Joyful, lovely, wonderful is every way! - from a 63 yr old professional concert musician, violist, violinist, teacher, composer, cathedral choirmaster and organist who is a bass singer, specialist in men and boy choirs and music director AND still going strong - lol. I loved this Lang Lang!!!
I love the joy in his face. You can also tell that he is really enjoying the conversation between hands, the question answer, especially in the 3rd movement.
I was at the Lyric Opera in Chicago last night. My wife is a huge Lang Lang fan. I generally prefer Bach on a pipe organ or harpsichord. Lang Lang got to me last night. The Andante made me cry. His interpretation was full of soul. I think Bach would have approved.
I used to think Lang Lang couldn’t do Bach, he was a sheer Romantic Period pianist. But this piece he’s playing is his “Take that!” to me. A unique interpretation and beautifully played.
It never sounded like this when i played it, but then nothing ever did sound like much when i played it. Loved this version-so crisp, so clear, so melodious-so much heart! Papa Bach would have loved it too I think. Thank you Lang Lang. Cathy J.
One of the most beautiful works of J.S. Bach composed for the piano ( in this century ). And this performance of Lang Lang is the best I have ever heard. Especially the third movement is of extreme beauty.
Third movement is luminous :-) It feels like Mozart himself is playing Bach... Lang Lang is a genius, no question, and we are so lucky he lives, breathes and plays piano nowadays. Still, when it comes to the Italian Concerto, I wish he could someday listen to Alfred Brendel's Andante...
What a wonderful tuned and sounding pianoforte, especially the bass notes are very rich and full. To the player all is said....PS: It´s a Fabbrini Steinway. Absolut stunning!!!
tbh without Lang Lang I probably won't buy a piano. I like piano pieces like this and other baroque/classical stuff but his interpretations and the music he makes made me buy and learn piano I'm only 14 ! the piece I currently work on is Bach's Prelude in C Major and Lang Lang said in his interview "once you memorize a Bach piece, you can memorize all the phone number you want" is very true LOL ight have a good day to those small percentage of people who actually read this comment :)
Nice Roblox dude! I’m 13 and I’ve been studying piano for 6 years, trust me, Baroque pieces are really fun! My favourite composers are Bach, Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Debussy! Good luck!
I have learned the Andante. I love Lang Lang's voicing. With so much colors. I've got your pedalling! So clean. You are a master of the master. I like how he makes Bach so cheerful with high energy. Bravo.
+Antonio Coppola haha You could never know What Bach would think in his coffin..So it´s a shitty cooment. I don´t necessarily think this is one of the best interpretations of Bach, but Bach himself (J.S.) could tell the same about Gould recording, Schiff etc.
I am not and never have been a fan of Lang Lang but I confess that this performance was fresh, vibrant and unlike any rendition of this work I have heard till now (and I have heard dozens over the last 45 years). Glenn Gould once told Bruno Monsaingeon that the role of the artist -- when presenting a war horse like the Italian Concerto -- was to bring to the audience an experience that was unique. I believe that Lang Lang has done so with panache and real artistry while staying true to the composer's intentions.
An interesting admission then, and all the more of a compliment that anyone could hope to have seen one supply, or at least, "for this performance", and in general a concession for him as a pianist, and musician, altogether.
I already said elsewhere that this guy could piss me off as hell but also make me climb to heaven ... Absolutely beautiful performance ... and how i would like to be able to play this piece.
He plays this even more beautifully than Gould who has been my hero for the past fifty years. The "voicing" in the first movement, the exquisite emotion of the second and the boundless energy in the last is a joy to the ear and soul! And there is no more difficult music to perform on a keyboard instrument than music of the Baroque era.
A light touch of total uncompromising control, but never felt to be forced. The softest of certain 🎵notes🎵 seem suspended in thin air....and then comes the darker 🎵notes🎵 providing a voice of contrast not distraction. The piano voices its masters will with a compromise of oneness. Bravo Maestro Let the Music play on and on....👏🎹👏🎵🎵🎵
Splendid interpretation! The 1st and final movements, full of joy and energy, represent the day. The middle one, with its meditative mood, represents the night.
No wonder Lang Lang plays at the Royal Albert Hall twice each year and at Carnegie Hall annually.A great performance here, but please do upload Tchaikovsky's Seasons and the 4 Chopin Scherzi when possible.
You guys always saying how langlang's playing has disgusted you. langlang is only in his 30's and you like to compare him with pianists who had been playing for a lifetime or already died or just old enough to be great... He is one of the youngest best pianists in our age and he is getting better whenever he starts to play something new, not to mention that he sometimes interprets the same piece differently in different concerts. Why do not you haters compare him to Bach himself.. How could you possibly know how Bach himself would want the interpretation to be? Or why would you do the comparison at all? If you do not like it play yourself the way you want you funny creatures of criticism.
