Have you ever wondered how a child prodigy from Shenyang, China, transformed into a global icon of classical music? Join host Buzz Knight on this captivating episode of takin' a walk as he sits down with the legendary pianist Lang Lang, who shares his remarkable journey that intertwines passion, perseverance, and the power of music. From starting piano lessons at the tender age of three to making history as the first Chinese pianist to perform with esteemed orchestras like the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, Lang Lang's story is a testament to the incredible heights one can reach through dedication and artistry.
Lang Lang reflects on his breakthrough performance at just 17 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the significance of his collaborations with diverse artists, including the likes of Metallica and Alicia Keys. These partnerships not only broaden the appeal of classical music but also create a bridge between genres, showcasing how music can transcend boundaries and connect us all. As Buzz and Lang Lang delve into the essence of his recent album, Piano Book 2, they discuss its mission to make classical music accessible to everyone, emphasizing the importance of education and outreach through Lang Lang's foundation, which provides piano lessons to disadvantaged schools.
The conversation also explores the therapeutic power of music and the striking parallels between musicians and athletes, particularly regarding performance pressure and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Lang Lang shares his insights on connecting with audiences and the responsibility of inspiring the next generation of musicians, encouraging listeners to embrace the joy of classical music. Whether you’re a fan of buzz knight music, indie artists, or the rich tapestry of music history, this episode promises to be an enlightening journey through the world of classical and contemporary music.
As part of the iHeart Podcast Network, takin’ a walk is committed to bringing you inspiring stories and insights from legendary musicians and songwriters. Tune in for an unforgettable conversation that not only highlights Lang Lang’s incredible career but also celebrates the cultural impact of music on our lives. Don’t miss this chance to walk alongside one of the most influential figures in music today, and discover how the magic of melody can inspire resilience and creativity in us all.
Join us for this enriching episode filled with music history insights, personal stories, and the transformative power of music that resonates across generations.
#legendary musician interview #lang lang #classical music
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk, I'm buzz night and this is the
Take in a Walk podcast. Now there are pianists and
then there is Lang Lang. Born in Shenyang, China, in
nineteen eighty two, he has become one of the most
electrifying classical artists of all time, A force of nature
at the keyboard who has performed with virtually every major
(00:23):
orchestra on Earth. He sold out Carnegie Hall, He's played
for presidents and popes, and he's inspired what observers have
called the Lang Lang Effect, a tidal wave of children
taking up piano lessons across China and around the world.
His journey to the top has been nothing short of extraordinary.
(00:44):
He was just seventeen years old when he stepped in
as a last minute substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
or a performance of Tchaikowsky's first Piano Concerto, and then
he became an overnight sensation.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Since then, he's.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Jammed with Metallica at the Grammy Awards, he performed alongside
Herbie Hancock and countless legends, and collaborated with everyone from
Alicia Keys to Jimmy Fallon. Most recently, lang Lang performed
on one of the biggest stages in the world, the
opening ceremony of the twenty twenty six Winter Olympics in Milan,
(01:21):
and in October twenty twenty five, he released Piano Book two,
follow up to his landmark twenty nineteen album that has
now surpassed one billion streams globally and become one of
the best selling classical albums of the twenty first century.
We'll talk to Lang Lang Dext on the Taken a
(01:43):
Walk Podcast. Taking a Walk, Lang, Lang, it's an honor
to welcome you to the Taken a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
So you started playing piano at the age of three.
What was your earliest memory of sitting down at the keys?
Was it was a joy? Were you being pushed towards
something you didn't quite understand?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Tell us about that. So, I actually had a piano
already at the age of one, and then at two
and a half, I'm already starting to sit on the
piano kind of playing some notes and learning, learning where
(02:32):
are the notes? So so I actually enjoyed it very
much in the very beginning. And also I was watching
a lot of cartoons kind of related to music, like
Tom and Jerry and some others. And then but then
(02:53):
I had actually a professional teacher at the age of three.
So I started to read they sit down to learn
the positions of the hands, and yeah, and starting playing
some simple songs and yeah, in the beginning I liked
(03:13):
very much. I felt quite genuine to start playing. So
I didn't I didn't feel this was hard in the beginning.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So at seventeen, you got the call to sub for
Andre Watts with the Chicago Symphony. Can you walk us
back to that night? What was going through your mind
when you walked out onto that stage.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah. So I was taking an audition two days before
that concert at Ravinia in Chicago, and I never I
never even realized that it. After two days, I will
play already with the Great Chicago Symphony at the very
special gala concert. It was called the Gala of the Century.
