For all the crossover theatrics he has offered as he approaches the end of the second decade of his career, the Chinese phenomenon Lang Lang would not have continued to flourish without solid and even innovative performances of core classical repertory. Following up on his highly successful Chopin Album, Lang Lang scores again with this recording, put together over several nights at the Bastille Opera in Paris. The first part consists of the four Chopin Scherzos, and these play unmistakably to Lang Lang's athletic strengths ...
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For all the crossover theatrics he has offered as he approaches the end of the second decade of his career, the Chinese phenomenon Lang Lang would not have continued to flourish without solid and even innovative performances of core classical repertory. Following up on his highly successful Chopin Album, Lang Lang scores again with this recording, put together over several nights at the Bastille Opera in Paris. The first part consists of the four Chopin Scherzos, and these play unmistakably to Lang Lang's athletic strengths. Consider the octave triplet passages that make up the main thematic material of the Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39. In Lang Lang's hands, these are not just muscular, but a breathtaking single gesture. There aren't many pianists who could carry that off, and better still, Lang Lang molds the gesture into different shapes as the piece proceeds. He has the musicality to carry off risky contrasts between loud and quiet, and in the bravura passages of these most virtuosic...
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