So hard to think of a Name some people are just jealous and need to get their own frustration out on the internet😂😅 i wanna hear them play it better and with more passion first ;-)
Matt Ferrara if you can not accept that art is something very subjective and different for everyone, you're a very poor artist yourself, if even. Who are you to judge others performances and feelings about music? Besides, do you know if Bach would not have enjoyed this? Honestly, if you got time to hate on someone as kind as Lang Lang just bc he's in the public and earns probably more than 10times of what you do, you're just a pretty poor human being as well :-) have a great day!
I know you made this comment quite a while ago, but to say that dynamics and legato are most needed in Bach's music betrays your ignorance, given that Bach composed pieces for harpsichord: these are pieces intended to be played without dynamic indications (aside for straight forte/piano), without legato, without pedal, where both hands are played at the same tone as they both carry the melody. If anything Lang Lang's playing is the truest to Bach I have heard.
Concierto Italiano de Bach no es del carácter funeral, es sublime obra con toque de pasión y anhelo de vivir pleno y alegre, pese a desgracias, es una filosofía italiana siempre vivir feliz, pero es un arte vivir feliz, exacto esto nos da contemplar genial pianista con su interpretación magistral del fuego divino, que difícil olvidar, bravo Lang Lang !!!!
Crispy! Lively, Lovely... The pleasure or fun is to hear so many different styles by players, this is very entertaining :) And I am a Bach fan throughout! Singing a lot of everything classical . Ignore the thumbs down, they are too serious. Alway's keep an open mind, especially for creativity, expression and interpretation. I call it freedom.
Not a fan of Lang but his rendition of this masterpiece is simply outstanding. He plays the left hand with such clarity and brilliantness of rhythm which gives full credit to the polyphonic spirit of this concerto!
But he's still being a smart allick. Showing off. Such pride... even... for the pain he endured as a child. I want to hear some of his compositions. He's already got enough money to buy a block of N.Y. Horwitz suffered with the same kind of problem. If you know what I mean?
It is interesting to read the comments. There are so many critics, who are trying to act as experts. Music is like any other form of art. It is not just the notes that count, it is the artist's interpretation, just as painters paint their interpretation of what they see. Some we may like, others we don't, but that doesn't make either one bad. The fact that Lang Lang can play this music makes him great whether he can play it to each individuals likes or not.
I disagree. Interpreters are obligated to perform within the borders the composer gives them. If you cross those borders you are being disrespectful towards the composer.
Wow, I didn´t know there are so many Bach's Incarnations, should I haven´t read the comments. Nevertheless, I enjoy this interpretation of Lang Lang very much, so beautiful, so rich of fine feelings. Amazing!
I like his originality, his creativity, he is very "alive" very present......... anyway, I love to hear different interpretations and his one is very personal. Thank you for posting this video
I like how Lang Lang makes every line of voices sings independently and harmoniously, with its own presented characters and emotions. At this time, his both hands were together, not much rubato which is the style of the music. Very much hope he thinks more about his later interpretation for the Goldberg V. He is so unusually talented, so he is being expected so high😅
Excelente la interpretación de Lan Lang de esta obra que no es para piano el le da un toque maestro a las distintas frases que redescubre la obra para escucharla hasta de otra manera sin cambiar ninguna nota es la interpretación maestra y la técnica maravillosa del pianista
Bach provided the notes. He left few, if any, instructions on how they were to be played. He himself was a master of improvisation and is surely looking down with approval on Lang Lang's performance here.
i've heard gould, schiff, etc play this same piece. i somehow like lang lang's interpretation. bach purists would probably object to some aspects of his playing. but one can't deny that he makes the piece exciting and fresh.
I am far from a purist but I find this interpretation hard to listen to. It's boring the way he accentuates the highest notes all the time. He is just not getting the piece across as a whole, it's very fragmented and unimaginative to my ears.
Susan Drakenviller i guess i have a lot more to learn about bach. i'd be quite interested in whose performance of the italian concerto you prefer. i just listened to peter serkin's version while driving and i have to say i prefer lang lang's performance. i've also listened to richter play the piece. at least to my less sophisticated ears, lang lang brings out the counterpoint in this piece better than most other players. i think it has a lot to do with his less orthodox use of dynamics.
