'Lang Lang Is Back: A Piano Superstar Grows Up' diff viewer (0/1)

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Lang Lang Is Back: A Piano Superstar Grows Up	Lang Lang Is Back: A Piano Superstar Grows Up
2019-07-24 10:12:17 UTC	2019-07-25 16:02:08 UTC (1 day later)
It was late one afternoon this spring, and Madison Square Garden’s 19,000 seats were empty as Billy Joel and Lang Lang began jamming onstage.	It was late one afternoon this spring, and Madison Square Garden’s 19,000 seats were empty as Billy Joel and Lang Lang began jamming onstage.
Pop’s piano man had invited the superstar classical pianist to make a guest appearance at his sold-out April show at the Garden, and they were rehearsing a duet of Mr. Joel’s “Root Beer Rag” during the soundcheck, taking it from fast to blisteringly fast.	Pop’s piano man had invited the superstar classical pianist to make a guest appearance at his sold-out April show at the Garden, and they were rehearsing a duet of Mr. Joel’s “Root Beer Rag” during the soundcheck, taking it from fast to blisteringly fast.
Then they started goofing around. Suddenly they were trading riffs from Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto. They teamed up on some Bach. Finally, with Mr. Joel’s band looking on in surprise, the two launched into the thunderous opening of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.	Then they started goofing around. Suddenly they were trading riffs from Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto. They teamed up on some Bach. Finally, with Mr. Joel’s band looking on in surprise, the two launched into the thunderous opening of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
It was as good a sign as any that Mr. Lang — the world’s most famous, and bankable, concert pianist — still has his chops, after a career-threatening injury to his left arm in 2017 sidelined him for over a year.	It was as good a sign as any that Mr. Lang — the world’s most famous, and bankable, concert pianist — still has his chops, after a career-threatening injury to his left arm in 2017 sidelined him for over a year.
After rebuilding his strength and technique, he is returning in earnest this fall. He is again appearing with the world’s leading orchestras. He is again promoting a new album — his first in several years — as few other classical musicians can, with appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Good Morning America.” And he is again arousing the suspicion, if not outright hostility, of the classical field by applying lessons from the pop world to his career, trying to navigate a delicate balance between popularization and artistic integrity.	After rebuilding his strength and technique, he is returning in earnest this fall. He is again appearing with the world’s leading orchestras. He is again promoting a new album — his first in several years — as few other classical musicians can, with appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Good Morning America.” And he is again arousing the suspicion, if not outright hostility, of the classical field by applying lessons from the pop world to his career, trying to navigate a delicate balance between popularization and artistic integrity.
But he insists he is not the same man, or musician. Mr. Lang — who long maintained that his greatest fear was an injury that would leave him unable to play the piano, and therefore, as he once put it, “render me useless for life” — spent his forced sabbatical taking stock.	But he insists he is not the same man, or musician. Mr. Lang — who long maintained that his greatest fear was an injury that would leave him unable to play the piano, and therefore, as he once put it, “render me useless for life” — spent his forced sabbatical taking stock.
“I used the time,” Mr. Lang said in an interview, “to rethink everything I do.”	“I used the time,” Mr. Lang said in an interview, “to rethink everything I do.”
His health crisis hit at a pivotal moment. Mr. Lang, who recently turned 37, is at an age when he must navigate the next leg of the journey from wunderkind to mature — even veteran — artist. Such transitions are not easy, noted the conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim, a mentor of Mr. Lang’s and a former child prodigy himself.	His health crisis hit at a pivotal moment. Mr. Lang, who recently turned 37, is at an age when he must navigate the next leg of the journey from wunderkind to mature — even veteran — artist. Such transitions are not easy, noted the conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim, a mentor of Mr. Lang’s and a former child prodigy himself.
“Either the child goes and the prodigy remains,’’ Mr. Barenboim said, “or the prodigy goes and the child remains.”	“Either the child goes and the prodigy remains,’’ Mr. Barenboim said, “or the prodigy goes and the child remains.”
That Mr. Lang has taken the first course is evident to the conductor Franz Welser-Möst, the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra, who has known the pianist since Mr. Lang was a teenager.	That Mr. Lang has taken the first course is evident to the conductor Franz Welser-Möst, the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra, who has known the pianist since Mr. Lang was a teenager.
