the reason Lang Lang is a popular world class virtuoso is not only because of his dazzling technical proficiency - which by itself, would be enough to earn him this pedestal, but that AND the combination of keeping his little boy inside himself which wonders at each note that his adult body is playing - as if the adult Lang Lang is providing, through the beautifully sensitive proficiency, a secret garden through which the child Lang Lang mysteriously wanders, sometimes caught by surprise and tiptoeing with caution through the hanging arbors, and then sometimes joyfully bounding into notes as if they are a big fresh pile of autumn leaves. If you carefully follow along with his body language and emotionalism - in his eyes, his hands, the turn of his head, his gaze up into the heavens, etc... trying as hard as you can to vicariously feel every pause, every passage and every energetic run, just as much as he does - you will have left the piece delightfully spent.
Thanks, but no thanks. Like an ever-growing number of viewers, I find his body language and emotionalism (eyes, hands, upward gazing, etc.) overwhelmingly offensive, undignified, cheap, pseudo-theatrical, unprofessional and, ironically enough, an obnoxious hindrance (anything but an aid!) to one's hope of concentrating on the music. A totally irrepressible showman/actor/ kind of pianist, he has singlehandedly ushered in a style that can be partially described as "smile as you play". Knowing that this would get his audiences to whisper spiritedly to each other, "such charisma!", he went to the next step wherein flailing arms, raised elbows, blushingly graceful, wafting limp wrists and triumphant overhead fists completed (I hope there's nothing more!) his - - [such a lovely word] - - "Persona". As I just replied to another commenter, what if you were merely listening to one of his oh-so-charismatic performances on a CD? Without your gazing at his unique 'persona', would all the magic be gone? Don't you see? - - he WANTS you to feast your eyes on him; he thrives on it, and he's likely to hatch ANYthing from the piano bench, no matter how bizarre, as long as it keeps you in Rapture.
Mein Gott, allen Göttern sei Dank. Welch Sternstunde. Jedem einzelnen Musiker sei Dank, bis hinten zum letzten Pult. Und Lang Lang ganz besonderen Dank für seine vielen vielen kleinen, wunderbaren Überraschungen im Sinne von "es kommt anders als ihr denkt" :-) :-) :-)
He's got a greater understanding than I will ever have about music, pure talent and much much hard work. People sometimes forgets the hard work that you need to cash in on talent. Lang Lang is one of my all time favourites.
19 years old and already such an incredible and moving performance. And the second encore (Stars and Stripes) is almost unbelievably virtuoso, had I not seen it on RU-vid. Bless you, Lang Lang.
How about that slam bang ending with the tympany and bass drum! Nobody ends this incredible work like that, i think it gives it an extra touch, Tchaikovsky would have loved it !!!!!
Lang Lang's best performance. He was playing for his life and so much talent at the prime of his career. No one can play the Stars and Stripes like him. It's so entertaining and leaves you begging for more.We are not worthy!
Incredible performance and just the best all around and that slam bang ending that nobody does in any orchestra gives it a real standing ovation boost like no other interpretation that i have ever heard before!!!!!
Lang Lang interprets the Slavic spirit with great heart-felt passion and fervor. One great living virtuoso who ever lived and who performs with amazing ease. No comment about the music, one of the greatest concertos and pieces of music ever written.
It is one year later and I enjoy this video just as much or maybe even more as then. Thank you for uploading this video of excellent quality. In the first encore you see/hear Lang Lang caressing the pianokeys like a lover. Just for the record: As you probably all know, the concerto follows the traditional form of three movements: 1 Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito (B minor - B major) 18:47 2 Andantino semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo I (D major) 6:28 3 Allegro con fuoco - Molto meno mosso - Allegro vivo (B minor - B major) 6:10
@@armangouya Yes, I have her CD with Kondrashin and a DVD of her with Dutoit. She is the greatest living pianist, but I still love Lang Lang (sometimes only).
Right before the pandemic hit. Classical concerts are all shut down now. I was going to see LL at Disney Hall in what would have been the 2020 season. Now that is defunct. All we have now are RU-vid videos. What a loss.
Although not as perfect as the version 2015 ,he has already shown the powerful emotional contiguous skill on the presentation of this great master work👍👍👍 Respect to the sound recorder👍👍👍, far better than that of 2015 in Paris.
Comparing to 2015 version, he plays every note more clearly but not as expressive as that one. Obviously he is getting better and better. He was only 19 years old on this one!
I watched, or rather, FORCED myself to watch this whole thing - - encores and all. It's probably best for everybody if I just do the saintly thing and keep my comments to myself.
