Pianist Lang Lang to Play to Carnegie Hall
Pianist Lang Lang returns to Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage on Tuesday, February 4 at 8:00 p.m., for his first solo recital at Carnegie Hall since May 2012.
The program includes three of Mozart’s piano sonatas: No. 5 in G Major, No. 4 in E-flat Major, and No. 8 in A Minor. Also on the program are Chopin’s complete ballades-No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23, No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38, No. 3 in A-flat Major, Op. 47, and No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52.
Celebrated pianist Lang Lang continues to play sold out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world. In 2009, Lang Lang appeared in Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. The year before, more than four billion people viewed his performance during the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, where he was seen as a symbol of the youth and the future of China. This status has inspired over 40 million Chinese children to learn to play classical piano-a phenomenon that has inspired what The Today Show has referred to as “the Lang Lang effect.” Recognizing Lang Lang’s powerful cultural influence, the Recording Academy named him its Cultural Ambassador to China in 2008. More recently, Lang Lang was chosen as an official worldwide ambassador to the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and played at the opening ceremony.
Lang Lang has made it his mission to broaden the reach of classical music around the world, focusing specifically on children. In 2004, he was appointed an International Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF). In 2008, he established the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, with the mission of inspiring the next generation of classical music lovers and performers by cultivating tomorrow’s top pianists, championing music education at the forefront of technology, and building a young audience through live music experiences. In 2011, the Lang Lang Music World-a multi-function arts complex in China-was launched to share the pianist’s global view, experiences, and knowledge by nurturing and providing exclusive opportunities for young talent through its unique platform.
Lang Lang began playing piano at the age of three. His break into stardom came at age 17, when he was called upon to make a dramatic last-minute substitution at the “Gala of the Century” concert, playing a Tchaikovsky concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As Chairman of the Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award Project, Lang Lang celebrates another aspect of arts commitment. He also currently serves on Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute Advisory Council and is the youngest member of Carnegie Hall’s Artistic Advisory Board. He has been named as one of the 250 Young Global Leaders picked by the World Economic Forum and received the 2010 Crystal Award in Davos.
Lang Lang’s biography, Journey of a Thousand Miles, was released to critical acclaim and has been published in 11 languages. As part of his commitment to the education of children, he released a version of his autobiography specifically for younger readers, entitled Playing with Flying Keys.