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Lang Lang

Saint-Saens w/Alice, Gewandhausorchester - Nelsons

Deutsche Grammophon
Release Date: February 23, 2024

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Do or Die: Lang Lang's Story HD
Carnegie Hall Debut Documentary
Carnegie Hall Perspectives Artist
1 SAINT-SAE¨NS Carnival of the Animals, R. 125 – No. 1a Introduction  
2 No. 1b The Lion’s Royal March  
3 No. 2 Hens and Roosters  
4 No. 3 Jackasses (Wild Animals)  
5 No. 4 Tortoises  
6 No. 5 The Elephant  
7 No. 6 Kangaroos  
8 No. 7 Aquarium  
9 No. 8 Personages with Long Ears  
10 No. 9 The Cuckoo in the Deep Woods  
11 No. 10 Aviary  
12 No. 11 Pianists  
13 No. 12 Fossils  
14 No. 13 The Swan  
15 No. 14 Finale  
16 SAINT-SAE¨NS Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, op. 22 – 1. Andante sostenuto  
17 2. Allegro scherzando  
18 3. Presto  
19 RAVEL Pavane pour une infante de´funte, M. 19  
20 DEBUSSY Petite Suite, CD 71a – 1. En bateau. Andantino  
21 2. Corte`ge. Moderato  
22 3. Menuet. Moderato  
23 4. Ballet. Allegro giusto  
24 FAURE´ In paradisum  
25 DELIBES Lakme´ – Flower Duet  
26 SAINT-SAE¨NS Toccata after the Fifth Concerto, op. 111_6  
27 FAURE´ Pavane, op. 50  
28 FARRENC E´tude No. 10 in F sharp minor, op. 26_10  
29 SOHY Song without Words, op. 30_4  
30 TAILLEFERRE Valse lente  
31 BONIS La toute petite s_endort  
32 BOULANGER D_un jardin clair  
33 SAINT-SAE¨NS The Swan, R. 125_13  
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Berlin, 1 March 2024. Classical favourites, revelatory discoveries and two large-scale works by Saint-Saëns make up the fantastic selection of French music on Chinese pianist Lang Lang’s latest recording. Released today by Deutsche Grammophon on 2 CDs, 2 LPs and digitally, Lang Lang – Saint-Saëns sees the artist join forces with his wife, pianist Gina Alice, the Gewandhausorchester and conductor Andris Nelsons. At the heart of the album are the magical Carnival of the Animals, Saint-Saëns’s “Grand Zoological Fantasy” for two pianos and orchestra, and the same composer’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2. Also included are a dozen works for solo piano or piano four hands – a blend of Belle Époque favourites and neglected gems by female French composers.

Lang Lang’s decision to open the album with a work that has enchanted generations of young listeners and introduced millions to classical music reflects his mission to attract children to the genre. “Many of us remember Saint-Saëns’s famous Carnival of the Animals from childhood. There are a lot of clever ideas underneath all the fun. He’s making a real statement, but in a very humorous way,” says the pianist. “And of course it was wonderful to record it with my wife, Gina Alice.”

The artists’ reading of “Aquarium” is already available digitally, complete with performance video, as is the piano four hands arrangement of “The Swan” in which Lang Lang plays both parts, while “Fossils” comes out today alongside the album, again with a video. A filmed version of the full work from the Gewandhaus stage, with Andris Nelsons, Gina Alice and Lang Lang, is available to watch on STAGE+.

  • Opening night at Carnegie Hall with Dudamel, Lang Lang and the LA Phil. Moving, unexpected and virtuosic / FINANCIAL TIMES
    Posted At: October 17, 2024
    Opening night at Carnegie Hall found novelty in familiar fare through the musical intelligence of two classical superstarsFINANCIAL TIMES - Clemency Burton-Hill writes…On paper, Carnegie Hall’s opening night programme seemed almost too good to be true: Lang Lang and the Los Angeles Philharmonic playing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 under Gustavo Dudamel. Still, some might bemoan the fact these supe...

