From child prodigy to young talent
By Vivian Zhang
Photos by Yao Fan



"Gulangyu is dazzlingly beautiful, a dreamland of pianists. I feel honored to be here and hope it brings inspiration to my performance tonight." Lang Lang made this comment while visiting the Gulangyu Piano Museum right after arriving in Xiamen last Thursday, as part of his 11 city Chinese tour. The magic of the piano island might have added luster to his playing, and the concert that evening at the Xiamen People's Conference Hall turned out to be a huge success, captivating the spectators with its musical flair and deep emotion.

A notable young talent

23-year-old Lang Lang is already one of the best known Chinese pianists in the world. A child prodigy, he began to play the piano at 3 and went to America at 15 for further study. He struck fame overnight on August 14, 1999 when he played as a replacement for a sick pianist performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. From that performance onwards, he has been hailed as a talent mature beyond his age.

Since then he has spent most of his time abroad, playing with some of the most prominent orchestras around, including the Berlin, London and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as the Philadelphia, Boston, and NHK Symphony Orchestras. He has also given solo performances at some of the most prestigious venues, like the Louvre, London's Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York.



Strong parental support

At the press conference before the concert, Lang Lang shared with reporters the story of his learning piano. "When I was two I was watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon. The rhythm of the chase scenes went perfectly with the piano music-Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2. It was fantastic and I knocked the tune out right after on the piano at my home." The talent he displayed then fully convinced his father, Lang Guoren, that little Lang Lang would be a world famous pianist one day.

Strong parental support is a feature in the history of many successful musical talents in China, and Lang Guoren is a perfect example. Taking Lang Lang's dream as his own, Lang Guoren quit his job in the police and accompanied Lang Lang to Beijing. For over ten years, he followed Lang Lang everywhere he went, not only as a father, but also as a manager, tutor and friend. Putting Lang Lang's picture on his desk alongside two of the great masters, Schubert and Beethoven, Lang Guoren hoped that his son might one day gain real familiarity with those famous names.



Pursuing higher goals

When asked if his music was the best, Lang Lang gave a serious and heartfelt answer. "There is no 'best' in music. The greatest challenge always comes from oneself and I will be happy if I have done my best." Despite giving on average over 150 performances around the world every year, Lang Lang still finds time to practice and learn new works from the giants of the tradition. "In 2006 and 2007, I want to play some pieces with depth, things by Brams, Bach and Beethoven."

His fame is set to grow even further, as he has been invited to play Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 at the opening ceremony for the football World Cup in Berlin this year, with over 3 billion TV spectators. He is also planning a DVD plus CD featuring Chinese works performed with Xun, Chinese zither and piano, which will be presented as a gift at the 2008 Bejing Olympics.

When not playing piano, Lang Lang is an ordinary and energetic young man who takes pleasure in cartoons, movies and a gentle stroll in the woods. He is also fond of conducting and composing. "Gulangyu is the hometown of my tutor Yin Chengzong. I am drawn by its beauty and will definitely be coming back," he said.

 

 

Danish contemporary art
丹麦当代艺术展



The first exhibition of Danish contemporary art in Xiamen opened last Friday at the Lanlan Gallery, housed in 6 Xinghua Road. 59 pieces are on display, all by a group of artists who have studied or taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art in Copenhagen.

Professor Else Marie Bukdahe from the academy warmly greeted visitors to the gallery along with Eric Messerschmidt, director of the Danish Cultural Institute in Beijing. In her speech at the opening, Professor Bukdahe gave a brief history of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, which is 251 years old. "The creation and the production of art has certainly always constituted the firm-and absolutely necessary-foundation for all of her activities... In the best periods in the academy's history there has been a fruitful interaction between tradition and innovation...(which) has been the case in the last 20 years."

"I have brought all the art works with me. At this exhibition I can only show you a few works, but I hope this will give you a visual impression of the varied ways in which Danish artists express themselves," she said.

The artworks on show include paintings, woodcuts, photos and videos. The exhibition will finish on January 5.

 

XMS anniversary concert
厦门音乐学校校庆音乐会



The Xiamen Music School 15th anniversary concert was held on the evening of December 30 at the Xiamen Senior Citizens' Activity Center. The students and teachers showed the results of their hard work by giving wonderful instrumental and vocal performances. The picture shows the pianist Wu Pingping, a national prize winner, playing with the school orchestra.

 

Chinese Painting Exhibition by Jianyang Artists
建阳工笔画作品展

Time: January 1-5, 2006
时间: 1月1至5日
Venue: F6, Xiamen Cultural Palace Building
地点: 厦门文化宫六楼

 

Vocabulary
prodigy 奇才
luster 光彩
replacement 替代
rhapsody 狂想曲
zither 齐特琴
visual 视觉的