His eye popping After all this, there still exists an intense
showmanship father / son bond that Lang Lang values very
and a talent for deeply. His father who travels with him is
musical commu- often seen playing the erhu (a Chinese string
nication in spades, instrument) with Lang Lang on the piano,
Lang Lang is an artist as an encore. The full story of Lang Lang’s
who keeps his audiences rise to stardom and his family life in China is
gripped and entertained. documented in his recently published memoir
Of late his critics have entitled ‘Journey of A Thousand Miles’ written
questioned his wide ranging with David Ritz (published by Random House,
anist
programmes, lack of sensitivity in eight different languages.)
and overall stage presence as fl ash Things changed when he went to study in
and crass. The same critics had in past the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in
hailed him as the hottest artist on the 1997 under the tutelage of Gary Graffman. His
classical music planet with the Chicago big break came when he auditioned for conduc-
Tribune’s music critic calling him “the tor Christoph Eschenbach and later fi lled in for
biggest, most exciting young keyboard talent I Andrew Watts at the 1999 Chicago Symphony
have encountered in many a year of attending Orchestra gala which later resulted in him
piano recitals’. performing on some of the world’s greatest
s

Pi
However while the critical camp has split stages and mastering recordings for Deutsche
somewhat over his style of playing and choice Gramophon which includes seven studio
of repertoire Lang Lang is rising above it all and albums, one compilation, two soundtracks, and
has matured and developed in his own right. three contributions to releases not under
His lush lifestyle of 5-star hotels and his name.
courtesy cars is far from what he was used Between concerts, recordings and celebrity
to as a student in China. Lang Lang’s father engagements Lang Lang has also established
recognised his son’s talent very early on after his international foundation to support the
he won a piano competition at the age of fi ve. musical education of young people. Today
His father sacrifi ced his job to take him to study some 50 million children are studying music in
in Beijing, while his mother stayed at home China, 36 million of them the piano. Lang Lang
in Manchuria to earn money as a telephone is also a Steinway artist and helped launch a
engineer. At 9 he was practising six hours a day, children’s piano now being marketed in China
learnt the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto at 10 as the ‘Lang Lang’ Steinway. The prototype was
and Rachmaninov’s Third at 11 as well as many auctioned in Beijing to benefi t Unicef’s
Mozart and Beethoven concerti. At 13 he played programme to help children with Aids in Yunnan.
the complete Chopin Etudes and won the Despite his taste for glitzy spectacle and his
Tchaikovsky Junior Competition in Japan, which overtly exaggerated persona, Lang Lang is also
launched his Asian career. a serious musician who is motivated and has
The conditions were harsh and ‘downright been described as ‘a work in progress’. That
squalid at times’ and were worsened by the Lang Lang has more to offer is unquestionable.
psychological abuse from his ‘uber-dominiant’ He has dazzled the world with his fantastical
father Guoren Lang who at one point ordered and highly virtuosic performances the
his son to jump off the balcony or take an question now is what we can expect from him
overdose of pills. Instead Lang Lang tried to in the future!
destroy his hands by punching walls, screaming
‘I hate my hands. I hate you. I hate the piano’. Lang Lang performs on 2 February 2010, 8pm
Though restrained by his father he refused as part of The Irish Times Celebrity Concert
to talk to him or play the piano for months Series 2009/2010. Tickets from €30 on
afterwards. 01 417 00 00 or www.nch.ie
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