(04:05):
It was really with Isaac Stern being the matherier, with
all the greatest musician Leon Fleischer, Alicia di la Rocha
and all these incredible musicians on the same same concert.
And uh, and I thought that was was my moment.
(04:26):
And if I I thought, if i I'm doing it right,
my career will we'll start.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Were you in the zone the way that athletes talk
about being in the zone at that moment, was there.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Something that It's like You're in a bench as a
striker or as a some very important athletes, and and
somehow you get this huge chance and then you went up,
you went out and made the go. You know that
(05:00):
that kind of thing is exactly like that.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So you were the first Chinese pianist ever engaged by
the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. What did that
mean to you personally and what do you think it
meant to classical music as a whole.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
It means a lot. I mean, of course, to to
work with the best offices stress in the world, you
really have to have some luck to to to have
this great opportunities. And I was very lucky as a
early twentieth already playing with those the top or hour
(05:46):
Strauss in the world. And but of course to play
with them once it's a good story. But the important
thing is how to not just play with them once,
but to keep playing for many times, many years. And
actually last night I played with Vienna f Harmonic in Boston,
(06:10):
and the night before we were at Carnegie Hall. We
were doing this US tour with the VNF. You so
after so many years, it's already after twenty one years,
we're still doing tour together, and I think that's really
something that I feel very proud.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Congratulations on Piano Book two. It just came out in
October twenty twenty five. The first Piano Book has already
passed a billion I love saying that a billion streams.
What made you feel the time was right for a
second volume and what do you want this one to
(06:48):
say that the first one maybe didn't say?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
We I mean, we were very overwhelmed by the reception
from the Piano Book. Uh, now we call Piano Book one, right, Yeah,
and it was really bringing a lot of music lovers
to classical music h to take piano lessons and to
(07:12):
feel the great piano repertoire from for Elise to the
great composers from today. Yeah, and so so the in
a way that that album really made a huge impact
within the piano world.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
And then after seven years after we thought this is
a good time to do a second one, But of
course it's more challenging. Well, when you had such a
big success from the first time, it's always much more
challenging for the for the second time, but we have
(07:51):
the same kind of idea to do the Piano Book
two with a similar repertoire ideas, but this time we
also added new compositions from today's UH composers like Tony
ann Uh this equus incredible piece. And we also may
(08:13):
also included some of the Japanese anime music, gaming music
in addition to the Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Mendicin's master pieces.
So they increased a little bit of the repertoire directions,
(08:35):
but the idea is very similar to bring piano music
to every family. Hold that this is you know what
we're trying to do, make classical music very accessible, and
I you know, and I really hope you know, we
will have a similar success from Piano Book two incomparable
(08:56):
to Piano Book one in the past.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So it really is important for you to be widening
the music category.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yes, yes, that's exactly the mission for this project.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Do you ever feel that classical purists push back at
that because of some of those choices, And if they do,
what do you what do you say to them?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
I think it's okay because we already had the piano
book one in the past. So somehow I think I
don't really get so much of uh, this type of
critic these days. But it is important to share the
message to not only the great classical music fans, but
(09:44):
also to to send out to the broad broader music communities,
for people to kind of have a confidence to learn
classical piano and to to feel very connected rather than
you know, this is a some type of very distant
(10:07):
music to today's society. And I think I'm old enough
to to prove that. Actually, my intention is very clear,
is that I really want to expand classical music to
a bigger areas.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Yeah, but as a musician, I am a complete classical pianist,
and and I think people knows about it.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I think what's really fascinating about your journey is how
connected you are to your to your fans. You curated
this album partly based on fan messages. What were some
of the most surprising requests you got from the people
who love your music.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I mean, there are a lot of kids want to
play some music from the game gaming world today, so
that's why I felt it's quite interesting. So how to
put those melodies into classical music style? You know, so
we still need them to feel great within the classical
(11:17):
music style rather than I'm playing electronic music, you know,
so it has to be come to us, to the
style that I'm very familiar with, and so this is
the idea. Yeah, but the choices are quite interesting that
we realized that the piano repertoire become already much bigger
(11:41):
than twenty years ago, thirty years ago, even ten years ago.
