Five of the Greatest Pianists of all Time

Who are the greatest pianists who've ever lived? That's a question that no doubt is the cause much heated debate.  Nevertheless, these are a few of my favorites.

I think perhaps you expected this pianist would be at the top of my list.

Martha Argerich (1941-)

The world woke up to the phenomenal talent of the Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich in 1964 when she won the International Chopin Piano Competition at the age of 24. She is now arguably the greatest living pianist and can sell out concerts in minutes.

Lang Lang (1982-)

Lang Lang changed the classical music world forever with his inimitable panache both on and off stage. Thousands of children in China took up the piano in what has become know as ‘the Lang-Lang effect’. So, like his style or not, there’s no denying the impact Lang Lang has had on the classical scene.

Glenn Gould (1932-1982)

If there were ever a pianist who divided classical music fans, Glenn Gould is it. The Canadian pianist is best-known for his performances of the music of J.S. Bach, and particularly The Goldberg Variations. But he's also famous for humming along while he played, performing on a tiny chair which he took to all his concerts and his exacting demands for recording and performing conditions.

Vladimir Horowitz (1903-1989)

There's a strong case to be made for Vladimir Horowitz to be crowned the greatest pianist of all time. He made his debut in 1920 in a solo recital in Kharkiv. In 1925 his fame had grown substantially and he crossed into the West, saying he wished to study with Artur Schnabel in Berlin – but he'd decided to leave for good and had stuffed American and British money into his shoes. He gave his debut in the US in 1928 at Carnegie Hall and he went on to become an American citizen. He is best known for his performances of Romantic works including music by Chopin, Rachmaninov and Schumann.

Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982)

This Polish American pianist is often quoted as the best Chopin performer of all time. He was found to have perfect pitch at the age of two and he made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic when he was just 13. He was taught by a pianist called Karl Heinrich Barth, who had been a pupil of Liszt, meaning that Rubinstein was part of a formidable pianistic tradition.

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Lang Lang on Franz Liszt

Happy Birthday Franz Liszt Born Today in 1811

 

Excerpt from 2011 NPR Interview with Guy Raz:

RAZ: Lang Lang is a world-renowned concert pianist, and his love of Liszt is well-known. As a matter of fact, his new album is called "Liszt: My Piano Hero." He first heard Liszt's music as a 2-year-old while watching a famous television duo.

LANG LANG: "Tom and Jerry," and they were playing the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, and I got fascinated.

RAZ: So you're watching "Tom and Jerry" play Liszt.

LANG: Yeah.

RAZ: Oh, actually, Liszt was playing behind them rather.

LANG: Yeah, and I thought it was such exciting music. So he really lead me into a professional pianist.
RAZ: What is it about Liszt's style that appeals to you so much as a performer?

LANG: He is a real piano god, so he make piano sound like entire orchestra. And he has this amazing technique like nobody else. At the same time, he brings passion and love and heart.

RAZ: You have said, Lang Lang, that as a composer, Liszt actually opened the door to modern music. How so?

LANG: The piano as an instrument was pretty weak that time. So Liszt is totally a monster at the piano. You know, he create such difficult pieces. So he always destroy pianos during the concerts.

RAZ: He actually destroyed them? He broke them?

LANG: Yeah. And because of his technique and his incredible power, piano as an instrument had a revolution and became much better instrument and much more solid.

RAZ: It's rare that Liszt comes up in, you know, top 10 lists of great composers of all time or - and I'm wondering why you think that is?

LANG: He focus a lot on piano music, not on many other instruments. Not like Beethoven or Mozart or Tchaikovsky, you know? They are more - they grow not only great piano work, but also symphonic work, tremor music - a bit like Paganini, you know? I mean, Paganini is famous for violin only, and Liszt is that type of composer - for piano

RAZ: And Paganini influenced Liszt's playing as well, right?

LANG: Absolutely. Liszt - when Liszt was a kid, he saw Paganini playing at violin, and he said that I'd like to be the Paganini on a piano.

RAZ: Some of this music sounds like actually - sounds like a workout. Does playing Liszt actually take a physical toll on you?