  • Lang Lang aims to highlight link between music and children's mental health / THE INDEPENDENT
    Posted At: September 3, 2024
    From THE INDEPENDENT…..Pianist’s foundation has teamed up with a leading children’s mental health charity for Youth Mental Health DayRoisin O'Connor writes…..Renowned concert pianist Lang Lang has unveiled a new mental health initiative for children and young people that aims to highlight the connection between music and mental wellbeing.The Chinese musician, 42, has been heavily involved in supporting yout...

  • Lang Lang chats to Pianist about series two of hit show: 'The Piano'
    Posted At: April 29, 2024
    The Channel 4 show that captured the hearts of millions around the UK. Early last year, a brand-new Channel 4 show popped up on the horizon.Pianist - Ellie Palmer writes…..The Piano, a talent competition centred around finding the UK’s top amateur pianists, aired on Channel 4 throughout February and March for the first time in 2023. The premise behind the show seems each episode located in a different train...

  • Lang Lang - Saint-Saens makes 90.1WRTI: Sunday Classical: April New Release Highlights
    Posted At: April 3, 2024
    Classical favourites, revelatory discoveries and two large-scale works by Saint-Saëns make up the fantastic selection of French music on Chinese pianist Lang Lang’s latest recording. Released by Deutsche Grammophon on 2 CDs, 2 LPs and digitally, Lang Lang – Saint-Saëns sees the artist join forces with his wife, pianist Gina Alice, the Gewandhausorchester and conductor Andris Nelsons. At the heart ...

  • Lang Lang plays holographic piano while his hologram plays a real piano / AV Magazine
    Posted At: March 27, 2024
    Chinese virtuoso plays ‘haptic’ holographic piano concert. World-renowned Lang Lang played a holographic piano while his hologram ‘played’ a real piano, thanks to a 5G network and Musion 3D.AV Magazine writes…..Lang Lang, has taken part in a holographic concert, celebrating the centenary of Spanish phone company Telefonica, and the opening of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.The concert showed Lang Lang p...

  • Lang Lang celebrates beloved Disney songs with musical and visual experience at Ithra / VARIETY
    Posted At: February 8, 2024
    The world-renowned pianist performed new arrangements of melodies featured in some of the most magical stories told on screenVARIETY's Daniel Kany writes…..Born in China, Lang Lang began playing music and learning the piano at age 3 after he was inspired by Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody?No. 2,” which he first heard in an animation. “As a young child, animation sparked my imagination and transported me to othe...

  • Lang Lang shows his wizardry in Beethoven concerto with Hong Kong Phil. led by Jaap van Zweden / South China Morning Post
    Posted At: December 18, 2023
    Chinese superstar Lang Lang ramps up the drama in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 3, with the Hong Kong Philharmonic alert to the nuances in his playingThe concerto was bookended by a Luciano Berio Bach transcription, a curiosity, and an Aaron Copland symphony in which the Phil under Jaap van Zweden excelled.South China Morning Post - Christopher Halls writes…..When it comes to the big-name soloists in classi...

  • Passion and extroversion grow throughout Lang Lang's Bach: Goldberg Variations at Bridgewater Hall / theartsdesk
    Posted At: November 21, 2023
    Big sounds and hyper-expressivitytheartsdesk - Robert Beale writes…..The showman was back – and, bless him, he can still sell every seat in a big hall even if the programme offers close on an hour and a half of unalloyed Bach.Lang Lang’s gifts are phenomenal: he doesn’t just play music brilliantly, every now and then he plays with it, putting his own twist of fun or pathos or bravura where few would venture...

  • Lang Lang announces new DG album of Saint-Saens works / Pianist
    Posted At: November 10, 2023
    Lang Lang is a leading figure in classical music today – as a pianist, educator and philanthropist he has become one of the world’s most influential and committed ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century. Equally happy playing for billions of viewers at the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing or just for a few hundred children in the public schools, he is a master of communicating through music.Her...

  • Lang Lang chats with Agence France-Presse saying: 'musicians must bridge cultures' / BARRON'S
    Posted At: October 17, 2023
    Agence France-Presse - Maggy DONALDSON writes….Lang Lang, one of the world's most influential classical artists, says that musicians must always act as a "bridge" between cultures, but even more so during times of crisis.Speaking to AFP after an intimate performance at the Steinway piano showroom in Manhattan, the 41-year-old renowned pianist said "every musician is an ambassador for their own culture.""Whe...