You know, people are not only in just trying to
learn the great music from Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, but also
the younger generation wants something from their generations, from their world,
their musical taste. So we have to learn what do
(12:08):
they really want to know those days, we'll.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Be right back with more the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
I have chills thinking about you performing at the opening
ceremony of the twenty twenty six Winter Olympics in Milan.
You just radiate so much joy when when you're up there,
and it was fascinating and beautiful watching you. You also
played at the two thousand and eight Beijing Summer Olympics
(12:43):
opening ceremony. Yes, what is it like performing for a
global audience of hundreds of millions of people. Is there
is there a different sort of pressure that comes with
that stage?
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, it is. It is a very overwhelmed me. It's
everything is just beyond the beyond numbers.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
You know.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
I mean, you're there, but you realize the entire world
is watching somehow, So it's a it's not like you're there,
you know that the audience are watching, but somehow you're there,
you know, you know, there's the broadcast is all over
the world, in every country. Basically. Yeah, but for me
(13:28):
in twenty twenty six, it's much more relaxed than two
thousand and eight. That was my first time playing, and
it's also it was in Beijing, where I grew up,
and so it was it was really my first big
experience of playing with so many people. So so I
(13:49):
was actually more more nervous at that that moment. And
also because I was working with a little girl and
then she was she was trying to escape from the performance.
She wanted to go home. Actually she said, it's too hard,
I want to have ice cream and I want to
go home. So so so I had a I had
I was the kind of a half babysitter on that show.
(14:11):
You know, but nevertheless, it was a maazing experience of course. Uh,
and this time was slightly different. I'm working with my
favorite singer, Chichilia Bartley, the most amazing Italian opera star,
and we were doing this kind of ceremonial type of thing.
(14:34):
This was the Olympic hymn, and then you see like
people are carry the Olympic flag. So it's I felt
that the world kind of walk to one place. You know.
I really felt that this time it was a very
you know, it's quite a holy spirit. You know, it
(14:55):
was a very ceremonial this time, very very beautiful, genuine
and peaceful. Yeah, that's what I felt. So so, I know,
it was very cold, you know, it is like winter
only big so so my mind was extremely fresh. You know,
it's like you can be more clear than my mind
(15:16):
a night. It was like so clear.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
I found it therapeutic, especially at this time in the
way that the world is.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, it was, it was.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
It really was therapeutic. And I know we touched on
the zone and the way athletes perform. So of course,
you know, the Olympics are about peak performance and athletic excellence.
Years of sacrifice to get to one defining moment. So
talk about those parallels with elite athletes and what you
(15:49):
have gone through in your journey.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Yes, I find there are so many similarities between athletes
and musicians. We have to have such a hard training
and we have to be very strong as as someone
that you shouldn't give up easily. You know, you have
(16:12):
to just stay in the line and just keep pushing
and keep doing your best. And this is very similar
to the sports people. And then the second thing is
that it's a live performance. You know, the things you
can practice so well, but then on that day it's
(16:32):
about the moment of the performance. Yeah, and this is
something that you have to have a really big, big
heart to hold all those pressure and to be the
best you can be in that stage every four years,
you know, it's the Olympics that it's like it's in
(16:55):
a way, it's very very very hard. And this is
a bit like some of the biggest concert you know,
you've been meeting for four years, five years, and and
finally you you get you get to that stage and
you have to give the best. It's not like you
just gave half of your talent. No, you have to
(17:16):
give like a full capacity uh and and this is
a very very similar. And another thing is that in
a way, being a musicians and supports athletes, you're you're
you're also expressing humanity. You know, we will bringing world together.