LANG: Absolutely. Playing Liszt, you need to put all your emotions and also very physical. I mean, his music - Paganini - it used La Campanella. It's very, very demanding. I mean, I exercise before I record this album.



RAZ: Lang Lang, I know you're performing Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Philadelphia Orchestra tonight. And I'm looking through your - the liner notes of your new CD, and there's a photograph of you at the piano looking pretty good, man. You got like lasers coming out of your fingers at the piano. So I'm wondering, do you expect any Lang Lang-o-mania to break out tonight?



LANG: It will be quite hard, and the piece is very hard. So maybe you will see laser light but through music.

RAZ: You got any bodyguards on stage, or are there going to be, you know, audience members jumping up on stage to get locks of your hair?

LANG: Well, you know, for Philadelphia, I think we are pretty safe.

RAZ: That's Lang Lang. He's one of the most in demand concert pianists in the world. His new album is called "Liszt: My Piano Hero." And his hero, Franz Liszt, was born 200 years ago today. Lang Lang, thank you so much.

LANG: Thank you. Thank you, Guy.

TWO CELLOS and LANG LANG - Live And Let Die

Lang Lang Rocks Toy Piano During a Visit to Classic FM, London

The Instrument

Lang Lang was in the studio to tell Charlotte Green about his new Lang Lang Piano Academy and accompanying books, 'Mastering The Piano'. He was only too happy to play a snippet from the first book in the series for them. 

Metallica and Lang Lang Perform Rocking Rendition of 'One' at 2014 Grammy Awards

Metallica made it back to the Grammys on Sunday (Jan. 26) to perform a familiar favorite, but with a twist. The group rocked their previous Grammy-winning single ‘One’ with the aid of classical pianist Lang Lang.

The band was introduced by Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto, who first took a moment to lead a salute to late rocker and Metallica collaborator Lou Reed. Tying it all together, guitarist Kirk Hammett appeared onstage during the performance wearing a Lou Reed t-shirt.

The performance opened with the the members of the band in the dark with only a spotlight on Lang Lang as he delivered a stirring beginning to the track while flames of pyro shot up in the background. The Metallica members remained silhouetted as images of soldiers and barbed wire played on the screen behind them. Then, eventually, Metallica took the spotlight as James Hetfield stepped up to the mic to begin singing the opening notes of ‘One.’

This was a different rendition of ‘One’ than fans were used to hearing. But the song hit its high point as Kirk Hammett‘s wicked guitar solo played off of Lang Lang’s chaotic arrangement. Click the button below to watch the performance.

Watch Metallica Perform 'One' With Lang Lang

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Lang Lang - Liebesträume

Lang Lang On Beethoven

The superstar pianist talks about why Beethoven is his musical god and the daunting task of performing all five of his Piano Concertos over three nights at the Royal Albert Hall

Pianist Lang Lang may have played to thousands at the Hollywood Bowl and been under the scrutiny of millions during the televised Last Night of the Proms, but it’s a Beethoven Concerto Cycle with conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia Orchestra that he regards as a real milestone. 

You’re playing all five Beethoven Piano Concertos over the course of three concerts at the Royal Albert Hall next March. What are you looking forward to about the series?
 
The Royal Albert Hall is one of my favourite halls to perform in anywhere in the world. And to do a Beethoven cycle with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia is going to be a very important milestone for me. Over the years I’ve worked on the Beethoven Piano Concertos with many great musicians, including Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mariss Jansons and James Levine, and everyone seems to have a strong opinion about Beethoven. His music is dynamic but so precise at the same time and he really demands a lot in the scores. When I was in Bonn in the Beethoven museum, I had the great privilege to see some of his hand-written scripts and when you see those original Urtext editions you realise his personality is totally in control of the music he’s creating.

Why are these Concertos so important to you?

Beethoven Piano Concertos are the most recognisable works for a pianist to learn and working on them over 10 years really helped me to understand not only Beethoven’s work but also other Classical and Romantic period piano concertos. The First of his Concertos is actually quite classical and then after the Third he switched to a more Romantic style. And the times changed too. So learning these great works helps me understand musical history better.

