Carnegie Hall Live: Lang Lang Plays Bach, Schubert And Chopin

PROGRAM:

• BACH Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825

• SCHUBERT Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

• CHOPIN Twelve Etudes, Op. 25

• LISZT Romance, S. 169

• LiSZT Grande Etude de Paganini, S. 141 "La Campanella"

Hovering just on the edge of turning 30, Lang Lang has to be acknowledged as the most famous classical pianist on the planet. Popular legend has it that this one player and his mind-blowing success have spurred tens of millions of Chinese children to learn the piano (an idea bolstered by a ten-part video series on his website called "The Lang Lang Effect").

What Lang Lang is best known for is the sonic fireworks he brings to his performances. He often favors big, bold music with outsized verve, whether it's Rachmaninov or new turns on Chinese folk songs. But in this concluding concert of Carnegie Hall's 2012-13 season, Lang Lang turned his attentions to some more introspective compositions: Bach's Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825; Schubert's Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960; and Chopin's 12 Etudes, Op. 25.

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