(17:37):
You're not just representing your country, but you're also a
world citizen. Uh and and this is somehow you're kind
of breaking the boundaries. Uh and And this is something
I think it's always great to be a musician or
ATHLETs that you're someone that you're kind of like a
(18:00):
bridge or like a messenger for culture, messenger for sports,
and it's a really great thing to do.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Did you get to enjoy any of the Olympic activities
aside from just performing?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I did a I mean this time, I actually only
stayed two days in Milan, and I went to Burning
with Burning phar Harmonic right after, so I didn't really
have time to watch the games. Yeah, but I did
spend some time in Milano, eating my favorite Italian spaghettis
(18:36):
and meeting some friend. We had some really nice reunion
of some of the friends. They were coming from different
parts of the world to celebrate the Olympics together, so
we had a nice time chatting, having coffee and express
some of our ideas. So yeah, this is the great
(18:59):
thing about Olympics is always you always learn a lot
from different people. And then in the past, from the
last Summer Olympics, I went to some games. I went
to see some of my favorite team, favorite sports and
that was also fun, a lot of fun like volleyball
or ping pong or Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
The Lang Lang International Music Foundation is absolutely spectacular. You
founded it back in two thousand and eight. It now
operates in over one hundred schools across the US and
Europe through the Keys of Inspiration program. When you walk
into a public school and you see kids sitting down
(19:42):
at a row of pianos, what goes through your mind.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
I just found that we have a responsibility to introduce
piano to more public schools, especially for more disadvantaged schools,
because look, I mean, piano really take me to the
most amazing journey as a little boy from a city,
(20:10):
industrial city in the north of China, my hometown, and
you get to the world stage and I'm sure, uh,
this journey will take more kids around the world. And
if you have a dream, if you have a willingness
to to do what you love the most, and for me,
(20:33):
it was always like making music. And I hope that
we will inspire so many others to achieve their dreams
through piano, through classical music, and that's our aim.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
We produce this other podcast called Music Save Me, which
delves into the healing power that music has. Do you
believe music has therapeutic healing power?
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Literally? Absolutely? We have a many of our kids who's
working under our programs are having some like some of
them are like having autism from a very young age,
and music really helped to fix some of their physical
(21:22):
problems and to make the much more open person. And
even for me, you know, like when I had a
not very present day, so I start playing bach and
somehow the healing power is just go through every elements
(21:43):
of my mind. It's just a magic.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
The Foundation's data shows that the Keys of Inspiration program
generates over sixty eight million dollars in annual value to
school community. These through saved private lesson fees. Yes, what's
the impact? You can't put a dollar sign on. What
are you hearing from teachers and kids on the ground.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
I mean what they were hearing is that most of
the kid under this program they did because of the
music studies they are much better in other subjects as
well at the schools. And also they just like to
spend more time to be very creative person after this project,
(22:34):
and they can be much more concentrate on what they do. Yeah,
so this is the fact that they all report back
to our foundation after taking this program.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
You've jammed with the Metallica at the Grammys. That was fantastic.
You've collaborated with the great Herbie Hancock, you partnered with
Google on the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and you perform for
Pope Francis. Your career refuses to stay in any one lane.
(23:08):
Is that relentlessness intentional or is it just who you are?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
I mean, I try to do something very creative and
somehow if I'm able to connect to from my world
classical music world to some other very interesting world, I
would love to try it. But of course, after many
(23:37):
years of doing different things, I realized not everything works,
you know, so so but I still like to try
to have a different type of collaboration, but of course
I have to be focused more on classical music. So yeah,
but all those great collaboration really me to a different dimension,
(24:02):
you know, as a person as artist, and I always
felt quite quite lucky into in you know, in uh
far for that collaboration which we are able to create something.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
If a young person listening right now has never set
foot inside a concert hall and maybe things classical music
isn't for them, what would you say to get them
to give it one listen?
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I would say that classical music can be just fun
as a hip hop as an American football game, and
for me, maybe even more exciting. And I really love
to share that excitement with them.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
We had Chloe Flower previously on the Taking a Walk podcast.
I'm not sure if you know.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
I know, I know, I actually measure several times. I
think la it was, but there was was quite a
time ago. Yeah, but of course I know exactly. We'll talk.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Yeah, so do you when you met up with her?
I mean, is there is that somebody that you've collaborated
with previously or you would collaborate with.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
It's it's it's a hard, hard one because I mean
she's a very very sweet person.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
We we had a very nice conversation. Yeah, but we
didn't really talk about collaboration though. It was more about
you know, the view of music, about uh the music theme.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Yeah, when you sit down at the piano today, just
for yourself, no audience, no cameras, no recording. What do
you play?
Speaker 2 (25:48):
I just like to do the pieces that I'm actually
going to plain in the next week. So so that's
like I'm now currently working on the Beto ensunatas not
of beta for the next recording. So yeah, I have
to because you know the reality is that you have
to always be prepared for the next thing. You can't yeah,
(26:14):
go away from that. So I'm always very practical in
this way.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Before I let you go, since we do call this
podcast taking a Walk, I'd like to ask this question
of guests, if you could take a walk with somebody
living or dead, who would you take a walk with?
And maybe where would you take that walk with him?
