Only twenty-one, Lang Lang enjoys the high profile and media attention rarely accorded a classical artist, appearing on Good Morning America and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He was named one of the “Top 20 Teens Who Will Change the World” in People magazine two years ago.
2003 alone saw him play one hundred fifty concerts that took him to three continents.
LSM: Who do you admire as a pianist?
LL : Vladimir Horowitz and Artur Rubenstein. They are totally different artists but both are great.
LSM: I heard you have acquired a Steinway from Horowitz. Is that true?
LL : Yes, I have two 9-ft grand pianos in my house. One is from Horowitz… not from him, but his piano (laughs). It was made in 1918, and the other one is brand new
LSM: Do you have musical idols?
LL : That’s very hard… I admire sports athletes. I love Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods. I love the big sports guys. The great athletes – they look like artists when they play. They are creating art. The top player in each field is an artist.
LSM: What do you think of Yundi Li’s playing?
LL : I never heard him perform live. I am very happy for him. His career is not big yet. I hope he will have a big career. We met once in Germany – he came to my recital, and we had a nice talk. If I don’t see (someone) live, I cannot make any comment. I think it is still very rare to become famous. The world has so many pianists. I am very fortunate.
Liszt’s Don Giovanni transcriptions – the most difficult piece in piano repertoire(LL).
"Through an extraordinary coincidence, the two most prominent young pianists to emerge in recent years are both the same age and both Chinese – Li and Lang Lang. The two never met in China, and in the West they have been taking radically different career directions. Lang Lang plays two or three times as many concerts as Li, makes the rounds of the talk shows, and was featured on the soundtrack of an episode of the CBS show “Joan of Arcadia.” Piano connoisseurs recoil from Lang Lang’s self-promotion and some unmusical aspects of his playing, though the pianist does bring people into the concert hall who have never been there before.
The paths of the two pianists crossed for the first time a year ago in Germany. Lang has spoken patronizingly of Li in at least one interview: He told the Canadian music magazine La Scena Musicale last February, "His career is not big yet. I hope he will have a big career. . . . I think it is still very rare to become famous. The world has so many pianists. I am very fortunate." Li is more circumspect when asked about Lang: “We met last year and I think we are friends. I have heard his first records and I think they are quite good.”
Li says he is primarily interested in the long haul: “I don’t like to go like the express train. I think right now I should make only one record a year; after 20 years, that is 20 records, and that is a lot. The way to become an artist is step by step by step.”
I strongly believe that Da LongDong is going downhill in the long run. Look how many CDs he recorded now. Most critics dislike him. There are 5 CDs more or less, and if you compare the musical quality between da LongDong and da Shrimp, da shrimp is way better. At least, he didn’t exaggerate his body movement. Among other things, he’s the youngest winner of da Chop’s international competition. People will remember this forever. Sheeyat ! da LongDong is just cocky mofo.