“We all go through phases, and I think there was a time when success sort of started to have a negative influence on him,” Mr. Welser-Möst said. “Then he was out of the business for health reasons for quite some time, which was a shock for him. Since then he has changed as a musician. Before he would sort of go for the show-off, virtuoso stuff — he was looking in the music for the virtuosic side of a lot of these pieces. Now he has matured. A lot.”	“We all go through phases, and I think there was a time when success sort of started to have a negative influence on him,” Mr. Welser-Möst said. “Then he was out of the business for health reasons for quite some time, which was a shock for him. Since then he has changed as a musician. Before he would sort of go for the show-off, virtuoso stuff — he was looking in the music for the virtuosic side of a lot of these pieces. Now he has matured. A lot.”
His pounding bit of soundcheck Tchaikovsky with Mr. Joel aside, Mr. Lang is taking a break from the crowd-pleasing Romantic war horses he made his name with. Critics sometimes complained that those pieces brought out a hammy side to his playing; now he is winning praise with a reduced schedule of more refined works by Mozart and Beethoven. Next season he will concentrate on Bach. In June, he married Gina Alice Redlinger, a pianist he met in Berlin after one of his concerts a few years ago, and is thinking about starting a family.	His pounding bit of soundcheck Tchaikovsky with Mr. Joel aside, Mr. Lang is taking a break from the crowd-pleasing Romantic war horses he made his name with. Critics sometimes complained that those pieces brought out a hammy side to his playing; now he is winning praise with a reduced schedule of more refined works by Mozart and Beethoven. Next season he will concentrate on Bach. In June, he married Gina Alice Redlinger, a pianist he met in Berlin after one of his concerts a few years ago, and is thinking about starting a family.
“We went through some difficult times already,” he said, adding that Ms. Redlinger had been a support when he was injured. “And she helped me along.”	“We went through some difficult times already,” he said, adding that Ms. Redlinger had been a support when he was injured. “And she helped me along.”
After spending more than half his life as a touring musician, he has decided to give fewer concerts. He plans to cut back to 70 or 80 a year, down from the 130 or so he had been doing before his injury — because he wants more time to, well, live his life, as well as to devote himself to educational projects.	After spending more than half his life as a touring musician, he has decided to give fewer concerts. He plans to cut back to 70 or 80 a year, down from the 130 or so he had been doing before his injury — because he wants more time to, well, live his life, as well as to devote himself to educational projects.
“I need those extra days, because otherwise you can’t really focus on everything you do,” he said.	“I need those extra days, because otherwise you can’t really focus on everything you do,” he said.
It’s not that the old Lang Lang — which is to say the young, flamboyant Lang Lang — has disappeared completely.	It’s not that the old Lang Lang — which is to say the young, flamboyant Lang Lang — has disappeared completely.
~~What~~ other classical ~~soloist,~~ after all, ~~would~~ be ~~making~~ a ~~cameo~~ at a Billy Joel ~~concert?~~ Who else could get Steinway to name a new line of grand pianos for him this year, the way guitar makers have long named instruments for stars like Eric Clapton and Les Paul? Or work with the director Ron Howard, who is developing a biopic based on Mr. Lang’s rags-to-riches upbringing in China? Or hold his wedding at Versailles with a party Marie Antoinette might have envied, and several columns’ worth of boldfaced names as guests?	Few other classical soloists, after all, make cameos at Billy Joel concerts. Who else could get Steinway to name a new line of grand pianos for him this year, the way guitar makers have long named instruments for stars like Eric Clapton and Les Paul? Or work with the director Ron Howard, who is developing a biopic based on Mr. Lang’s rags-to-riches upbringing in China? Or hold his wedding at Versailles with a party Marie Antoinette might have envied, and several columns’ worth of boldfaced names as guests?
But much has changed — down to his practice routine.	But much has changed — down to his practice routine.
Mr. Lang attributed his injury to overwork: He had been touring with several demanding pieces as he taught himself Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, written for Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in World War I. Mr. Lang wound up with tendinitis, as dangerous for a pianist as it is for a pitcher. It got bad enough that in April 2017, he decided to cancel a few months of concerts to recover; in the end, he took more than a year off.	Mr. Lang attributed his injury to overwork: He had been touring with several demanding pieces as he taught himself Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, written for Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in World War I. Mr. Lang wound up with tendinitis, as dangerous for a pianist as it is for a pitcher. It got bad enough that in April 2017, he decided to cancel a few months of concerts to recover; in the end, he took more than a year off.