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Oh, that's a that's a hard one. That's a really
hard one. No, I mean, I mean, certainly I would
love to to have a walk with Beethoven. I'm now
working with his a lot of his compositions, so I
need to get better so with him. And then as
far as I would love to to have a walk
(26:58):
with Michael Jordan, I would really love to ask some
of his secret of being the best condition, you know,
in every most important games.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Lang, Lang, I can't tell you what a joy this
has been speaking with you. The music that you give
us is so joyful and so wonderful, and I'm so
appreciative of it. Congratulations on everything, including piano book, to
the great work with the foundation, and please know you're
always welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast. Thank
(27:36):
you so.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Much, thank you so much, mass, thank you.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
I'm Buzznight, and thanks for listening to the Taking a
Walk Podcast. Now, please check out our companion podcasts produced
by Buzznight Media Productions with your host Lynn Hoffman. Music
Save Me showcasing the healing power of music, and comedy
Save Me shining a light on how laughter is the
best medicine. All shows are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify
(28:05):
and are part of the iHeart podcast network.
Taking a Walk, I'm buzz night and this is the
Take in a Walk podcast. Now there are pianists and
then there is Lang Lang. Born in Shenyang, China, in
nineteen eighty two, he has become one of the most
electrifying classical artists of all time, A force of nature
at the keyboard who has performed with virtually every major
(00:23):
orchestra on Earth. He sold out Carnegie Hall, He's played
for presidents and popes, and he's inspired what observers have
called the Lang Lang Effect, a tidal wave of children
taking up piano lessons across China and around the world.
His journey to the top has been nothing short of extraordinary.
(00:44):
He was just seventeen years old when he stepped in
as a last minute substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
or a performance of Tchaikowsky's first Piano Concerto, and then
he became an overnight sensation.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Since then, he's.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Jammed with Metallica at the Grammy Awards, he performed alongside
Herbie Hancock and countless legends, and collaborated with everyone from
Alicia Keys to Jimmy Fallon. Most recently, lang Lang performed
on one of the biggest stages in the world, the
opening ceremony of the twenty twenty six Winter Olympics in Milan,
(01:21):
and in October twenty twenty five, he released Piano Book two,
follow up to his landmark twenty nineteen album that has
now surpassed one billion streams globally and become one of
the best selling classical albums of the twenty first century.
We'll talk to Lang Lang Dext on the Taken a
(01:43):
Walk Podcast. Taking a Walk, Lang, Lang, it's an honor
to welcome you to the Taken a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
So you started playing piano at the age of three.
What was your earliest memory of sitting down at the keys?
Was it was a joy? Were you being pushed towards
something you didn't quite understand?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Tell us about that. So, I actually had a piano
already at the age of one, and then at two
and a half, I'm already starting to sit on the
piano kind of playing some notes and learning, learning where
(02:32):
are the notes? So so I actually enjoyed it very
much in the very beginning. And also I was watching
a lot of cartoons kind of related to music, like
Tom and Jerry and some others. And then but then
(02:53):
I had actually a professional teacher at the age of three.
So I started to read they sit down to learn
the positions of the hands, and yeah, and starting playing
some simple songs and yeah, in the beginning I liked
(03:13):
very much. I felt quite genuine to start playing. So
I didn't I didn't feel this was hard in the beginning.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So at seventeen, you got the call to sub for
Andre Watts with the Chicago Symphony. Can you walk us
back to that night? What was going through your mind
when you walked out onto that stage.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yeah. So I was taking an audition two days before
that concert at Ravinia in Chicago, and I never I
never even realized that it. After two days, I will
play already with the Great Chicago Symphony at the very
special gala concert. It was called the Gala of the Century.
(04:05):
It was really with Isaac Stern being the matherier, with
all the greatest musician Leon Fleischer, Alicia di la Rocha
and all these incredible musicians on the same same concert.
And uh, and I thought that was was my moment.
