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Classical music as a genre and those who perform it as a career are not usually thought of as harbingers of the new and innovative. Long the refuge of established repertoire and long frozen tradition, the world of classical music often has, rightly or wrongly, the slightly musty smell of a museum about it. And so what are fans of classical music to make of Lang Lang, a Chinese born piano prodigy who not only Tweets, updates his Facebook wall regularly, and now has entered the 3D Blu-ray fray (at least partially) with his first Sony release Lang Lang Live in Vienna? The torch has obviously been passed to a new generation of classical artist, and if the music is still the same, the individual interpreting it is most definitely a new sort of presence, one who embraces the latest technology and wants that technology to work for the greater dissemination of the music itself. Lang Lang moved to the United States when he was 15, and is a product of the vaunted Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he was mentored by Gary Graffman. Possessing a febrile technique which can make his hands virtually a blur at times—even in hi-def—Lang Lang is also a modernist in the best sense, a kid at heart who is obviously excited to be recording for Sony and to be touring to some of the most awe inspiring venues in the world, including in this instance Vienna’s incredible Musikverein, a gold-laden concert hall where the artist is literally surrounded by the audience. It’s instructive to note that Lang Lang chose a completely different venue for the 3D portion of this Blu-ray (included as an extra), the hipper than hip Berghain Club in Berlin. The times, they are a-changin’.

Lang Lang, despite being Chinese born, has become more than fluent in English, he’s positively eloquent, and so I would like to include some of his own quotes (culled from this disc’s excellent insert booklet) about the pieces he plays. The Musikverein concert lasts around two hours and showcases Lang Lang’s incredible technique, obviously, but perhaps more impressively his interpretative range. Lang Lang moves from Beethoven to Prokofiev to Albéniz to Chopin with ease, rarely letting the seams of these huge stylistic variances show. Lang Lang starts the concert off with Beethoven’s relatively early Sonata No. 3, Op. 2. Lang Lang discusses this piece in some detail in the liner notes. “I wanted to have a very solid, classic first half and, as I’ve not recorded any Beethoven sonatas before, I thought this would be a good way to start a relationship with Sony. . .Beethoven had already found himself: just look at the second movement Adagio. It’s absolutely Beethoven and in many ways it’s incredibly mature.” Though Lang Lang goes on to discuss Beethoven breaking from the Haydn-esque mold (though this piece is dedicated to Haydn), there is a flurry of scalar passages, especially in the opening movement, that is highly redolent of Mozart.
We jump from an early Sonata to one of the crowning glories of Beethoven’s piano output, the Piano Sonata No. 23, Op. 57, known familiarly as the “Appassionata.” This is a piece which demands both a classical restraint as well as sudden bursts of Romantic fury. “Like every other pianist, I grew up with the piece,” states Lang Lang. “What I like about the piece is the mystery behind the notes. It’s like an enormous volcano beneath the surface, a dark environment, hidden and needing to be explored. There’s a lot of anger there, too, and revolution.” Lang Lang also discusses the technique required to bring the Appassionata fully to life, a “low to the keyboard” approach that almost seems bound by some inextricable force of gravity from which the music struggles, successfully, to escape. Lang Lang’s interpretation is fully formed, and the Andante is especially brilliantly structured, foreshadowing the Fifth Symphony in both motives and emotional content.
It’s a testament to Lang Lang’s indisputable virtuosity that he ventures next into quasi-Impressionistic territory with a beautifully colorful account of Book I of Isaac Albéniz’ Iberia. Lang Lang is obviously not immune to the fact that he is playing in the handprints as it were of such impeccable interpreters of Albéniz as Alicia de Larrocha. “You can’t compare her to anyone else, she’s just unique,” the young pianist admits. “Everything she does makes perfect sense. I once had the privilege to see her playing Granados’ Goyescas. I’ll never forget the way she played the ‘Girl and the Nightinglae.’ She had the most beautiful touch, truly inspiring.” Lang Lang is in fact a little more deliberate than de Larrocha in his approach to Albéniz, as if he is whipping together colors from a huge kaleidoscopic pinwheel. But that athletic approach works perfectly for the music, especially with regard to its percussive elements.
The concert closes its main section with a stunning performance of Prokofiev’s fiendishly difficult Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 83. From the opening triplet motive to the closing waning percussive moments that expire like a wounded soldier meeting his demise, Lang Lang is completely in control in a piece that demands utmost concentration and an astounding variety of approaches, from near violent percussive attacks to more placid lyrical passages. What is more than slightly amazing about Lang Lang throughout this piece is his calm and fortitude, the languid eye at the center of a pianistic storm. “I try to create this warlike mood and warlike spirit,” Lang Lang explains. “It’s more explosive but like the Appassionata it’s a very deep work. Prokofiev wrote about seeing many dead bodies on the street and I think you can hear the pain and horror in the development section of the first movement.”
After Lang Lang takes his initial bows and receives the customary bouquets from a couple of women in the audience (whom he kisses), he’s back for the encore segment, a nice tribute to the 200th birthday of Chopin. Lang Lang takes us on a virtuosic journey through three wonderfully expressive pieces, Étude Op. 25, No. 1, Polonaise No. 6, Op. 53 “Heroic,” and Grande Valse Brilliante No. 2, Op. 34 No. 1. Lang Lang is at his quicksilver best here, easily handling the huge voicings of Chopin and the intricate chromaticism Chopin extracts from sometimes relatively traditional harmonies. “For me, Chopin is a total genius,” states Lang Lang in the perhaps obvious department. “You listen to his music and here was someone who could really turn the piano from a percussive instrument into an operatic instrument.” Lang Lang also discussed Chopin’s innovative fingering choices, something anyone who’s attempted to conquer a Chopin piece can tell you keeps your hands busy in crossing over and under. It goes without saying Lang Lang has little trouble performing these acrobatic feats.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Lang-Lang-Live-in-Vienna-Blu-ray/13137/

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