Do you have a favourite among the Concertos?

At the beginning of my career I really thought that No. 4 was my favourite, because I played it a lot at that time. And then gradually I started to think No. 3 was my favourite and when I was a kid No. 5 was my favourite. Then when I hear the great performers play No. 2 then No. 2 becomes my favourite. And then I had an amazing performance with Mariss Jansons of the Piano Concerto No. 1 at Carnegie Hall three years ago and I thought ‘Oh my gosh, this is my absolute favourite.’ So my favourite changes a lot. It’s like when you listen to Beethoven’s Ninth, Fifth or Seventh Symphonies and you’re trying to say which one is your favourite – maybe in a different time of your life or your career you might think differently. But at the moment the Piano Concerto No. 3 is my favourite.

Which is the most challenging to perform?

They are all very challenging to perform, particularly if you put them together! I thank God I have one day off in between – Thursday – so I think I’ll spend it in a spa to rest before the last concert on the Friday.

Whose music do you feel most at home playing?

It’s hard to say. It used to be Chopin when I was younger, now it’s harder to say because there are few composers I feel very comfortable with – I’m still trying to improve a lot of things. For me Beethoven was always very difficult and it’s only recently that I have had the confidence to play his music. Beethoven is a real musical god for me because his music is so deep.

You’ve already played in many of the top concert halls around the world and with some of the best orchestras. What do you still want to achieve?

Well to play at the Last Night of the Proms was great – but it would be nice to play another time. There are a lot of great things that I’ve done once and I’d like to do twice, three times, four times, five times. That’s my dream: to keep going.

 Interview by Elizabeth Davis for http://www.classical-music.com

Lang Lang Gone Mad!

Lang Lang inserting a martial-arts display in between bouts with the Prokofiev on the piano

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (23 April 1891[2] – 5 March 1953)was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century. His best-known works include the March from Love for Three Oranges, the suite Lieutenant Kijé, the ballet Romeo and Juliet, and Peter and the Wolf. He also composed amongst many other works five piano concertos, nine completed piano sonatas and seven symphonies.

Tchaikovsky October "Autumn Song", Charlie Liu - Lang Lang Protege

Lang Lang and his protege Derek Wang - Chopin Fantasie Impromptu

Derek, Anna Larsen (LarsenPiano), and Charlie Liu (coffeetea) performed in NYC's Town Hall at the opening concert of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation on October 20, 2008. Lang Lang established this foundation to expand young classical music audiences and inspire the next generation of classical musicians. Derek made this video from clips recorded during this event, including his warm-up at the GRAMMY Recording Academy.


Visit http://thelanglangfoundation.org/index.html

Lesson with Lang Lang and his protege Anna Larsen (part 2)

The is the next segment of the lesson, as promised. The emphasis in this part (and later parts) is articulation and character. Lang Lang recommends slower practice. For those just joining in, this is the third movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23 in A major.

Lesson with Lang Lang and his protege Anna Larsen (Part 1)

Anna was a scholarship winner from the Lang Lang Foundation (http://www.thelanglangfoundation.org/)

.Anna worked on the third movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto 23 in A major. Anna was a little nervous at first, and you can see her absolute focus at the end of this clip when he wanted her to stop! Lang Lang was able to help her relax, and helped her make the piano sing in a way I have never heard from her before. He was extremely helpful, insightful, and very good talking and relating to kids. His teaching style was very friendly and very intense, and his advice was very frank in a good constructive way.

Chinese pianist Lang Lang inspires Chicago youngsters with music

CHICAGO, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese pianist Lang Lang performed at a classical music show in the Chicago Cultural Center on Friday evening to ignite youngsters' passion for music.

The music show, entitled "Lang Lang & Friends Live", as part of his efforts to popularize music education, was well received by a full house of young spectators.

Lang Lang, described by The New York Times as "the hottest artist on the classical music planet," has devoted himself to music education over the past 10 years, and established Lang Lang International Music Foundation in 2008.

