It has always been Lang Lang's dream and his artistic vision to bring Chinese music to the world. Having fascinated audiences all over the globe, Lang Lang, 24, one of the most celebrated musicians of his generation, never forgets where he comes from.
After more than three years of toil, Lang, one of the most celebrated musicians of his generation, has put the finishing touches to an album of piano solos, Chinese chamber and orchestral music entitled "Dragon Songs", which will be released worldwide by Universal Music under the label Deutsche Grammophon in October.
The album was recorded in China earlier this year during Lang's recital tour of eight major cities. Through a new album and a DVD documentary, he takes people on a musical journey that explores China's diverse musical culture in which he is deeply rooted.
The documentary offers a fascinating look behind the scenes of Lang's latest China tour, from the privacy of his parents' flat (where Lang says hello to his very first piano) - viewers watch the Langs having a meal together and visiting the local temple - to his successful master classes and stage performances. In addition, this DVD includes footage from a concert, featuring piano solos and chamber music pieces also available on the album CD.
Last Thursday, the spiky-haired musician flew from the Salzburg Festival in Austria to Beijing to introduce "Dragon Songs".
"It's a special day for me. I am not here to launch a CD of Mozart or Beethoven but real Chinese music played by a Chinese pianist, accompanied by a Chinese orchestra and led by a Chinese conductor. The music collected in the album is the fruit of the labor of generations of Chinese musicians," said an upbeat Lang.
"I have come into the spotlight of the world stage because of my playing of Western classical music. I wish this album to be a small rocket, letting more and more people know about and enjoy Chinese music and furthermore, know more about China."
"Lang Lang is the pride of China and 'Dragon Songs' is a milestone in classical Chinese music history," said Hung Tik, managing director of Universal Music (China & Hong Kong), who attended the press conference on Thursday.
"I first heard of his idea to record a CD of Chinese music when I joined Universal Music in 2002. It's hard to persuade a classical music label to release a record of only Chinese music, but he finally realized his dream," Hung added. Hung had the honor of presenting Lang with a surprise gift; a calligraphy piece acclaiming Lang's talent written by Jin Yong, the renowned Chinese writer of Wuxia (martial arts) novels. Lang apparently is a fan of Jin Yong's work.
"It's a very exciting time for Chinese music. We need musicians like Lang Lang who knows how to communicate with the audience, to show people how to appreciate classical music and also music of his native country. His talent and personality make him an ideal ambassador for classical music and a role model for young people," said James Inverne, editor-in-chief of The Gramophone magazine.
"Lang Lang is one of the most influential Chinese musicians in the world now. His impeccable technique and voracious appetite for the most challenging repertoire empower him to connect with audiences on a deeply personal level," said Yu Long, artistic director and chief conductor of China Philharmonic Orchestra, who conducted "Dragon Songs".
"As the most wanted soloist in all the world's major concert halls, Lang Lang still finds time in his busy schedule to promote Chinese music. He shows his responsibility as a Chinese musician and makes himself the perfect ambassador between the Chinese and Western worlds. Letting more people listen to Chinese music and know about China is a mission very close to his heart," Yu said.
The CD album juxtaposes the "Yellow River Concerto", a large-scale, highly virtuosic piano concerto with colorful sound scales, with miniature pieces for piano solos and with chamber pieces, each combining the piano with traditional Chinese instruments such as the guzheng, pipa and guanzi.
Although all the pieces were written in the early 20th century, most of them are based on much older sources. And the result of merging traditional Chinese melodies with Western classical traditions is music of astonishing beauty and ease.
"It's hard to select pieces that connect with each other and at the same time have sense and stories behind them that could make the foreigners understand," Lang said.
When Lang initiated the idea for the album, Universal Music planned to only release it in China, not worldwide.
However, Lang had other ideas.
"So they asked me to bring them a sample to see whether they or the Western listeners could accept the music. To tell you the truth, it's hard for foreigners to understand the sense, feelings and poetic atmosphere of Chinese music. The first time I played some pieces for audiences in Hamburg, some of them fell asleep," Lang told China Daily.
"In order to help them appreciate the music, I told the stories behind the music, introducing each traditional instrument and trying to improvise this music with the modern Western techniques."
"Dragon Songs" is just Lang's first step in his quest to bring Chinese music to the world. The pianist will continue to integrate his own heritage and the European music he loves.
He just finished recording the soundtrack of Chinese director Feng Xiaogang's movie "The Banquet" which is vying for next year's Foreign Film Oscar. Chinese musician Tan Dun composed the music for the movie, which puts the spotlight on Lang's piano sound combined with percussion.
"I have heard the sample which sounds very good. Tan uses piano to depict the romantic sense of water, while percussion, which he is an expert of, portrays the fire, the passion," said Lang, who is scheduled to record more soundtracks for Hollywood movies next year.
(China Daily August 28, 2006)
