Clang Clang

Today got a tip from Tom that on YouTube there is a piano lession that Daniel Barenboim gives to Lang Lang. I would have loved to see that. Unfortunately it has been pulled down:-/. Well, I guess we will have to wait a bit longer till broadcasters move with the times and put their treasures online.

For now here is some related info from an interview on culturekiosque (INTERVIEW: LANG LANG):

"and one of my great idols is Daniel Barenboim* who has been like a second father to me since we met several years ago. He's not only my mentor, but my great friend. He's got a rare combination of emotion and intellectualism, and his acuteness and intelligence is beyond words. His playing is an inspiration to me. He's so incredibly clear, and working with him was an amazing experience."

But watch this, Jackie Lang playing Kong Fu Prokofiev. I like it: Lang Lang Gone Mad.

But seriously, just as Russian pianists have given a new dimension of passion and temper to German and French/Polish music, it is playful- and lightness that China is going to blend into Western music.

For Balakirev's Islamey there is Gavrilov, but this is also a contender, maybe my favorite Lang Lang interpretation so far: Lang Lang - "Islamey"
Or put in googooeugene's words:

although i'm not a clang clang fan, either, his interpretation of islamey is better than most of his other recordings.

Lang Lang meets Oliver Kahn

Lang Lang ("weltbester pianist--haha!!!") meets "mit mir wären wir Weltmeister geworden" Oliver Kahn: same hand size, same ego size?

Lang Lang on TV talk-show, September 2006

Moderated by Thomas Gottschalk at the biggest Saturday evening show in Germany.

Lang Lang ad for Rolex on the back of the Swiss Stocks magazin:


And Mr. Kahn: Oliver Kahn - World Cup 2006 Ad

Finally here you can see Oliver Kahn at work (having fun with Okocha):

Lang Lang & Karin Zhou

Lang Lang Panasonic Commercial

Hahaha
Lang Lang (da DONGAH) DEFINITIVE performance of Pimp Rappah2

Wow
Solfeggio C.P.E. Bach, played by Karin Zhou (6)

Bach Prelude with Karin Zhou (7)

Czerny Etude - Karin Zhou (6)

Hmmm
Mozart Sonata facile Satz 2 mit Karin Zhou (6)

And she plays even violin!
Chinese Dance - Karin Zhou (viol) & Hee-Jin Han (piano)

Yundi Li

Recently I missed this years Chopin competition winner Rafal Blechacz playing the first Chopin piano concerto in Zurich. I heard the concert was excelent.
Last week I had a chance to hear Yundi Li also playing the first Chopin piano concerto with the Zurich Kammer Orchestra. I could not really get warm to his music, but I liked the encore of a Chinese composition. You might (or might not) be able to listen to the encore here.

Yundi Li giving autographs:


I did not know he lives currently in Hannover (a city I have been to quite often and like a lot, but is not really a world city, despite CBIT and a very beautiful downtown - and in some interview he mentioned no one recognizes him there at all) and also that he was born in Shengzhen (nearby Hong Kong), which I had just skipped traveling through a week before. Too bad - there was enough opportunity for a small chat, but I wasn't to excited about his play and except Lang Lang nothing else came to my mind:o).

Here is an interview with Yundi Li in German at klassik.com:

classix: Gibt es Dinge im Wesen der Europäer, die Sie gar nicht verstehen?
Li: Manchmal eine Form von Gefühlskälte und Reserviertheit, mit der ich auch in Deutschland Probleme habe. Deshalb telefoniere ich so viel mit meinen Verwandten und Freunden in China. Die Menschen in Europa wirken immer sehr beschäftigt, manche dabei aber auch verschlossen. Ich will nicht zu sehr verallgemeinern, doch wirkliche Freunde habe ich noch nicht in Deutschland - außer vielleicht meinem Steinway-Flügel!

For comparison, Lang Lang early last year also in the Tonhalle after a solo recital:

Never before have I seen so many people crowded around an artist. BTW, he will be in Zurich again on 28th of November with a nice solo program (Mozart KV 333, Schuman op. 17, Granados).