Lang Lang Live at Carnegie Hall

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Various Artists and Lang Lang

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For some reason, perhaps because the publicity surrounding Lang Lang verges on hype, his Carnegie Hall recital has not been accorded universal approval. And yet, if one ignores the publicity and listens to the music, it is a remarkable display, not merely of technical brilliance but of subtle musicianship. His Schumann is exciting, vibrant and never muddy. His rendering of the Haydn Sonata in C Major is restrained and makes it sound like early Beethoven, just as it ought. His Wanderer Fantasia is not as lyrical as Rubenstein's version but its delicate articulation brings out the family resemblance with Schubert's Impromptus and the Schumann Fantasie, a category of dreamy Romanticism rather than clangorous virtuosity. The Chopin nocturne is thoroughly balanced, the rubato never obtrusive; the Liszt is suitably inspiring, giving Lang Lang a chance to show that his technique really does bear comparison with the incredible Marc Andre Hamelin. But the real pinnacle is a set of 8 gems by Tan Dun. These Memories in Watercolor by the composer of the music in Crouching Tiger deserve to be better known, and Lang Lang's is the definitive recording, receiving praise from the composer himself.

I attended this concert and an earlier one given by Lang Lang before he became a superstar, and the truth is both the fans and the critics are right. There is no question in my mind that Lang Lang can be one of the world's top pianists. It is a question of whether he can stay away from the excesses that are present on this recording, the temptation to play in an overromanticized, self-indulgent, and unmusical way. He can definitely do it; his recording of Rach 3 is proof. So is the Tan Dun, which happens to be an excellent, shimmering, nuanced performance. I think he will probably settle down as he gets older.

I have been somewhat disappointed in the concerto recordings, mostly because I find some of his playing much too slow (see the Tchaikovsky 1). On the other hand, I am quite sure Daniel Barenboim had at least something to do with it, because Barenboim does not strike me as the type of conductor who would stay out of the pianist's way. When Kissin recorded the Tchaikovsky 1 with Karajan, he also played the first movement too slowly. Later, when he played it on TV with Seiji Ozawa, he turned in one of the best performances of all time and played it normally.