Seven Castles

Lang Lang

                                      

August 22, 2006

 

Lang Lang, one of the best-known Chinese pianists in the world, was born in 1982 in Shenyang. When he was two, he was watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon. The rhythm of the chase scenes went perfectly with the piano music - Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2. It was fantastic and he knocked the tune out right after on the piano at his home. The talent he displayed then fully convinced his father that Lang Lang would be a world famous pianist one day. Lang Lang began to take piano lessons at the age of three. At the age of five he won the Shenyang Piano Competition and played his first public recital. Four years later, he got the chance to study at the Central Music Conservatory in Beijing. When he was 11, he won the first prize at the Fourth International Young Pianists Competition in Germany.

 

At 15 he began his studies with the great pianist Gary Graffman at Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, USA, from which he graduated in 2003. The institute is very competitive and they enroll piano geniuses across the world. He became the first Chinese student that Curtis had ever accepted. During his study there he made rapid progress and became a top professional pianist.

 

A decisive career breakthrough came on August 14, 1999, when he was a dramatic last-minute replacement (introduced by Isaac Stern) for pianist André Watts, who suddenly fell sick and could not play at the famous Ravinia Festival ("Gala of the Century") in America, playing the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Chicago Symphony and Christoph Eschenbach. Lang impressed the audience with his splendid piano skills. What is more, he awed them with exaggerated facial expressions and abundant hand gestures. The performance was a great success. He became a big sensation overnight, hailed by Chicago Tribune as the biggest, most exciting keyboard talent encountered in many years!

 

Since then, as a talent mature beyond his age, he has received countless invitations from top musicians and orchestras who want to perform with him. He has also given solo performances at some of the most prestigious venues. Celebrated in all the music capitals of the world, he has demonstrated an extraordinary level of musicianship in the widest range of repertoire. His artistry and ability to connect with audiences on a personal level has established him as an international sensation and one of the most exciting and sought after artists of our time. Now he gives more than 150 concerts a year. He plays sold-out recitals in all the major halls of the world. He played at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala and the opening ceremony of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He has been seen by millions of television viewers throughout the world. He has also been featured in newspaper and magazines. His talent is matched by his ebullient personality, making him an ideal ambassador for classical music and a role model for young people.

 

Taking Lang Lang's dream as his own, Lang Lang's father even quit his job in the police and accompanied Lang Lang to Beijing. For over ten years, he followed Lang Lang everywhere he went, not only as a father, but also as a manager, tutor and friend. Putting Lang Lang's picture on his desk alongside two of the great masters, Schubert and Beethoven, Lang Lang's father hoped that his son might one day gain real familiarity with those famous names. It was Mozart Sonata that made Lang Lang reconsider his decision to stop learning the piano. Despite giving on average over 150 performances around the world every year, he still finds time to practice and learn new works from the giants of the tradition. When not playing piano, he is an ordinary and energetic young man who takes pleasure in cartoons, movies and a gentle stroll in the woods. He is also fond of conducting and composing.

 

He is now a resident of Philadelphia and a worldwide ambassador for Rolex and an ambassador for Audi.

 

【作者: zhangliping】【访问统计:】【2006年08月22日 星期二 05:51】【 加入博采】【打印】