Through the Foundation's Young Scholar Program, Lang Lang has selected and mentored talented young pianists from all over the world and created opportunities for them to inspire other kids through live classical music performances.

In the Friday show, Lang Lang introduced his three young proteges, Anna Larsen, Charlie Liu and Derek Wang, who performed works by Prokofiev, Chopin, Bach and an original composition by Larsen. Their spectacular performances won rounds of applause.

Ever since the three were selected from a large pool of applicants, they have been enjoying a thrilling ride with Lang Lang, such as performing on Oprah Show and at Carnegie Hall.

Mingyi Liu, father of Charlie Liu, told Xinhua, "Being a Young Scholar really motivated Charlie to work harder."



Editor: Zhang Xiang http://news.xinhuanet.com

'The Ride of the Valkyries' played on 52 pianos

Lang Lang and conductor James Lowe lead a piano orchestra of 102 pianists at 52 pianos in an arrangement of Wagner's 'The Ride of the Valkyries'. This extravaganza, which was staged in London's Royal Festival Hall, formed part of an event designed to encourage young pianists. Participants' ages ranged from 5 to 23.

Embracing a superstar to preserve the classics

Classical musicians must court younger audience.

Liszt or Liberace? Lang Lang performs amid water jets at 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou Photo: NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images


http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Interview: Lang Lang

by SUSAN SHINEBERG























Photo: Philip Glaser



... Along with his performances, music education and philanthropy are high on Lang Lang's list of priorities. He gives masterclasses all around the world, organises ''massed piano'' events for young performers via his website and has been elected first ambassador by the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.

... ''My foundation is the key for my long-term plan,'' he says. ''I'm also going to open piano schools in China, starting in September. China still needs to have more connection to the world, especially the classical music world. The teachers are good but lack this communication and that's not good for classical music.

''Music depends on education and inspiration. If you don't get inspired by this music the first time you hear it, you will never get connected.''

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Lang Lang: 'I'd play the piano at 5am'

• Rosanna Greenstreet

Aged nine, Lang Lang, the virtuoso Chinese pianist, was told by his ambitious father to kill himself after his teacher 'fired' him for having no talent. He tells Rosanna Greenstreet about the extreme pressure put on him to succeed

Lang Lang. Photograph: Zack Seckler/Getty Images

... Lang Lang's father does not understand English, but in the past, he has spoken about the way he pushed his son. He said: "The way I see it is, pressure always turns into motivation. Lang Lang is well aware that if he fails to be outstanding at playing the piano, he has nothing."

Lang Lang disagrees. "I think that attitude is wrong because there are a lot of things you can do in the world," he says. "When I was nine, I didn't like my father. I knew he had dedicated his life to me, but I thought it was too much. I found the pressure unnecessary because I was a workaholic from the very beginning. I could understand if I was lazy and didn't care, but I didn't need that kind of push, because I knew what I wanted."
...

Lang Lang says: "When we came to America, my father could see that the American system was much more relaxed. At that time he said he still believed in the Chinese way. But as we met different musicians from different countries, his opinion changed. He is 58 now and his personality has totally changed, he doesn't push me any more. When I turned 22, he let go."

Asked whether his father feels bad about the way he hot-housed his only son, Lang Lang replies: "I think he does. When journalists ask him about it, he starts to cry."

Read Entire Article Here

Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang honored by Britain’s Prince Charles in London

http://www.washingtonpost.com

by Associated Press


Classical music megastar Lang Lang has been given an honorary doctorate in music by Prince Charles at a ceremony in London.





















( Arthur Edwards, Pool / Associated Press ) - Britain’s Prince Charles, left, talks to pianist Lang Lang during a visit to the Royal College of Music, in London Thursday May 12, 2011, where he attended the college’s annual awards ceremony and presented awards to outstanding musicians including Lang Lang .

"To me, a musical piece is like the chapel, each tiny part of it tells something differently valuable,"

- Lang Lang

Lang Lang -- Träumerei (Kinderszenen, Op. 15 No. 7), Schumann