  • Sebastian Yatra joins Lang Lang for performance of 'Dos Oruguitas' from 'Encanto' / udiscovermusic.
    Posted At: July 5, 2023
    Lang Lang was performing songs from his album ‘The Disney Book.’udiscovermusic. - Will Schube writes…..Sebastián Yatra joined Lang Lang at the National Auditorium in Madrid as a special guest during the acclaimed pianist’s presentation of The Disney Book in concert. The chart-topping singer-songwriter joined the NY Times-deemed “most irresistible pianist on the classical music planet” to perform a very...

  • Lang Lang chats with CGTN on playing Charles III coronation concert and performing with Nicole Sherzinger
    Posted At: May 22, 2023
    Lang Lang is a leading figure in classical music today – as a pianist, educator and philanthropist he has become one of the world’s most influential and committed ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century. Equally happy playing for billions of viewers at the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing or just for a few hundred children in the public schools, he is a master of communicating through music.Her...

  • Lang Lang - The Disney Book makes the 'Vancouver Sun's ten select and special recordings for gifting this season'
    Posted At: December 15, 2022
    In celebration of 100 years of The Walt Disney Company, globally acclaimed piano virtuoso Lang Lang is set to transport listeners into the magical world of snow castles and flying carpets with his latest album, The Disney Book.This enchanting musical journey through iconic movie melodies, reimagined in new versions written especially for him by some of the world’s leading arrangers, invites fans of all ages...

  • Pianist Lang Lang inspires children to follow their musical passions / CHINADAILY
    Posted At: October 5, 2022
    CHINA DAILY's BELINDA ROBINSON writes….World-renowned classical pianist Lang Lang is continuing his quest to inspire children in China and abroad by teaching them how to follow their musical passions and develop key skills.The Lang Lang International Music Foundation (LLIMF), founded in 2008, aims to educate, inspire and motivate the next generation of musicians. The foundation has several programs that ben...

  • Lang Lang International Music Foundation sets up new global development department in London / Pianist Magazine
    Posted At: January 10, 2022
    Pianist Magazine writes…..The Lang Lang International Music Foundation, one of the premiere music education organisations focused on educating, inspiring, and motivating the next generation of musicians, has established a brand new office in London.This is the foundation's first major office in the UK and will focus on expanding partnerships globally. The new office will be headed up by Oli Rose, who has pr...

  • 'Fun Kids' launches classical music radio station in partnership with Lang Lang / CMU
    Posted At: January 12, 2021

    CMU's Andy Malt writes.....Children's radio broadcaster Fun Kids has added eight new digital stations to its roster. This includes what the company is claiming is Europe's first classical music radio station aimed at children. Fun Kids Classical is being launched in partnership with pianist Lang Lang, who has worked for many years to engage young people with classical music. "I am passionate abou...

  • Lang Lang performs at the opening of the Steinway & Sons Hall in Shaanxi Province - China / Shine
    Posted At: December 18, 2020

    Steinway & Sons Hall debuted yesterday in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, on the heels of openings in Beijing and Shanghai. Covering an area of 350 square meters, the hall provides a platform for music exchanges, small concerts and masterclasses, and houses classical pianos and a range of high-tech products. At the grand opening, renowned pianist Lang Lang performed in tandem with the Steinway Spirio, a hig...

  • Lang Lang - Bach Goldberg Variations is a deeply personal performance and makes Classical101's 'Favorite Recordings of 2020'
    Posted At: December 17, 2020

    Critics needled Luciano Pavarotti for being "too famous". Needle all you want, he was still Pavarotti and he was famous because his singing was magnificent. This is starting to happen for Lang Lang. Too famous! Baloney. A superb pianist, he brings fire and drama, and a sense of what is between the notes, to his new recording of the Goldberg Variations. You don't need to throw away your Glenn Gould re...