These days, he is more careful. “I’m going back to basics more,” he said of his new approach to practicing, which he does for an hour each morning and evening. “It’s healthier.”	These days, he is more careful. “I’m going back to basics more,” he said of his new approach to practicing, which he does for an hour each morning and evening. “It’s healthier.”
On a recent morning in midtown Manhattan, he strode into a studio and carefully went through major and minor scales in every key. But now he stopped from time to time to stretch, pausing to slowly rotate his head over his shoulders, or to cross his arms over one another in front of his chest.	On a recent morning in midtown Manhattan, he strode into a studio and carefully went through major and minor scales in every key. But now he stopped from time to time to stretch, pausing to slowly rotate his head over his shoulders, or to cross his arms over one another in front of his chest.
“I want to build more muscles,” he said, “but without hurting.”	“I want to build more muscles,” he said, “but without hurting.”
A black S.U.V. eventually picked him up to take him to Newark for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new piano lab that the Lang Lang International Music Foundation had donated to First Avenue School — which has also received several dozen Roland digital pianos, along with Lang Lang Piano Method instruction books — as part of the foundation’s multimillion dollar commitment to expanding access to music education in underserved communities.	A black S.U.V. eventually picked him up to take him to Newark for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new piano lab that the Lang Lang International Music Foundation had donated to First Avenue School — which has also received several dozen Roland digital pianos, along with Lang Lang Piano Method instruction books — as part of the foundation’s multimillion dollar commitment to expanding access to music education in underserved communities.
As the car snaked through traffic, he spoke about his new album, “Piano Book,” his first release since he returned to the Deutsche Grammophon label — in part to take advantage of the better promotional opportunities available from being part of the Universal Music Group juggernaut — after several years with Sony Classical.	As the car snaked through traffic, he spoke about his new album, “Piano Book,” his first release since he returned to the Deutsche Grammophon label — in part to take advantage of the better promotional opportunities available from being part of the Universal Music Group juggernaut — after several years with Sony Classical.
His choice of repertoire on the album is almost a taunt to those who have found his artistic choices overly safe: “Piano Book” is a collection of short, mostly greatest-hits pieces, like Beethoven’s “Für Elise” and Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.”	His choice of repertoire on the album is almost a taunt to those who have found his artistic choices overly safe: “Piano Book” is a collection of short, mostly greatest-hits pieces, like Beethoven’s “Für Elise” and Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.”
“A lot of people were like: ‘Are you serious? You’re playing ‘Fur Elise?’” Mr. Lang said.	“A lot of people were like: ‘Are you serious? You’re playing ‘Fur Elise?’” Mr. Lang said.
But, he added, he recorded them because, quite simply, he likes them — and because, even though such chestnuts are played by students all over the world, it is not always easy to find quality recordings.	But, he added, he recorded them because, quite simply, he likes them — and because, even though such chestnuts are played by students all over the world, it is not always easy to find quality recordings.
The album was also engineered for music’s streaming age. Since big streaming services generate revenue each time a track is played, they reward albums with many short tracks over those with fewer long ones, as with most symphonies and concertos. Within four months of its release in March, Mr. Lang’s “Für Elise” recording had been streamed 5.1 million times on Spotify.	The album was also engineered for music’s streaming age. Since big streaming services generate revenue each time a track is played, they reward albums with many short tracks over those with fewer long ones, as with most symphonies and concertos. Within four months of its release in March, Mr. Lang’s “Für Elise” recording had been streamed 5.1 million times on Spotify.
Mr. Lang was born in 1982 on a military barracks in Shenyang, China, where his father, who played the erhu, a bowed Chinese instrument, had a job as an Air Force musician. His parents, whose grander artistic dreams were thwarted by the Cultural Revolution, when classical music was all but banned, got him a piano when he was still a toddler, and he often cites a Tom and Jerry cartoon, “The Cat Concerto,” in which cat and mouse fight through Tom’s attempt to perform Liszt, as an early influence.	Mr. Lang was born in 1982 on a military barracks in Shenyang, China, where his father, who played the erhu, a bowed Chinese instrument, had a job as an Air Force musician. His parents, whose grander artistic dreams were thwarted by the Cultural Revolution, when classical music was all but banned, got him a piano when he was still a toddler, and he often cites a Tom and Jerry cartoon, “The Cat Concerto,” in which cat and mouse fight through Tom’s attempt to perform Liszt, as an early influence.
