He’s not called a superstar for nothing. There are concert pianists, and there are capital-letter Concert Pianists. Lang Lang is unquestionably among the latter. A consummate musician, a pianist who immerses himself so totally in the music that it’s almost if he’s the only person in the room, he’s also a showman. He’s not just a joy to listen to, he’s beautiful to watch. His movements are balletic – the graceful way he moves his hands, the gentle incline of his head as he draws the music from the keys. And of course, there’s his superb musicianship.
Lang Lang opened this Romantic program with Fauré’s much-loved Pavane Op. 50, a movingly lyrical work played to perfection. If you’ll allow me a small foray into purple prose, when Lang Lang played the pianissimo parts, an image of a fairy dancing on moonbeams sprang, unbidden, into my mind. A wonderful choice to begin the concert, the Pavane created the atmosphere for what followed.
Schumann’s Kreisleriana is a burning work expressing a range of intense emotions, and as such requires a sensitive artist to truly convey this. From the tender to the frenetic, effortlessly segueing between the composer’s many moods, Lang Lang brought to life all the joy, longing, turmoil, and drama that Schumann, a deeply troubled man, wished to express in his music.
The second half of the program began with Chopin’s Mazurkas, a series of harmonically brilliant dances full of light and shadow, and like his polonaises, reflecting the composer’s love of his Polish homeland. The mazurkas range between playful at times, and grave or contemplative, and all carry the lyricism characteristic of much of Chopin’s oeuvre. Lang Lang has such a light touch, seemingly caressing the keys, before employing a more vigorous approach, as befitted the mood of each mazurka. I’ve rarely enjoyed Chopin as much as I did this performance.
The same can be said of the rather imposing Polonaise, Op. 44. A work of enormous richness, there are moments that take simply your breath away. A fabulous finale, this polonaise is a crowd-pleasing piece for sure, and with such a bold, assured pianist at the helm, well, I don’t need to tell that you the entire audience was utterly riveted, everyone hanging on to every note. By the way, it was wonderful seeing so many children in the audience, many no doubt aspiring concert pianists themselves. As the crowd applauded, a great many on their feet, Lang Lang was met with a sea of hands reaching up towards the stage, and he kindly high-fived as many as he could. And so he left the stage, applause still ringing in his ears.
Clearly, there was no way he’d get away without an encore. Such a generous performer, Lang Lang delighted audiences with not one, not two, but three encores! First was a gloriously passionate performance of Liszt’s Liebesträume, followed by de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance, which was played with a virtuosic feverish energy that permeated the auditorium.
The third encore was a traditional Chinese song, Jasmine Flower (arranged for the piano by Schindler), and played so gorgeously you could almost feel smell the jasmine’s scent. Lang Lang imbues all his playing with such emotional depth. This was a stunning performance and an enriching concert experience.