Leo Legaspi First I am not claiming that you or anyone else has less sophisticated ears, I am just giving an opinion. I like a more broader approach or mix like Glenn Gould's or Schiff that you mentioned yourself. I do think Lang Lang's playing of the different voices is very crisp and exciting but the repeated use of accents for example on high notes (that already stand out) just kills it for me and it begins to sound childish. Also when Bach writes some harmonic and/or rhythmic variations for example, Lang Lang often also adds a different phrasing as well. That can be fun but if you do it too much it's too much sugar and it just breaks the overall 'narrative' of the piece in favor of interpretive acrobatics. I agree it brings some freshness to the piece and playing it that way can open you ears again to the music, but it's more a one-off than repeated listening for me. I play this stuff myself and I often reach a stage where I start to play more like Lang Lang does (slightly less excellent mind you), just because I played it too much and you start to add stuff it doesn't really need. However Lang Lang can get away with this because he is so incredibly good.
Susan Drakenviller I think I understand your point. I play Bach myself (on classical guitar) and it was only when I heard John Williams, whose playing some find a little too cold and analytical, that i got to appreciate Bach. When I listened again to Segovia play Bach, I was quite disappointed in his phrasing and liberal use of glissandi and rubato which tended to break the overall narrative of the piece, as you found in Lang Lang's interpretation. I admit though - the guy's really good. Any pianist who can make me listen again to a piece that masters like Gould "own", will always be appreciated. I wonder how Lang Lang would play this piece when he gets to be Schiff's age?
The best thing to do with Lang Lang is to NOT watch him. That way you ignore his physical, let us say, extremes. Just listen. His tone is pure. And the left hand, as another commentator noted, is marked by clarity and brilliance. A rather refreshing take on Bach. I, too, was -- I confess -- surprised that I like his Bach. But I do. Indeed, I like his Bach quite a bit.
+Manon Liaudat un phénomène de cirque qu'il est très cher de qui se contente. Vous essayez d'écouter le Concert Italien exécuté par Andres Shiff et vous entendrez le vrai Bach. Ici j'ai écouté Lang Lang seulement.
+Antonio Coppola "le vrai Bach" (vous n'ignorez pas que du temps de Bach on jouait sur clavecin et que le piano n'existait pas ?), "phénomène de cirque"... quel mépris ! J'adore l'interprétation rythmée et sans fioriture de Lang Lang.
+Leo Light chaque opinion est légitime et respectable même si ne partagée pas. À mon avis Lang Lang est un grand pianiste pour les gens qui se contente.
I cannot stand baroque experts. I knew one and it is arrogant to think that only they know what Bach wanted. Performance practice is a topic of discussion. How can one say that there is one way of playing Bach?! For one thing, no one plays the same way. If that is the case, it would be very boring. Why???? It is too predictable.
I'm totally comfortable with Langlang's joyous and effusive expressions. Why do we have to bound ourselves to only the pianists with a serious look and stone cold face? What's wrong with being open and extroverted about the face expressions?
Ich habe das selber gespielt. Ich war Organist, spielte Grossmeister Bach ein langes Leben lang, täglich in seine Musik hineinhorchend, die Botschaft zu erkennen und wiederzugeben so, dass er seine Freude daran gehabt hätte hoffentlich. Ha, kein langweiliger Ton - war meine Devise. Von Lang Lang habe ich schon sehr Vieles gehört. In meinen Ohren ist er heute einer der Allerbesten der Besten! Hier nun kann ich seinem Bach-Dialekt im ersten Satz nicht folgen. Es fehlen mir eine Portion Ernsthaftigkeit und das, was er eigentlich perfekt sonst tut: Kleine Agogik und Dynamik ins Spiel bringen, zeigen, wenn ein Bogen zu Ende geht, und so fort. Gespannt darauf auf den zweiten Satz war ich. Ha, da höre ich wieder die Botschaft so, wie sie übertragen werden kann. Schön, der zweite Satz! Und nun, Satz III? Tut mir leid, staccatissimo gespielt, so lustig ist das nicht gemeint, dazu ein bisschen zu schnell, da kommt das Herz nicht so recht mit. Im Gegensatz zu Satz I aber zeigt er hier, wie sonstens von ihm gewohnt, sehr sehr viele Details liebevoll. Vielleicht ist die Sprache Bachs nicht die, welche Grossmeister Lang Lang nahesteht. Von Mozart bis Rachmaninov, dort erlebe ich ihn als "hier bin ich zuhause, schaut euch diese grossartige Architektur und all diese wundervollen Details an". Ich sage es nochmal. Trotz dieser Kritik ist Lang einer der Allerallerbesten, mit Wang, mit Ott, mit Buniatishvili, Uchida, Barenboim, mit oh, es ist ein Dutzend!
Glen Guld,Andras Schiff,Argerich,Cortot,Maria Yudina,Murray Perahia,Richter,Gilels,Benedetti Michelangeli,David Fray,Annie Ficher,Clara Haskil,Radu Lupu,Volodos,Zacharias,Leonskaja,Leiv Ove Andsnes,Vasary,Katsaris and of course Helene Grimaud. Lang Lang is a showman,perhaps the Liberace of these days
