Chinese pianist Lang Lang: biography, personal life

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Great contemporary pianist Lang Lang was born a child prodigy. This happened in the city of Shenyang (Liaoning Province), which was the capital of Manchuria three hundred years ago. By mid-April 1982, when the future pianist was born, it was already a fairly large financial and cultural center.

The start of the journey

At two years old, the baby was lucky enough to fall in love with the piano under the influence of the American cartoon about Tom and Jerry (everyone remembers how excellent Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 was performed). That is why, at the age of three, pianist Lang Lang began studying at the conservatory, immediately with Professor Zhu. It was 1985. And in 1987, the little pianist Lang Lang won his first victory - the first prize of the Shenyang piano competition.

In 1991, the boy was accepted to study at the main conservatory of China in Beijing, where he also found a new mentor - Zhao Pingguo, also a professor. In the same year, pianist Lang Lang supplemented his biography with a new and much more significant victory: he received the main prize in the Fifthpiano competition in China. Three years later, in 1994, the conquest of Europe took place. Twelve-year-old Chinese pianist Lang Lang won the Fourth International Competition for Young Pianists in Germany.

Craftsmanship

A year later, at the next stage of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, which was hosted by Japan, pianist from China Lang Lang performed Frederic Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 2 (with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra). At the same time, the public heard his interpretation of all twenty-four Chopin etudes. Thirteen-year-old Chinese virtuoso pianist Lang Lang has conquered the world with his musicality, original arrangements and exceptionally noble taste.

In 1997 his American life begins as the family emigrated to Philadelphia. Young talent now needs to be studied at the Musical Institute by Harry Graffman, a student of Vladimir Horowitz. And success follows success. In 1999, he performed Tchaikovsky's First Concerto with the famous Chicago Symphony Orchestra, causing exceptional delight in the press around the world. Then dense concert activity begins.

Concerts

At some concerts there were almost as many listeners as the stadium can accommodate. For example, in Beijing. Over the next few years, the young man played in the best concert halls in the world: in London and Washington, Paris and Vienna. Traveled extensively in Asia and America. In 2002 he won the Leonard Bernstein Award for his extraordinary musical talent. After a year of this younga person will be named among the twenty teenagers who will change the world.

In 2003, a CD recording by Grammophon (Germany) was released, which did not leave the first stage of the ratings for more than forty weeks. A year later, a concert was also recorded, which took place at Carnegie Hall. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) honors the young pianist with an ambassadorial position, after which Lang Lang actively fights against malaria in African countries. This does not interfere with his musical career at all. In 2006, Lang Lang received the title of "Musician of the Year" after a concert in Berlin.

Today

Lang Lang is now considered the world's brightest classical pianist and the finest of musicians, as repeatedly noted by The Times magazine. In addition, the Chinese pianist was named one of the hundred most influential people in the world. During these few years, an enormous repertoire has been accumulated, including only thirty-seven concertos for piano and orchestra. There are few pianists in the world (there is only one Chinese, and that is Lang Lang) who have played with all five of the most famous orchestras in the world.

It would seem that there are a dime a dozen fine pianists at the present time, just not to count, any major competition shows this, especially the Moscow Tchaikovsky. And all of them have impeccable technical skills, brought up by an absolute ear for music taste. Lang Lang's coordination is amazing. So only Svyatoslav Richter could: his signature, giving an autograph, he performed without tearing off his pen in Latincalligraphically - Richter, turning into mirror writing in a single line. And Lang Lang knows how to give two autographs at the same time. His left hand and right hand work the same way.

Private life

Lang Lang is a magnificent pianist not only due to high-class finger acrobatics, he is charming in his emotions and cannot but be liked by a non-musician. But not all musicians like it. He gives more than one hundred and fifty concerts a year. This is an unthinkable figure for a pianist of his age. Plus a very high saturation of social activities. There is very little time left for personal life.

However, Lang Lang always finds time for those who are not so successful. That is why he is a paradoxical figure, which cannot but cause controversy, and enthusiasm, and discontent at the same time. As a pianist, he is not typical of today, as his popularity is comparable to that of any rock or movie star.

Disputes

And in disputes, too, there are no pronounced two sides in opinions. The former say that the secret of such success is in poetry, and now everyone has such a technique. The latter laugh: his playing, they say, is unmistakable, like that of all Chinese pianists, more similar in mechanicalness to a computer. Still others speculate that as a youth, Lang Lang was the reincarnation of Horowitz, and is now so commercialized that the beauty of his sound is devoid of real content. And all these people are professional musicians.

For example, conductor Yuri Temirkanov cannot stand flirting with the public, which is what he told the pianist: "One more smile - and that's it, we don't play anymore." But very, very many critics say that the pianist still manages to convey to the listener the true beauty of the music he performs, and this is not narcissism at all. Lang Lang is a popularizer, and he sees this as his main task.

Interview

This pianist has been a charismatic magician since childhood. Now he is an adult. And when he performed in Russia in 2017, he gave several interviews, preceded by a request not to remember his jokes with Chopin's étude, performed with an orange, with Flight of the Bumblebee, played on the iPad, and much more. Some journalists had no questions left after this request.

Asked about using influence as one of the 100 most influential on the planet. It turns out that the pianist does a lot of musical projects, and he also has his own foundation. And he considers it his duty to pass on classical music to the next generations. The Chinese pianist opens music schools all over the world: in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, China. Now the project continues in Europe. For Chinese children, he considers it important to receive an international musical education, brings teachers from abroad, and teaches himself.

Russian School

All Chinese teachers of this pianist once studied in the Soviet Union. And his American teacher has a Russian school, and what a one! Now he knows both Italian andGerman, and some other European pianistic schools. And he changes the methodology when studying: Prokofiev plays in Russian, and Beethoven tries to perform in German.

And even the most captious opponents are forced to admit: the musician does it superbly. Every time he proves that it is not in vain that he bears the title of the best pianist of our time on a global scale. He has a stunningly beautiful sound filled with power and emotion, true lyricism and poetry.