Chinese pianist Lang Lang releases the new album of the Goldberg Variations

By Ji Yuqiao Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/6 21:48:19

Lang Lang Photo: Courtesy of the Universal Music


Renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang's new album Goldberg Variations was released on Friday and sales have climbed to the top of the classical music chart on e-commerce platform Amazon in Britain, Spain and France on Sunday.

Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations" is considered the "Mount Qomolangma" of the classic music for its difficulty and a challenge to perform.

The press conference of the album was held in Beijing on Friday. Lang said Bach is one of three most brilliant pianists in human history and the other two are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Although Lang started training to play Bach's music when he was so young, he still took 100 percent effort to prepare for the album, which is called the peak of his 20-year recording career.

The album includes studio and live performance recordings.

To get close to Bach, Lang visited the master's former residence and to where he lived. He also sought help from other international famous musicians.

Lang had a live performance in Leipzig in March, where many residents are familiar with Bach's music. "At that place, almost all audiences of the concert are experts on Bach's music, so I am very nervous when performing for them," Lang said at the press conference.

The live performance was successful and audiences stood up applauding for the pianist after the music ended. 

Some media around the world published reviews to the album and the musician, including The Times that called it a "luxury album." 

"Bach has brought out the mature artist in him before, and by choosing to play one of the composer's biggest glories it's as though the pianist is announcing to the world that at the age of 38, and now married, he has finally grown up," The Times report said.

Lang raised $1.6 million in a benefit gala in New York in October 2018 for music education in the US and China. 



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