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Joined: Oct 2010
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I would be curious about who the other 49 are--but I don't see anything about this on the BBC link? I don't know if there's a direct link to the list, but click on 'Programmes', then 'Breakfast' and you should be able to see the list so far: it's not yet reached 50 (there's another week to go yet - this morning, his choice is Evgeny Kissin). You can also hear his comments and selected performances and photos of the pianists he's selected via another link called 'Clips'. This is what Donohoe said about Lang Lang: 'His stage act and theatrical way of playing has led to his being dismissed as a showman by so many....but what they choose to ignore is his almost superhuman technical abilities which include control of the instrumental sound as well as the quite unbelievable effortlessness with which he plays the most transcendentally difficult pieces, and his obvious genuine love of the music itself, and his extreme intelligence......Lang Lang is not at all narcissistic...'
If music be the food of love, play on!
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Why is his technique particularly good? Who can give me some examples from youtube? I don't see how his technique is better than any other top level virtuoso.
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I am bored if I can´t see that a pianist enjoys what he´s doing. Maybe the music around is excellent. But the all over performance too often let me receive a whiff of death. And such feelings block the reception of the music, so that the quality of the music itself does not matter anymore to full extend.
I receive that Lang Lang is alive, when performing, soulful, and therefore enjoyable. Like I enjoy seeing a baby discovering that it´s alive. To see new life being aware of itself is a pleasure. Such feelings open my ears and only then I get the music fully. Only now I am in the position to start to wonder about the quality of the music.
So, I think he´s doing an excellent job - being one of the few real ambassadors for the piano and its music - and for life.
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I am bored if I can´t see that a pianist enjoys what he´s doing. Too bad. Many great recordings are audio only. But you'll never know they are great, being bored and all.
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I don't know if there's a direct link to the list, but click on 'Programmes', then 'Breakfast' and you should be able to see the list so far: it's not yet reached 50
Thanks! I like the fact that he calls it '50 great pianists' and not 'the 50 greatest.'
1989 Baldwin R
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I'm really glad Art Tatum made the list. He makes everyone look like amateurs in my opinion.
"I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well."
J.S. Bach
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....as selected by Peter Donohoe, former Tchaikovsky Competition winner, on BBC Radio 3's Piano Season which is currently running ( www.bbc.co.uk/radio3). Lang Lang is by far the youngest pianist in his selection so far, and Donohoe tweeted (?twitted) immediately after the broadcast on 'Breakfast Show' (Saturday 20th October, around 15 minutes in at 0715) that he was putting on his tin hat in anticipation of the flak that would be coming his way...  . He praised Lang Lang's 'extreme intelligence' as well as his 'almost superhuman' technique. In my experience, virtuoso concert pianists like Donohoe tend to see past Lang Lang's stage mannerisms and listen to his piano playing per se much more so than armchair critics (and many amateur pianists... ) who have a more conservative view of classical music and musicians. Donohoe has also included two jazz pianists (Art Tatum and Oscar Petersen) in his selection so far. There's nothing about Lang Lang's technique that is superhuman. Leave superlatives to that to pianists like Sokolov, Argerich, Hamelin, and Pollini who consistently program the biggest and most problematic pieces in the literature and legitimately astonish audiences. Lang Lang is a good pianist with a high profile; no more.
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Look,
I don't think that there are many people who were idiots, or ugly, or acting like jerks, or being too narcisists that were that high profile as Lang Lang is... There are reasons why Lang Lang is at the very top, and while most are probably not musical, this only makes him more clever I think.
Personally I despise his videos, but don't mind the audio itself! There...
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There are reasons why Lang Lang is at the very top, and while most are probably not musical... But he certainly probes the profound and mysterious depths of the Yellow River Concerto more astutely than any other recording I have heard. It should be on BBC's Desert Island Discs.
Jason
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I have to say, for me his sound is rather thin and gaunt, contrary to what one might think. I've never heard him live, though -- maybe it's how he's recorded.
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I thought it was fascinating to watch Barenboim work with Lang Lang on Beethoven's Appassionata in this masterclass: http://www.forte-piano-pianissimo.com/DanielBarenboimMasterclass.htmlAlthough I was never a huge fan of Lang Lang's interpretations, I respect his musical knowledge and was truly impressed by his quick grasp of what Barenboim was trying to convey, as well as his remarkable technique which enabled him to instantly turn those conceptions into music. I was also impressed by the way he respectfully collaborated with Barenboim and was willing and enthusiastic about trying the new ideas presented to him.
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I thought it was fascinating to watch Barenboim work with Lang Lang on Beethoven's Appassionata in this masterclass: http://www.forte-piano-pianissimo.com/DanielBarenboimMasterclass.htmlAlthough I was never a huge fan of Lang Lang's interpretations, I respect his musical knowledge and was truly impressed by his quick grasp of what Barenboim was trying to convey, as well as his remarkable technique which enabled him to instantly turn those conceptions into music. I was also impressed by the way he respectfully collaborated with Barenboim and was willing and enthusiastic about trying the new ideas presented to him. I agree, bellamusica. And I also sensed that Barenboim respected Lang Lang as well. I've only heard Lang Lang in live performance once (Mendelssohn PC #1), and I thought it was top notch. Not only did he give the virtuosic passages their due, but he made the 2nd movement sing, and played it with great sensitivity IMHO. And the audience gave him his due with a standing ovation. I've also seen a few interviews with LL, and he simply doesn't strike me as a narcissist. He speaks with great humility and seriousness about music, and I'm not surprised that he would be open to learning all he could from Barenboim or any other pianist. Maybe I'm easily conned, but I don't think so.
