American violinist David Garrett interviews Chinese pianist Lang Lang, recipient of two awards at the ECHO Klassik 2015 held in Germany. (Photo : YouTube)
Classical pianist Lang Lang was hailed Instrumentalist of the Year/Piano at the ECHO Klassik 2015 held in Berlin on Oct. 18.
Germany’s prestigious award-giving body for classical music also bestowed Lang the Special Award for the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, according to the organization’s official website.
The Shenyang-born artist founded the Lang Lang International Music Foundation in 2008. According to its official website, the work of the New York-based foundation “focuses on music education for today’s youths, and cross-cultural exchange between young people.”
David Garrett, an American pop and crossover violinist and recording artist, asked Lang which one of the awards made him “more proud.” Lang said that the two awards were “for different cause” but were “both unique” and “equally important.”
Lang received generous praises as an established pianist.
“The ebullient Lang Lang is maturing as an artist . . . his playing is refined, almost severe. He has an intelligent way of shaping phrases, controlling dynamics, varying articulations . . . a captivating performance, the kind that you remember as much for its quiet stretches as for its wow factor,” said The New Yorker, an American magazine.
English author and musical host John Suchet is also impressed with Lang.
“A man who can sell out concert halls in a matter of hours, Lang Lang is truly a global superstar. Not only a unique pianist with a distinctive sound, his captivating live performances are nothing less than a visual phenomenon,” said Suchet.
The official website of the American orchestra Oregon Symphony describes the 33-year-old pianist as “fiery.” Lang performed at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Oregon, U.S.A., on Oct. 15.
Lang is set for another performance at the Isaac Stern Auditorium/Ronald O. Perelman Stage, the main auditorium of Carnegie Hall in New York City, on Oct. 23. He will play Johann Sebastian Bach's “Italian Concerto, BWV 971,” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons” and four compositions of Frederic Chopin.
“A true keyboard lion,” as what the official website of England’s Town Hall & Symphony Hall has dubbed him, Lang will then again play at the Boston Symphony Hall in Massachusetts on Oct. 25.
