Interview with Lang Lang

Before the initiation of the Lang Lang Fanclub and its accompanying official Fan Website, we spoke with Lang Lang about his plans for 2006. We caught up with him shortly before his departure from America to Peking, where he will play in the Great Hall of the People.

What are your concert plans for 2006?
First of all, tomorrow (January 17^th), I'll be the first pianist to give a solo concert in the Great Hall of the People. An audience of 8000 is expected. This will also be my first solo concert of 2006. After that, I'll be going on tour in Europe in February and March. This tour will take me to Germany, Austria and Italy. I'll be playing in large cities, 9 in Germany and 6 in Italy, as well as three appearances at the "Musikverein" in Vienna.

Following that, I'm doing a tour of 15 major American cities, including concerts at Carnegie Hall, the Symphony Orchestra in Chicago und the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. These are America's most famous concert halls. In June I'll be playing in Germany at the opening of the soccer World Cup. Negotiations are underway at the moment, but I expect a final decision soon. I will equally be concentrating on England and France in June, with the main focus on London and Paris.

Then in July, I'll be visiting Price Charles and we'll be making donations together for UNICEF. In August, a dream comes true for me when I'll be at the "Salzburger Festspiele" to play Mozart concertos at the 250th anniversary celebration of Mozart's birthday with the Vienna Philharmonic. These celebrations will capture the attention of the world.

In the second half of the year, the symphony concert season begins in Philadelphia, and I'll be staying there. After that a solo tour of Japan is planned, followed by Taipei, Kaozhong and Taizhong in Taiwan. Then my tour continues with a concentration on various major Asian cities, including Hong Kong.

In November I return to England and Italy, and in December I'll be focusing on Germany, where I'm privileged to cooperate with the Berlin Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta for a second time. We'll be performing three concerts at the Berliner Philharmonie. After that I'll be playing with the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg, Essen, Cologne, Bremen, Hannover, Lübeck and other cities in northwestern Germany, and I finish up the year with a concert in Leipzig. Around the time of New Year 2006/2007, I'll be returning to China to play a number of concerts there.

Aside from all these concerts, what other plans do you have for 2006?
Aside from the concerts, I'm planning a lot of non-profit activities, such as charity galas. For example, I'll be appearing at the opening of the Berlin Film Festival in support of UNICEF. It's overwhelming news to hear that worldwide the tickets for my concerts in 2006 were already sold out 5 months in advance - that's an absolute box office record for me! In February my new CD "Memory" will be released. An event of great significance for me and my country is that Universal is releasing a special album for Christmas with "my" Chinese music that will be promoted worldwide. The album is called "Dragon Song", and it will be released as a CD and DVD. The special thing about this album is that I tell a brief story before each piece that's intended to help the listener to better understand the music and our Chinese culture. Aside from the piano concerto, "Yellow River Piano Concerto", the album will also feature pieces with piano in combination with traditional Chinese instruments, such as the guzheng (dulcimer), pipa (picked instrument) and the guanzi (flute). This is the first time that Universal is marketing a record worldwide with traditional Chinese music - and it's also a completely new experiment for me!

Why is this Chinese album so important to you?
Well, first of all, I am Chinese. I believe that as an artist with worldwide recognition, you should also do something for your homeland. This is my chance to make a contribution to a deeper understanding of Chinese culture in the world - and that's a great honor for me.

What do you think about the Lang Lang Fanclub and its accompanying official website?
First of all, I'm grateful to CAISSA Touristic (Group) AG and the Europe Business & Lifestyle newspaper for the sincere support that they have given me right from the start. I feel honored and deeply moved to have such good friends. The Lang Lang Fanclub and my official fan website will be a great help for my career. Aside from that, the official fan website gives me with an opportunity to have direct contact with my fans and to provide first-hand information. I'm also looking forward to the chance to communicate with other music lovers there.

Last but not least, I'd like to thank all those music lovers and my friends for this, and I wish you all the best!