Genius Pianist -- Once in Lifetime

"I'm touched by Lang Lang's music. There's something special about it. It has a quality unique only to Chinese artists, and few at that…Lang is very amazing; his ability is beyond belief. Though he seldom takes part in competitions, he doesn't need to any more… such genius appears only once in a lifetime in China." The above are the words of Fu Cong, a piano master in China. The famous Chinese conductor Tan Dun also said that he was sure that Lang was one of the contemporary outstanding pianists. Lang was also picked as one of 20 youth who would change the world by the American magazine Teen People.

Such comments were made after Lang showed his piano talents to the world. In July 2002 when the Schleswig-Holstein Festival was held, he won the inaugural Leonard Bernstein Award, which was established for professional artists. This proves that both domestic and overseas musical circles recognize Lang's gift and achievements in piano.

Lang's musical life and enlightenment started at an early age. He began learning music when he was three, and only a year later, received instruction from Zhu Yafen, a professor in theShenyang Conservatory of Music. Later he was admitted by theCentral Conservatory of Musicand taught by Professor Zhao Pingguo. Later still, Ying Chengzong, a famous pianist in China, discovered Lang's intelligence in piano and offered to teach him for free.

In 1996, 14-year-old Lang was admitted into the Curtis Institute of Music in the United States and was taught by Gary Graffman, a well-known master pianist and the head of the college. In such a way, a series of doors leading to the palace of music opened to Lang one after another.

There is a legend to how Lang's professional performance began. In August 1999 when the Ravinia Festival was held, Lang was chosen to fill in for the famous musician Andre Watts, who was unable at that time to play the piano onstage. Lang conquered the audience and his performance made a dramatic splash. Since then, Lang has become more and more popular in the musical world, and his concerts have ranked among the top of European and American box offices.

Even US President George W. Bush and his father once listened to him. According to Phoenix Satellite Television, before Lang started his performance, President Bush said emotionally that his performance was enchanting. The president added that the Chinese Culture Festival had made a positive contribution to Sino-American cultural exchanges.

Lang's achievements in art are of ice-breaking historical significance to both international and Chinese piano circles. To the former, he has proved that Chinese musicians can also enter the mainstream of classical music after receiving correct, complete, and systematic training in music. And for the latter, he represents another world-class Chinese classic musician after Chinese violoncellist Wang Jian.