(04:26):
And if I I thought, if i I'm doing it right,
my career will we'll start.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Were you in the zone the way that athletes talk
about being in the zone at that moment, was there.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Something that It's like You're in a bench as a
striker or as a some very important athletes, and and
somehow you get this huge chance and then you went up,
you went out and made the go. You know that
(05:00):
that kind of thing is exactly like that.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So you were the first Chinese pianist ever engaged by
the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. What did that
mean to you personally and what do you think it
meant to classical music as a whole.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
It means a lot. I mean, of course, to to
work with the best offices stress in the world, you
really have to have some luck to to to have
this great opportunities. And I was very lucky as a
early twentieth already playing with those the top or hour
(05:46):
Strauss in the world. And but of course to play
with them once it's a good story. But the important
thing is how to not just play with them once,
but to keep playing for many times, many years. And
actually last night I played with Vienna f Harmonic in Boston,
(06:10):
and the night before we were at Carnegie Hall. We
were doing this US tour with the VNF. You so
after so many years, it's already after twenty one years,
we're still doing tour together, and I think that's really
something that I feel very proud.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Congratulations on Piano Book two. It just came out in
October twenty twenty five. The first Piano Book has already
passed a billion I love saying that a billion streams.
What made you feel the time was right for a
second volume and what do you want this one to
(06:48):
say that the first one maybe didn't say?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
We I mean, we were very overwhelmed by the reception
from the Piano Book. Uh, now we call Piano Book one, right, Yeah,
and it was really bringing a lot of music lovers
to classical music h to take piano lessons and to
(07:12):
feel the great piano repertoire from for Elise to the
great composers from today. Yeah, and so so the in
a way that that album really made a huge impact
within the piano world.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
And then after seven years after we thought this is
a good time to do a second one, But of
course it's more challenging. Well, when you had such a
big success from the first time, it's always much more
challenging for the for the second time, but we have
(07:51):
the same kind of idea to do the Piano Book
two with a similar repertoire ideas, but this time we
also added new compositions from today's UH composers like Tony
ann Uh this equus incredible piece. And we also may
(08:13):
also included some of the Japanese anime music, gaming music
in addition to the Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Mendicin's master pieces.
So they increased a little bit of the repertoire directions,
(08:35):
but the idea is very similar to bring piano music
to every family. Hold that this is you know what
we're trying to do, make classical music very accessible, and
I you know, and I really hope you know, we
will have a similar success from Piano Book two incomparable
(08:56):
to Piano Book one in the past.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So it really is important for you to be widening
the music category.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yes, yes, that's exactly the mission for this project.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Do you ever feel that classical purists push back at
that because of some of those choices, And if they do,
what do you what do you say to them?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
I think it's okay because we already had the piano
book one in the past. So somehow I think I
don't really get so much of uh, this type of
critic these days. But it is important to share the
message to not only the great classical music fans, but
(09:44):
also to to send out to the broad broader music communities,
for people to kind of have a confidence to learn
classical piano and to to feel very connected rather than
you know, this is a some type of very distant
(10:07):
music to today's society. And I think I'm old enough
to to prove that. Actually, my intention is very clear,
is that I really want to expand classical music to
a bigger areas.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Yeah, but as a musician, I am a complete classical pianist,
and and I think people knows about it.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I think what's really fascinating about your journey is how
connected you are to your to your fans. You curated
this album partly based on fan messages. What were some
of the most surprising requests you got from the people
who love your music.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I mean, there are a lot of kids want to
play some music from the game gaming world today, so
that's why I felt it's quite interesting. So how to
put those melodies into classical music style? You know, so
we still need them to feel great within the classical
(11:17):
music style rather than I'm playing electronic music, you know,
so it has to be come to us, to the
style that I'm very familiar with, and so this is
the idea. Yeah, but the choices are quite interesting that
we realized that the piano repertoire become already much bigger
(11:41):
than twenty years ago, thirty years ago, even ten years ago.
You know, people are not only in just trying to
learn the great music from Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, but also
the younger generation wants something from their generations, from their world,
their musical taste. So we have to learn what do
(12:08):
they really want to know those days, we'll.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Be right back with more the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
I have chills thinking about you performing at the opening
ceremony of the twenty twenty six Winter Olympics in Milan.
You just radiate so much joy when when you're up there,
and it was fascinating and beautiful watching you. You also
played at the two thousand and eight Beijing Summer Olympics
(12:43):
opening ceremony. Yes, what is it like performing for a
global audience of hundreds of millions of people. Is there
is there a different sort of pressure that comes with
that stage?
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, it is. It is a very overwhelmed me. It's
everything is just beyond the beyond numbers.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
You know.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
I mean, you're there, but you realize the entire world
is watching somehow, So it's a it's not like you're there,
you know that the audience are watching, but somehow you're there,
you know, you know, there's the broadcast is all over
the world, in every country. Basically. Yeah, but for me
(13:28):
in twenty twenty six, it's much more relaxed than two
thousand and eight. That was my first time playing, and
it's also it was in Beijing, where I grew up,
and so it was it was really my first big
experience of playing with so many people. So so I
(13:49):
was actually more more nervous at that that moment. And
also because I was working with a little girl and
then she was she was trying to escape from the performance.