  • Jon Batiste, Wyclef Jean, Sam Smith among others join Lang Lang In free, virtual concert celebrating foundation / Forbes
    Posted At: December 12, 2020

    The Lang Lang International Music Foundation this afternoon December 12, 2020 at 3 p.m. EST will host its first, free, virtual concert, "Reaching Dreams Through Music." The concert will premiere on the pianist's YouTube channel, be distributed through media partners worldwide and remain online for one month.  In addition to Lang Lang, the virtual concert will feature his wife, pianist ​Gin...

  • Lang Lang - Bach Goldberg Variations is 90.1WRTI 'Classical Album of the Week'
    Posted At: November 9, 2020

    We've been waiting for this one! For his new DG release, star pianist Lang Lang has tackled a major work by J.S. Bach for the first time. Yes, he has recorded short samples for a few collections, but never anything like Bach's iconic Goldberg Variations. Lang Lang claims that the work has fascinated him for twenty years, and is the realization of a life-long dream. He was seventeen when he first play...

  • Lang Lang performs Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' from Leipzig / udiscovermusic.
    Posted At: November 9, 2020

    In March 2020 Lang Lang gave only his second ever live performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations at Leipzig's historic St Thomas Church where the composer worked and is now buried. "Playing in St Thomas' Church, where Bach is buried, was unbelievably emotional for me," recalled the superstar pianist. "I've never felt as close to a composer as I did during that recital." Lang Lang is now ...

  • Lang Lang's new Bach: Goldberg Variations makes KCRW: Los Angeles - Rhythm Planet 'playlist picks'
    Posted At: September 29, 2020

    Tom Schnabel's KCRW: Los Angeles - Rhythm Planet playlist picks this week cover a range of new releases and enduring classics that he has returned to repeatedly for emotional and spiritual sustenance. We start with superstar pianist Lang Lang. If you're a fan of Bach's Goldberg Variations and love Glenn Gould's iconic versions-either the 1955 or 1981 sessions-then I recommend checking out Lang Lang's...

  • Lang Lang - Bach: Goldberg Variations makes KCRW: 'Rhythm Planet: September Songs'
    Posted At: September 15, 2020

    This week's KCRW: Los Angeles 'Rhythm Planet: September Songs' playlist includes a bit of everything, and we highlight some of the tracks here. Included in the mix is Lang Lang / "Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria" on Deutsche Grammophone. Lang Lang's global release of this new album included a special introduction from the historic Temple (東景緣, Dongjingyuan) i...

  • Introducing the October 2020 issue of GRAMOPHONE featuring Lang Lang
    Posted At: September 11, 2020

    For the October issue of Gramophone, on sale from September 11, we talk to Lang Lang about his new recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, as well as to fellow pianists Angela Hewitt, Beatrice Rana and Igor Levit about their interpretations of and approach to this pinnacle of the solo piano repertoire. "This is a very important dream-come-true moment", says Lang Lang. The superstar pianist, who wait...

  • Bach's Goldberg Variations, and all of its loopholes, keep it indestructible / WQXR
    Posted At: September 10, 2020

    The Goldberg Variations is a masterpiece without consensus - in terms of what it is, who should play it and how it should be heard. There are no hidden enigmas, and next to no questions about what J.S. Bach actually put on paper. The essence of the Goldberg Variations is right there in front of you. So much is there, but so much is not, creating all kinds of loopholes. Bach asks that every passage be...

  • Lang Lang's new Goldberg Variations release finds him bridging musical objectivity and strong personality / THE CLASSIC REVIEW
    Posted At: September 4, 2020

    This is the first time start pianist Lang Lang records a big Bach piece, having recorded only short samples for few collections. Although generally associated with large virtuoso repertoire, Lang Lang does perform and record classical repertoire such as Mozart and Beethoven, where more modest qualities of his playing come to light. This new Goldberg Variations release finds him bridging musical objectivi...

  • Lang Lang will release 2 recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations, with a streaming event live from Beijing / ludwig van TORONTO
    Posted At: September 3, 2020

    Superstar pianist Lang Lang will release not one, but two recording of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations, with a streaming event live from Beijing on the release date of September 4. The unique double release on Deutsche Grammophon includes a live version captured during a single take from the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and a studio version of the same work. To mark the official release, Lang Lang will b...