But his parents struggled to pay for his musical education. When Mr. Lang was 9, his father left his job — he was a police officer by then — and moved with him to Beijing so that Mr. Lang could study piano more seriously. His mother stayed behind in Shenyang and worked so she could send them $150 a month, which they had to stretch to pay for rent, lessons and food.	But his parents struggled to pay for his musical education. When Mr. Lang was 9, his father left his job — he was a police officer by then — and moved with him to Beijing so that Mr. Lang could study piano more seriously. His mother stayed behind in Shenyang and worked so she could send them $150 a month, which they had to stretch to pay for rent, lessons and food.
His father pushed him relentlessly, Mr. Lang wrote in his 2008 memoir, “Journey of a Thousand Miles” — and even urged Mr. Lang to kill himself after he was dropped by his first teacher in Beijing. “Die now rather than live in shame,” Mr. Lang recalled his father saying. Mr. Lang’s father thrust a bottle of pills at him and told him to swallow them all before ordering him to jump off their balcony.	His father pushed him relentlessly, Mr. Lang wrote in his 2008 memoir, “Journey of a Thousand Miles” — and even urged Mr. Lang to kill himself after he was dropped by his first teacher in Beijing. “Die now rather than live in shame,” Mr. Lang recalled his father saying. Mr. Lang’s father thrust a bottle of pills at him and told him to swallow them all before ordering him to jump off their balcony.
Mr. Lang wrote that he almost gave up the piano then and there — punching the wall to hurt his hands, and giving up playing for months. But the moment of madness passed; father and son reconciled; and Mr. Lang returned to the piano, going on to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and eventually earn a place at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with its director, Gary Graffman.	Mr. Lang wrote that he almost gave up the piano then and there — punching the wall to hurt his hands, and giving up playing for months. But the moment of madness passed; father and son reconciled; and Mr. Lang returned to the piano, going on to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and eventually earn a place at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with its director, Gary Graffman.
“Technically, he was incredible,” Mr. Graffman recalled of Mr. Lang’s audition. “He had this communication thing. Yes, his hands went up to the ceiling and that sort of thing, but even if you closed your eyes, there was really this communication.”	“Technically, he was incredible,” Mr. Graffman recalled of Mr. Lang’s audition. “He had this communication thing. Yes, his hands went up to the ceiling and that sort of thing, but even if you closed your eyes, there was really this communication.”
When he was 17, his big break arrived as he filled in at the last minute for André Watts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was an overnight sensation.	When he was 17, his big break arrived as he filled in at the last minute for André Watts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was an overnight sensation.
His career took off just as China was emerging as a powerhouse of classical music: an important new market for recordings, a required stop on orchestra tours, and a major source of new artists.	His career took off just as China was emerging as a powerhouse of classical music: an important new market for recordings, a required stop on orchestra tours, and a major source of new artists.
But as the new generation of Asian musicians began to make inroads, they sometimes faced bias. In comedy sketches, Yuja Wang, another star pianist from China, has mocked the trope that Asian players have strong technique but play like soulless automatons. Mr. Lang said that his emotional, expressive style may have been in part a reaction to the stereotypes.	But as the new generation of Asian musicians began to make inroads, they sometimes faced bias. In comedy sketches, Yuja Wang, another star pianist from China, has mocked the trope that Asian players have strong technique but play like soulless automatons. Mr. Lang said that his emotional, expressive style may have been in part a reaction to the stereotypes.
“They were saying that Asians were kind of cold, that they were reserved,” he recalled. “From the very beginning, I always tried to do more.”	“They were saying that Asians were kind of cold, that they were reserved,” he recalled. “From the very beginning, I always tried to do more.”
He did. And with dazzling technique, exuberant showmanship, canny marketing — and by making the most of opportunities such as playing at the opening of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 — he became a superstar. Like other classical artists, he endorsed a Swiss watch. Far more unusual? He had a line from Adidas named for him, and played with Metallica.	He did. And with dazzling technique, exuberant showmanship, canny marketing — and by making the most of opportunities such as playing at the opening of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 — he became a superstar. Like other classical artists, he endorsed a Swiss watch. Far more unusual? He had a line from Adidas named for him, and played with Metallica.