Lang Lang

[jmao]

I've heard a few negative comments about him
I just wanted to know what's wrong with the way he plays. I haven't heard him playing a lot, but once I heard him performing a mozart sonata and I thought it was ok.

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

Everyone is just jealous of his technique.

[violinist]

He's got some unique interpretations that just don't sit well with me at times.

And other times, he looks like too much of an actor instead of a musician on stage...

just my 2 cents.

But I'm no Lang Lang,   If I had his technique and his musical ability and fame, I wouldn't care what other people thought about "unique interpretations" and funny gesticulations with eyebrows.

[pianolist]

My wife manages orchestral conductors, so I get to go to quite a lot of concerts. She and I met in 2000, and she saved me from myself, and from the anarchic poverty of an idealistic pianola player. So my experience of attending numerous concerts is relatively new, although I have been to some wonderful ones over the years - Rubinstein, Horowitz, Arrau, Richter, and so on.

We last heard (well, really saw) Lang Lang at the Barbican in London last June, with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev. They were giving a predominantly Shostakovitch concert, with Lang Lang doing Beethoven 4th in between two symphonies.

During the orchestral introduction, Lang Lang had a look of profound self-importance on his face, and he slowly moved his arms around in the air. I am not talking about little movements close to the keyboard, but his hands were on occasion above the level of his head. The slowness of the movements reminded me of stiff, wooden puppets, as did the slight shake of the head as a new attitude was struck. He was effectively striking the poses of a puppet conductor, but we already had a real conductor in Gergiev. (Not managed by my wife, by the way).

Now maybe, just maybe, some eccentric pianist like Pachmann or Michelangeli could have got away with it, because the illumination of the music would have shone through. But Lang Lang's performance was mechanical and drab. He continued with his gestures throughout the whole work, and I came the nearest I have ever done to walking out of a concert. In fact, I feel I can't walk out, because I am there to support my wife, and our tickets were complimentary, and so I simply lowered my head and closed my eyes.

Lang Lang can certainly play the right notes. So what? Any four-year old can play the right notes on my pianola. What's so ridiculously special about the right notes? To spend years on a piano technique that simply allows one to play like a unthinkingly played pianola is a complete waste of time. You can buy a pianola for $250 on Ebay. The whole point of the piano technique is to allow the performer to interpret the music sensitively. Unfortunately concert audiences have been conditioned in recent years to be impressed mainly by the right notes, and people are hoodwinked by publicity and public reputations. Consequently, Lang Lang was received with rapturous applause.

Now Lang Lang is not a stupid man. He is young, and I would say that no-one really begins to understand even themselves until they are about 30. So in the normal course of events he would have time. Unfortunately, he is already on the world stage, and the mixture of intelligence and youth would seem to have given him a most enormous head. I would dearly love him to start thinking more about interpretation and humility, because he certainly has the technique.

He could turn out to be a wonderful pianist, but at the moment he is heading for being the next Liberace. And not even that, because at least Liberace had a certain greasy charm. A slippery twinkle! Lang Lang's self-importance precludes even a twinkle.

It is my impression that word is getting around the music business that Lang Lang is becoming a caricature of himself. I hope very much that he will read comments like mine, because he still has time to change, and he could be a tremendous asset to the world of piano playing. But if he continues on his present path, his career will eventually suffer. I can't see Gergiev agreeing to work with him again, once any existing commitments have been honoured.

[ihatepop]

And other times, he looks like too much of an actor instead of a musician on stage...

Try victor borge, hes always an actor.

But the reason behind why he doesn't get much snide remarks is because everyone can't help laughing after hearing him.

ihatepop

[oceansoul]

Greetings.

Well, Lang Lang is a technique's genius, but also someone with alot of psychological problems. He still lives as if he was a child. All that stuff he does with his face while he plays he just cannot avoid, I think. I've seen him play to Barenboim Masterclass as a teacher, and everytime he needed to make some pause because he was doing something that the Master thought would be better that way, he just stopped the ugly faces. When he started to play, he just started with the ugly faces. And he had to stop alot. He just can't control it. Something's burnt inside his brain.

Goodbye for now,
      OceanSoul.

[dnephi]

I saw his Don Juan and it seemed to have an awkward, almost painful look in his finger position.  Does any teacher here agree or disagree?  But somehow, his technique seems to be flawless, if soulless. 

[chuck kovsky]

Couldn't agree more!
A while ago, when I heard him play brahms, liszt and mozart pieces I was astounded by his amateurish obvious purpose of impressing the audience. He didn't express the slightest of interpretations one places that were crying for some human touch!

[And, he jumped so much on his seat I feared he was about to bang the piano with his ass. He performs Tchaikovsky PC 1, Brahms PC 1, Bartok PC 1 in my country this year. I hope he will learn to keep his ass on the seat until then.
(As well as for his eyebrows. I mean,what's going on with them, is it some kind of neurological problem or something?? what??).]

[zheer]

Greetings.

. I've seen him play to Barenboim Masterclass as a teacher, and everytime he needed to make some pause because he was doing something that the Master thought would be better that way, he just stopped the ugly faces. When he started to play, he just started with the ugly faces. And he had to stop alot. He just can't control it. Something's burnt inside his brain.

     Yes i did watch that master class, and i found Lang Lang to be a very humble nice guy, who happens to play the piano better than all of us. Shees he is only 24 and a legend.

[debussy symbolism]

My advice is: don't insult someone, however "bad" you think they are until you are as good as that someone. Who is anyone to judge him, especially on this forum. Do you make as much money as he does? Have you had a Carnegie Hall debut? Do you have a technique that rivals to his? If not, then please keep any sort of insolence to yourself.

[debussy symbolism]

Plus, it would be an awful boring world if everyone played in accordance to one's wishes. He and everyone for that matter has a right to play anything anyway one wishes.

[liszt-essence]

My advice is: don't insult someone, however "bad" you think they are until you are as good as that someone. Who is anyone to judge him, especially on this forum. Do you make as much money as he does? Have you had a Carnegie Hall debut? Do you have a technique that rivals to his? If not, then please keep any sort of insolence to yourself.

What do money, fame or carnegie hall debuts have to do with musicality and appreciation? You either appreciate the music someone makes, or you dont. And I agree with you as far as not insulting someone. But if someone thinks it's bad, that's their opinion!

[brahmsian]

My advice is: don't insult someone, however "bad" you think they are until you are as good as that someone. Who is anyone to judge him, especially on this forum. Do you make as much money as he does? Have you had a Carnegie Hall debut? Do you have a technique that rivals to his? If not, then please keep any sort of insolence to yourself.

 

The above posters weren't insulting Lang Lang, they were simply stating they don't agree with his interpretations of certain pieces, or find his flailing about on stage a bit much to handle. There's a difference between stating one's subjective opinion regarding a subjective issue and flat out insulting somebody. For example I find Gould's Mozart, although interesting in its own right, difficult to listen to; particularly his recording of the A minor sonata. This does not then neccesarily entail I think Gould is a hack who is not deserving of all he has accomplished.

We have a right to judge Lang Lang's interpretations, but not a right to judge Lang Lang the man. Even if "everyone is jealous of his technique", we still have every right to judge the interpretive aspects of his playing.