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... and was truly impressed by his quick grasp of what Barenboim was trying to convey, as well as his remarkable technique which enabled him to instantly turn those conceptions into music. I was also impressed by the way he respectfully collaborated with Barenboim and was willing and enthusiastic about trying the new ideas presented to him. In my experience this description would apply to most masterclasses.
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There are reasons why Lang Lang is at the very top, and while most are probably not musical... But he certainly probes the profound and mysterious depths of the Yellow River Concerto more astutely than any other recording I have heard. It should be on BBC's Desert Island Discs. I agree - he finds more poetry as well as plays with effortless brilliance where required in that piece than anyone else, including the likes of Yundi . But my favorite recording of him is in Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No.1, where he finds more depth and beauty in the slow movement than anyone else, as well as getting a truly Mendelssohnian fairy-like lightness of touch in the filigree writing in the outer movements, and then the fury of the final pages, which shows why technique and musicianship are inextricably linked in great virtuosi.
If music be the food of love, play on!
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oddly, (and truely) I just watched Lang Lang's Carneghie Hall Debut last nite.
It's nice to read people write about him positively. I am blown away by his talent, in fact I might watch that Carneghie Hall DVD
again today.
I mean no disrespect but i have to think of the talented sing/dancer who produced Gangnam Style.. what a piece... Psy There is a similarity between Lang Lang and Psy and his piece.. so over the top. I wish i could dance like Psy and play like Lang Lang - I'd be so famous.
Again, thanks for not being so snarky about Lang Lang (you know who you are).
accompanist/organist.. a non-MTNA teacher to a few
love and peace, Õun (apple in Estonian)
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oddly, (and truely) I just watched Lang Lang's Carneghie Hall Debut last nite. I'm quite certain he got a terrible review for that recital. He did pause longer(with his eyes closed and leaning backwards at a 45 degree angle from vertical) after his performance of Chopin's Nocturne than maybe any pianist in history. I was going to yell "Wake up!"but restrained myself at the last second. Only fairly recently have the reviews generally been more positive. But the NY Times review of even his most recent Carnegie Hall recital was mixed at best: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/arts/music/a-lang-lang-solo-recital-at-carnegie-hall.html?_r=0But, as I have said many times, I think what LL has done to popularize classical music far outweighs any(what I see as)deficiencies in his playing.
Last edited by pianoloverus; 10/24/12 08:09 AM.
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But my favorite recording of him is in Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No.1, where he finds more depth and beauty in the slow movement than anyone else, as well as getting a truly Mendelssohnian fairy-like lightness of touch in the filigree writing in the outer movements, and then the fury of the final pages, which shows why technique and musicianship are inextricably linked in great virtuosi.
It was well reviewed and I've been curious to hear it for myself. The last part of your post (italics mine) is spot-on.
Jason
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Really enjoyed the Lang Lang concert on BB4- he played Schumann's Widmung beautifully. He had good rapport with the audience- "Let's enjoy Liszt together!" His enthusiasm for classical music I liked- he spoke of how it is passionate and exciting- so many people are stuck listening to pop music chart drivel and don't know what they are missing! A young boy about 10 plays piano brilliantly in London on a classic fm video and he says his inspiration is Lang Lang. If he continues to inspire a talented child pianist who could become a professional pianist that is good.
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Really enjoyed the Lang Lang concert on BB4- he played Schumann's Widmung beautifully. He had good rapport with the audience- "Let's enjoy Liszt together!" His enthusiasm for classical music I liked- he spoke of how it is passionate and exciting- so many people are stuck listening to pop music chart drivel and don't know what they are missing! A young boy about 10 plays piano brilliantly in London on a classic fm video and he says his inspiration is Lang Lang. If he continues to inspire a talented child pianist who could become a professional pianist that is good.
Unlike some classical musicians I could name (not just pianists), he refuses to cross over into the Dark Side, namely 'crossover', even when he plays in rock venues and engulfed in fake smoke.......
If music be the food of love, play on!
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I thought it was fascinating to watch Barenboim work with Lang Lang on Beethoven's Appassionata in this masterclass: http://www.forte-piano-pianissimo.com/DanielBarenboimMasterclass.htmlAlthough I was never a huge fan of Lang Lang's interpretations, I respect his musical knowledge and was truly impressed by his quick grasp of what Barenboim was trying to convey, as well as his remarkable technique which enabled him to instantly turn those conceptions into music. I was also impressed by the way he respectfully collaborated with Barenboim and was willing and enthusiastic about trying the new ideas presented to him. I actually felt the complete opposite. To be honest, considering how much hate LL gets, I thought the performance would be downright vulgar, but it wasn't. It was just decidedly mediocre. LL's mannerisms were annoying and clearly suggested to me that he saw the first movement of the Appassionata as only a virtuoso romantic showpiece rather than an expression of deep tragedy, nobility and struggle. I then tried listening to the performance blind so that I wouldn't be distracted by Lang's stage mannerisms, at which point I just heard rather listless and mediocre playing. This sonata has been recorded so many times, and when you have heard live recordings of say, Richter and Gilels, it's pretty clear that LL still has a long way to go, both in terms of technique and musicality.
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