TORONTO – Before Chinese pianist Lang Lang acquired global renown, endorsement deals with the likes of Audi and Rolex, and his own line of sleek Adidas sneakers, he was just a high-school student in Philadelphia with a circle of friends who were mystified by his obsession with classical music.
The 29-year-old recalls that many of his peers back then hadn’t even heard the genre before, so he invited them over to his apartment and performed private recitals, mixing classical and contemporary, trying to show them what they were missing.
“They loved it. They thought: ‘Wow, this is real, great music,'” said Lang Lang, who moved from China to Pennsylvania as a teen.
“The problem in classical music is that some people get a little bit afraid, thinking, ‘It’s too old for us.”
“It’s actually great music, but we just need to open our door more for kids.”
More than a decade later, his goal hasn’t changed much. Lang Lang is still committed to trying to make classical more accessible for younger generations.
The pianist has become a veritable icon at home and a rising star everywhere else in the world – including Canada, where he has just begun a two-week residency with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra during which he’ll perform all five piano concertos written by Beethoven. It’s his first time running that particular gauntlet in such a short period of time, though he’s scheduled to perform the same cycle in London early next year.
“It’s very challenging,” the personable pianist said in his Roy Thomson Hall dressing room prior to Wednesday’s opening performance. He then panted as if out of breath.
“Wow – see? I’m still excited.”
Such theatrical flair is Lang Lang’s onstage trademark, and if his virtuoso skill is undeniable, it’s that persistent panache that elicits the attention of fans and critics alike.
With his dapper duds, sloping coif and animated style – the New Yorker once said that Lang Lang’s head looks like a “porcupine in a typhoon” when he plays – he casts a kinetic presence at the keys that can engage classical newcomers.
During Thursday night’s performance of Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 3,” accompanied by an orchestra led by his friend, music director Peter Oundjian, Lang Lang swayed dramatically as his fingers danced up and down the piano keys. At one point, he moved his free hand in such a majestic flourish through the air, it looked a little bit like he was miming eating an apple.
When he was finished, Lang Lang was lavished with a standing ovation by the appreciative crowd. He knows that some traditional-minded classical critics are turned off by such theatrics (as well as his occasional whimsical embellishment), but Lang Lang says that his respect for the source material is always at the core of his performances.
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“The important thing is that when you perform Beethoven, of course, you need to follow the tradition and you need to obviously respect everything that he’s written in the score, and you need to study the history,” said Lang Lang, clad in a grey blazer, V-neck graphic black tee and jeans.
From there, however, he immediately segues back into the importance of creating new discussions about classical music among young people. He established the Lang Lang International Music Foundation in 2008 with the aim of inspiring the next generation of classical music performers, and is dedicating an extensive chunk of his time in Toronto to workshops and outreach programs for local music students.
He was born not long after the heavy shadow of the Chinese cultural revolution had begun to lift. It’s been estimated that 40 million kids in China now study the piano due to his influence – a development that the “Today” show called the “Lang Lang effect” – and with the earnest way he discusses his responsibility for outreach, his interest in music education hardly seems like lip service.
In fact, he’s pursued other ideas to try to make classical music accessible. Famously, he recorded a short video of himself playing Chopin by rolling an orange around on the keys – he happened to be stationed in Toronto at the time – which ultimately went viral. (He cheerfully points out that the trick can be accomplished with anything round – “(even) a tennis ball.”)
“When (young people) start listening to the music, it’s very beautiful, they get moved, but if you talk a little bit or … you do a school visit, it will be a totally different story,” he said. “It totally opens other dimensions. And we need that. We really need it for our classical music world.
“We need to open more doors.”
And Lang Lang remembers the inspiring impact that his own idols had on him, including Canadian Glenn Gould – whom Lang Lang lists among his three favourite pianists of all time (the other two are Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein).
At the very mention of Gould, Lang Lang – that burgeoning global brand – reverts to the giddy reverence of a young musical pupil. Over his years spent visiting Toronto, he has been something of a Gould tourist. He’s visited the studio named in honour of the iconic Canadian, sought out information through colleagues and friends and even posed for photos by the famous bronze statue erected outside the CBC’s headquarters, featuring the eccentric pianist seated on a bench, bundled under a typically heavy coat, scarf and driving cap.
“Glenn Gould is truly a genius,” Lang Lang said.
“(He’s) like nobody else…. Glenn Gould’s approach is more than creative. It’s a new dimension, let’s say…. When you hear (him), when you use your heart – when you REALLY enjoy the moment – it’s just so incredible. It’s a real, real unique genius.”
Of course, such flights of music-geek fancy – not to mention his extensive efforts at musical outreach – slice into Lang Lang’s dwindling free time.
And given his myriad other pursuits – he contributes music for film soundtracks and video games, has just released CDs and DVDs of his interpretations of Liszt and enthusiastically takes on plenty of side gigs, including a recent performance at the Scotiabank Giller Prize gala – his schedule can sometimes prove daunting.
Yet it’s never quite unmanageable, mainly because he says he always squares away two or three hours per day for practice.
“This is number one,” he says, pounding his fist on a book of Beethoven sonatas for effect.
Over the course of the conversation, he almost never stops fidgeting with his fingers – twisting, contorting and kneading his digits into little knots and bouquets. He laughs when the habit is pointed out to him.
“This is very helpful to me, to be always relaxing my fingers – or, another word, massaging myself,” he says, laughing.
“It sometimes looks pretty weird.”
But it’s useful for Lang Lang to keep his hands constantly warmed up, ready to play, even if the effect may be a little distracting.
Of course, Lang Lang himself has become adept at tuning out distractions. Recently, he sashayed down the red carpet at the premiere of the splashy new Marilyn Monroe biopic “My Week With Marilyn,” which features a song performed by Lang Lang.
“It was so much excitement for me,” he recalls.
He met a few actresses, he snapped a couple photos for his popular Twitter feed and he performed for the assembled stars. Then, he left.
He had another gig to get to.
“It was really refreshing – after the movie premiere, I jumped into my car and back to the concert hall. I had a recital the same night.
“It was perfect. Sunday night. No traffic. And I arrived at the concert hall one hour before. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is like gaining an hour!’
“I met some people, I played, and I left. It was a really efficient trip.”
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