She wanted to go home. Actually she said, it's too hard,
I want to have ice cream and I want to
go home. So so so I had a I had
I was the kind of a half babysitter on that show.
(14:11):
You know, but nevertheless, it was a maazing experience of course. Uh,
and this time was slightly different. I'm working with my
favorite singer, Chichilia Bartley, the most amazing Italian opera star,
and we were doing this kind of ceremonial type of thing.
(14:34):
This was the Olympic hymn, and then you see like
people are carry the Olympic flag. So it's I felt
that the world kind of walk to one place. You know.
I really felt that this time it was a very
you know, it's quite a holy spirit. You know, it
(14:55):
was a very ceremonial this time, very very beautiful, genuine
and peaceful. Yeah, that's what I felt. So so, I know,
it was very cold, you know, it is like winter
only big so so my mind was extremely fresh. You know,
it's like you can be more clear than my mind
(15:16):
a night. It was like so clear.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
I found it therapeutic, especially at this time in the
way that the world is.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, it was, it was.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
It really was therapeutic. And I know we touched on
the zone and the way athletes perform. So of course,
you know, the Olympics are about peak performance and athletic excellence.
Years of sacrifice to get to one defining moment. So
talk about those parallels with elite athletes and what you
(15:49):
have gone through in your journey.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Yes, I find there are so many similarities between athletes
and musicians. We have to have such a hard training
and we have to be very strong as as someone
that you shouldn't give up easily. You know, you have
(16:12):
to just stay in the line and just keep pushing
and keep doing your best. And this is very similar
to the sports people. And then the second thing is
that it's a live performance. You know, the things you
can practice so well, but then on that day it's
(16:32):
about the moment of the performance. Yeah, and this is
something that you have to have a really big, big
heart to hold all those pressure and to be the
best you can be in that stage every four years,
you know, it's the Olympics that it's like it's in
(16:55):
a way, it's very very very hard. And this is
a bit like some of the biggest concert you know,
you've been meeting for four years, five years, and and
finally you you get you get to that stage and
you have to give the best. It's not like you
just gave half of your talent. No, you have to
(17:16):
give like a full capacity uh and and this is
a very very similar. And another thing is that in
a way, being a musicians and supports athletes, you're you're
you're also expressing humanity. You know, we will bringing world together.
(17:37):
You're not just representing your country, but you're also a
world citizen. Uh and and this is somehow you're kind
of breaking the boundaries. Uh and And this is something
I think it's always great to be a musician or
ATHLETs that you're someone that you're kind of like a
(18:00):
bridge or like a messenger for culture, messenger for sports,
and it's a really great thing to do.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Did you get to enjoy any of the Olympic activities
aside from just performing?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I did a I mean this time, I actually only
stayed two days in Milan, and I went to Burning
with Burning phar Harmonic right after, so I didn't really
have time to watch the games. Yeah, but I did
spend some time in Milano, eating my favorite Italian spaghettis
(18:36):
and meeting some friend. We had some really nice reunion
of some of the friends. They were coming from different
parts of the world to celebrate the Olympics together, so
we had a nice time chatting, having coffee and express
some of our ideas. So yeah, this is the great
(18:59):
thing about Olympics is always you always learn a lot
from different people. And then in the past, from the
last Summer Olympics, I went to some games. I went
to see some of my favorite team, favorite sports and
that was also fun, a lot of fun like volleyball
or ping pong or Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
The Lang Lang International Music Foundation is absolutely spectacular. You
founded it back in two thousand and eight. It now
operates in over one hundred schools across the US and
Europe through the Keys of Inspiration program. When you walk
into a public school and you see kids sitting down
(19:42):
at a row of pianos, what goes through your mind.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
I just found that we have a responsibility to introduce
piano to more public schools, especially for more disadvantaged schools,
because look, I mean, piano really take me to the
most amazing journey as a little boy from a city,
(20:10):
industrial city in the north of China, my hometown, and
you get to the world stage and I'm sure, uh,
this journey will take more kids around the world. And
if you have a dream, if you have a willingness
to to do what you love the most, and for me,
(20:33):
it was always like making music. And I hope that
we will inspire so many others to achieve their dreams
through piano, through classical music, and that's our aim.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
We produce this other podcast called Music Save Me, which
delves into the healing power that music has. Do you
believe music has therapeutic healing power?
