang's true nature. I for one am most appreciative of Lang Lang's intellectual honesty - he never feigns the style of other renowned performers like Horowitz, but INVARIABLY plays as himself. What the critics object so vehemently - that everything he plays is `Lang Lang', and not Schubert, or Beethoven, or Chopin - only holds water if the performance is a genuine expression of the performer himself/herself and not feigned, as most other non-Western performers do at the early stages of their performing careers. And to the `accusation' of being non-Western, this is a true statement as regards Lang Lang, since he grew up with Chinese traditional music, his father being a Chinese musician performing a traditional Chinese instrument showed in this DVD.

The recommendation for this DVD lies in the superlative keyboard technique and genuine musical communication by the young pianist. For truly great interpretation of these pieces, look for the old wine instead of the new. May 15, 2008

Wunderkind debut

First off, the piano playing is suberb. Lang Lang, like most of the new breed of classical concert pianists, has no problem wrestling with the black monster of flashing white teeth. He is "master of his domain." He's also a somewhat self-indulgent puppy; a "saucy baggage," as the Elizabethans might put it. This makes his concerts a great deal of fun. The splashy Don Giovanni reminiscences are whipped up into a fine Lisztean lather. And yet, and yet. . . the Schumann "Traumerei" encore is simple and immensely touching. Carnegie Hall is absolutely still, time has stopped. This young man is going to be really impressive as he matures, if he doesn't lose his way. The camera work is a bit ho-hum, but I don't know what the restrictions are in Carnegie Hall. Lang Lang's facial contortions really bother some viewers. I don't believe he is really conscious of them. And what does it matter? This is playing with heart on sleeve. The program is a little unfocussed: a grab-bag of Schumann, Schubert, Haydn, Tan Dun, and Liszt. He introduces his father for one of the encores: I bet that's a first for Carnegie Hall. Deutsche Grammaphon really hypes their stable: the featurettes are doting, cloying, almost obscenely adoring. Well, I guess the company's got to make a buck. Anyway, recommended on the whole. June 14, 2007

I Adore Lang Lang

Lang Lang is adorable, period. He makes the most boring paino pieces sound great. I am a fan of Chopin, Liszt and Beethoven and never liked Schumann or Schubert. But with Lang lang's performance, Schuman and schubert's works start to sound pretty darn good. Lang Lang is of course a great pianist but most of all, he is a great performer. Please note that not every good pianist is a good performer! I watched the performance of "Martha Argrich with friends," it was unbearable for me to take the whole thing, probably becuase the recording was bad also. She couldn't bring the boring Schumann alive for me. In fact, she even made my Chopin sound like Schumann...

Lang Lang on the other hand makes everything interesting. His facial expression is a bit too much at times, can be distracting for some people. But I guess it is just what makes Lang Lang "Lang Lang." I tend to laugh out loud when I look at his excessive expressions. I am sure it is bad if i sat in the concert hall and watched, but it is fine when watching it at home.

The quality of the DVD is good. The piano sounds wonderful. Enough shots at handworks and boy, his hands are like dancing or what! I am very pleased with my purchase of this DVD. March 20, 2007

A Neophyte Review of Lang Lang: Live at Carnegie Hall

This review will not be as euridite as some you have read who are very knowledgeable about music -- particularly piano. I have just recently returned to piano lessons after an absense of about 30 years, at least. It was my teacher who introduced me to Lang Lang and I was memorized by his performance at Carneigie Hall. Also, the written review in the booklet that came with the DVD gave such an excellent brief on his life from his first lesson at the age of three until recent years is awe inspiring; and you understand that when a child is born with a natural talent, this gift just has to be cultivated -- and that is what has happened with Lang Lang. For those who are just becoming interested in the classics and particularly the skill of the pianist, I can only say you are in for an outstanding experience in watching this DVD. It blew my mind to hear and see him with full orchestra and thrilled to watch the conductor bring it all together. This is a must. January 9, 2007

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