Global superstar pianist Lang Lang will return to Guangzhou Opera House to perform Johann Sebastian Bach’sGoldberg Variationson August 20, 2020. What an exciting event for classical music fans in Guangzhou!
Lang Lang has long been a superstar pianistbecause of his remarkable achievements in classical music. With his long-term commitment to the popularization of music and active involvement in social and cultural activities, Lang Lang’s appeal has gone far beyond the field of music, and expanded to all aspects of social and cultural life. Lang Lang plays sold-outconcertsthroughout the world and whether you are professional musicians or music fans, it would be a precious experience to hear Lang Lang’s fresh take on the iconic Baroque work.
Piano recital programs usually consist ofmore than one musical work. However,for this recital, the Goldberg Variations makes the entire official program. Thisis an iconic masterpiecewith exquisite structure andrich colors.With its high demands fortechnical virtuosity and musicality, this piece is often regarded as a milestone in aconcert pianist’s career. The two recordings by Glenn Gould, the legendary Canadian pianist, are almost a must-have for music fans. Musicians have tried to performthe Goldberg Variations on all kinds of instruments, includingpiano, harpsichord, harp, guitar, brass instruments, folkinstruments, and manymore. Thismasterworkhas also been widely used in film music,including The Silence of The Lambs and The English Patient.
There is an anecdote between Lang Lang and the Goldberg Variations.In 1999,after the concert where the 17-year-old Lang Lang filled in for pianist André Watts and which led to his first big break in the world, he was invited back to the concert hall. Without any prior preparation, Lang Lang played this over 70-minute long masterpiece from memory, which was later called “a miracle in the history of music” by Chicago Daily News. However, until this year, Lang Lang has never performed the complete Goldberg Variations in public.
In March, 2020, Lang Lang started histour ofthe Goldberg Variationsin his wife Gina Alice's hometown, Wiesbaden. Thatwas Lang Lang's first public and complete performance of this masterpiece and it was highly praised by the press. On March 5, Lang Lang played the Goldberg Variations in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig, Germany, where Bach was buried. What a great honor fora pianist!
Lang Langhas beenhoping to record the Goldberg Variationslong before. After years of dedicated work, his first recording of this iconic work, including his live performance at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, will finally be coming out soon. What an exciting experience tohear Lang Lang livebefore this recording comes out!
In order to prevent copyright infringement before the publication of the recording, cellphones are strictly prohibitedthroughout the concert.
About Lang Lang
Lang Lang is a leading figure in classical music today – as a pianist, educator and philanthropist he has become one of the world’s most influential and committed ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century. Equally happy playing for billions of viewers at the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing or just for a few hundred children in the public schools, he is a master of communicating through music.
Heralded by the New York Times as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet”, Lang Lang plays sold-out concerts all over the world. He has formed ongoing collaborations with conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Barenboim and Christoph Eschenbach and performs with all the world’s top orchestras. Lang Lang is known for thinking outside the box and frequently steps into different musical worlds. His performances at the GRAMMY Awards with Metallica, Pharrell Williams or jazz legend Herbie Hancock were watched by millions of viewers.
For about a decade Lang Lang has contributed to musical education worldwide. In 2008 he founded the Lang Lang International Music Foundation aimed at cultivating tomorrow’s top pianists, championing music education at the forefront of technology, and building a young audience through live music experiences. In 2013 Lang Lang was designated by the Secretary General of the United Nations as a Messenger of Peace focusing on global education.
Lang Lang started playing the piano aged three, and gave his first public recital before the age of five. He entered Beijing’s Central Music Conservatory aged nine, and won First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians at 13. He subsequently went to Philadelphia to study with legendary pianist Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute of Music. He was seventeen when his big break came, substituting for André Watts at the Gala of the Century, playing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach: he became an overnight sensation and the invitations started to pour in.
Lang Lang’s boundless drive to attract new audiences to classical music has brought him tremendous recognition: he was presented with the 2010 Crystal Award in Davos and was picked as one of the 250 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum. He is also the recipient of honorary doctorates from the Royal College of Music, the Manhattan School of Music and New York University. In December 2011 he was honoured with the highest prize awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China and received the highest civilian honours in Germany (Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) and France (Medal of the Order of Arts and Letters). In 2016 Lang Lang was invited to the Vatican to perform for Pope Francis. He has also performed for numerous other international dignitaries, including four US presidents and monarchs from many nations.
Programme
J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
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