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Literally? Absolutely? We have a many of our kids who's
working under our programs are having some like some of
them are like having autism from a very young age,
and music really helped to fix some of their physical
(21:22):
problems and to make the much more open person. And
even for me, you know, like when I had a
not very present day, so I start playing bach and
somehow the healing power is just go through every elements
(21:43):
of my mind. It's just a magic.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
The Foundation's data shows that the Keys of Inspiration program
generates over sixty eight million dollars in annual value to
school community. These through saved private lesson fees. Yes, what's
the impact? You can't put a dollar sign on. What
are you hearing from teachers and kids on the ground.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
I mean what they were hearing is that most of
the kid under this program they did because of the
music studies they are much better in other subjects as
well at the schools. And also they just like to
spend more time to be very creative person after this project,
(22:34):
and they can be much more concentrate on what they do. Yeah,
so this is the fact that they all report back
to our foundation after taking this program.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
You've jammed with the Metallica at the Grammys. That was fantastic.
You've collaborated with the great Herbie Hancock, you partnered with
Google on the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and you perform for
Pope Francis. Your career refuses to stay in any one lane.
(23:08):
Is that relentlessness intentional or is it just who you are?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
I mean, I try to do something very creative and
somehow if I'm able to connect to from my world
classical music world to some other very interesting world, I
would love to try it. But of course, after many
(23:37):
years of doing different things, I realized not everything works,
you know, so so but I still like to try
to have a different type of collaboration, but of course
I have to be focused more on classical music. So yeah,
but all those great collaboration really me to a different dimension,
(24:02):
you know, as a person as artist, and I always
felt quite quite lucky into in you know, in uh
far for that collaboration which we are able to create something.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
If a young person listening right now has never set
foot inside a concert hall and maybe things classical music
isn't for them, what would you say to get them
to give it one listen?
Speaker 2 (24:34):
I would say that classical music can be just fun
as a hip hop as an American football game, and
for me, maybe even more exciting. And I really love
to share that excitement with them.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
We had Chloe Flower previously on the Taking a Walk podcast.
I'm not sure if you know.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
I know, I know, I actually measure several times. I
think la it was, but there was was quite a
time ago. Yeah, but of course I know exactly. We'll talk.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Yeah, so do you when you met up with her?
I mean, is there is that somebody that you've collaborated
with previously or you would collaborate with.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
It's it's it's a hard, hard one because I mean
she's a very very sweet person.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
We we had a very nice conversation. Yeah, but we
didn't really talk about collaboration though. It was more about
you know, the view of music, about uh the music theme.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Yeah, when you sit down at the piano today, just
for yourself, no audience, no cameras, no recording. What do
you play?
Speaker 2 (25:48):
I just like to do the pieces that I'm actually
going to plain in the next week. So so that's
like I'm now currently working on the Beto ensunatas not
of beta for the next recording. So yeah, I have
to because you know the reality is that you have
to always be prepared for the next thing. You can't yeah,
(26:14):
go away from that. So I'm always very practical in
this way.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Before I let you go, since we do call this
podcast taking a Walk, I'd like to ask this question
of guests, if you could take a walk with somebody
living or dead, who would you take a walk with?
And maybe where would you take that walk with him?
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Oh, that's a that's a hard one. That's a really
hard one. No, I mean, I mean, certainly I would
love to to have a walk with Beethoven. I'm now
working with his a lot of his compositions, so I
need to get better so with him. And then as
far as I would love to to have a walk
(26:58):
with Michael Jordan, I would really love to ask some
of his secret of being the best condition, you know,
in every most important games.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Lang, Lang, I can't tell you what a joy this
has been speaking with you. The music that you give
us is so joyful and so wonderful, and I'm so
appreciative of it. Congratulations on everything, including piano book, to
the great work with the foundation, and please know you're
always welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast. Thank
(27:36):
you so.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Much, thank you so much, mass, thank you.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
I'm Buzznight, and thanks for listening to the Taking a
Walk Podcast. Now, please check out our companion podcasts produced
by Buzznight Media Productions with your host Lynn Hoffman. Music
Save Me showcasing the healing power of music, and comedy
Save Me shining a light on how laughter is the
best medicine. All shows are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify
(28:05):
and are part of the iHeart podcast network.
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