SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Ask anyone who has ever set out to build a career as a musician: There is music – and then there is the music business. No one knows this better than world celebrity pianist Lang Lang. His first appearance in Athens provided yet another occasion for him to prove how well he has succeeded in combining musical prowess with consummate showmanship. Every move he makes, from the very moment he steps on stage seems carefully choreographed and completely natural at the same time, even when he gives autographs during intermission.

People will probably always be in two minds about this extraordinary young man. Is  he a self-indulgent, ‘exhibitionist’ artist, or is he simply entirely involved in what he does? Myself, I prefer to go with the latter view. Not only is Lang Lang an exceptionally skillful pianist, his musicality is astonishing and sincere, and it is quite amazing that despite the hundreds of performances he gives every year, his playing is the exact opposite of routine. Of the many merits of his pianism, the one that perhaps came across most palpably on this specific evening was his gentle, singing touch, resulting in a memorable reading, in particular of the second Larghetto movement’s Nocturne-like texture, reflecting the young composer’s amorous feelings for the singer Konstancja Gladkowska. Chopin always encouraged his students to go to the opera and take in the art of bel canto singing in order to become better pianists. Whether Lang Lang manages to find time for opera or not, his phrasing is sensitive and graceful – close to the quality of the human voice, the prototype for Chopin’s piano sound.

The audience at the sold-out Athens Concert Hall, even more undisciplined than usual, expressed their gratitude by sounding like a tuberculosis ward, not to mention some fierce nose-blowing during the cadenza, and had I not known that this was definitely not a contemporary piece, I might have imagined that the intermittent cell phone rings were part of the score, alongside what were novel orchestral effects at the time the concerto was composed, i.e. the violins accompanying one episode with the wood of the bow during the third movement and the horn-call heralding its final section, when the piano brings the work to its culmination. And indeed it was during these passages of the final Allegro vivace that the splendid collaboration of soloist and orchestra became most apparent. Far from merely accompanying a superstar, the superb Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Daniel Harding engaged in a genuine conversation with the piano.

Alas, just like many a famous pianist visiting the Greek capital, Lang Lang was ‘only’ booked for a piano concerto rather than a potentially more interesting solo recital. However, he offered Chopin’s Etude in E major as an encore (as well as Liszt’s Liebestraum the following night), and the second half of the evening provided more than generous compensation to those who felt shortchanged  - while many doubtless preferred the more elaborate orchestra event anyway.

 It is no wonder therefore, and certainly to his credit, that Lang Lang himself stayed on after the interval to hear Brahms’ 2^nd Symphony. Though Harding conducted exactly the same symphony here just a few months ago (albeit with a different orchestra), and one does wonder at times whether a tiny bit more imagination could be put into artistic planning in a city where not a great deal of classical music is on offer in the first place, this did not detract from the thrill of hearing it again. This performance of Brahms’ most cheerful, pastoral work of the genre was perhaps more dedicated to a study in balance and detail than exuberant playing, but nonetheless immediately established why the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has been one of the world’s leading ensembles for so many years. One can only hope they will be back soon. Lang Lang, publicity-conscious as ever, has already promised to return (on video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJFWSD0POYM).

Granted, his obvious interest in the pecuniary rewards of his art may be in poor taste by some standards, but perhaps we should give those ethical concerns a rest and be glad if he can manage to get even a few more youngsters interested in the music he plays. Keep on listening to him, and make up your mind for yourself.

Bettina Mara


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