  • On new 'Goldberg' double set, Lang Lang's playing is impressive and his virtuosity is never in doubt / LIMELIGHT
    Posted At: September 2, 2020

    And still they come – excuse the cliché – Goldberg Variations that is, as surely as spring showers. This time it's Lang Lang, both in live performance and in the studio. In terms of duration, both versions are interminable and imply that most, if not all, repeats are made. The overall result is rather "Tureckian", after Rosalind Tureck, high priestess or grande dame of the work, whose ...

  • Lang Lang's 'Goldberg' has a relaxed approach for uniquely yet unobstrusively ornamented 'dance like' performance / Classical Music Sentinel
    Posted At: September 1, 2020

    Johann Sebastian Bach is to music what the sun is to our solar system. All music revolves around him and all musicians gravitate towards him. The booklet notes point out: "Lang Lang first began exploring this masterpiece more than 20 years ago and presents this record as the outcome of a long personal and emotional journey. Marking a new stage in Lang Lang's artistic development, it is the project of...

  • For 20 years, Lang Lang resisted playing Bach?s 'Goldberg' Variations. Now he?s releasing two recordings of the work / The New York Times
    Posted At: August 21, 2020

    Habits are hard to break. That's one reason people are still asking "How's it going?" during a world-upending pandemic. A similarly reflexive "Fine" often follows, which is why it was so jarring when, during a recent interview, the pianist Lang Lang responded with a wince and shouted: "It's horrible!" This is a difficult time for everyone in classical music, as in-person performances have all but com...

  • Lang Lang plays NPR 'Tiny Desk' at home
    Posted At: April 17, 2020

    The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit - stripped-down sets, an intimate setting - just a different space. Here's something unique: a chance to eavesdrop on the superstar pianist Lang Lang at home. It's a place he rarely seems...

  • Lang Lang discusses 'Piano Book' with 90.9WETA
    Posted At: April 15, 2020

    In 2019 Lang Lang released; ‘Piano Book' – a collection of pieces which first inspired him to play the piano and led him on his path to international stardom. The recording, his first new studio album in three years, marked his return to Universal Music Group and Deutsche Grammophon – the label he first signed to in 2003. At the time, Lang Lang said:&nb...

  • 2020 GRAMMY Awards' finale performance will be a family reunion for Lang Lang / yahoo entertainment
    Posted At: January 26, 2020

    The acclaimed Chinese concert pianist will join friends like violinist Joshua Bell and dancer Misty Copeland for the night's final performance to honor Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich. Watch the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, hosted by Alicia Keys and broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT on CBS and CBS All Access. WATCH THE yahoo entertainm...

  • Lang Lang is elegant, quirky, and magical in Beethoven concerto with HK Phil / South China Morning Post
    Posted At: January 21, 2020

    Lang Lang is back. The serious left-arm injury of 2017 that left the star Chinese pianist out of action for a year seemed all but forgotten in his performance of Beethoven's second piano concerto with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of music director Jaap van Zweden, on Thursday.  His performance, combining elegance with great technique and plenty of flamboyant hand gesture...

  • Lang Lang inspires students in Seoul with master class commemorating 'Piano Book' / Korea Times
    Posted At: June 23, 2019

    Star pianist Lang Lang is currently staying in Seoul for a couple of concerts and a master class. In commemorating of his latest album "Piano Book," he is scheduled to give a master class to four aspiring young Korean musicians at the 6,500-seat auditorium of SaRang Church in southern Seoul at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.  The event's organizer J&A Music told The Korea Times that it had received fre...

  • Lang Lang - Piano Book is Winnipeg: Classical 107 'May Record of the Month'
    Posted At: May 17, 2019

    "Piano Book" is a collection of miniature masterpieces performed by one of the world's most celebrated virtuosos. "With Piano Book I'm going back to my first love, to the pieces that made me want to become a musician in the first place" Lang Lang states in the preface to his latest disc. Released in March 2019 with Universal Music Group and Deutsche Grammophon, the album features well-known maste...
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