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MONTREAL - When a musician as famous as Lang Lang comes to town, expectations are accordingly high, even among people who do not know what to expect. Both the subscribers and the newcomers in Salle Wilfrid Pelletier on Tuesday night were probably a little surprised by the sweet and beguiling style of the Chinese pianist in his third engagement with the MSO.
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Sold-out performance by Lang Lang shows that, after a hiatus of nearly two decades, there could be a market
 
No question: The best time to write a review is after, not before, the concert. Still, there are grounds for hailing in advance the recital tomorrow by the Chinese pianist Lang Lang.

How did this quietly affable 27-year-old – whose apparently repetitive name in fact couples two different Mandarin words meaning “shining gentleman” – arrive at the pinnacle so rapidly?
Would it be fair to say that technically brilliant repertoire, like the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3, which he performs Tuesday and Wednesday with the MSO under Andrew Litton, has something to do with his popularity?
 

Long Yu marches home to Shanghai
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In a generation, China has gone from a sprawling, inward-looking country to a global powerhouse in trade, sports – and music.

 
London, England (CNN) -- "Prodigy," "virtuoso," "genius" -- these are some of the words used to describe Lang Lang -- the most popular pianist on the planet.
To his millions of fans worldwide the 27-year-old Chinese musician is a God-like star, whose skill and energetic performance style put him in a league of his own.
To his occasional critics he is a flamboyant showman, whose exaggerated body movements taint the classical music that he plays, although his incredible talent is undeniable.

The “Ancient Paths, Modern Voices” festival, which ran for three weeks at Carnegie Hall and celebrated Chinese culture, came to an end last night with a performance by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of maestro Long Yu. The highlight for many was a guest appearance by Chinese piano prodigy Lang Lang, who performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

On the occasion of Carnegie Hall’s “Ancient Paths - Modern Voices” festival which celebrates Chinese art and artists, Shanghai Tang recently gave a cocktail reception honoring Lang Lang at its luxurious Madison Avenue boutique.
Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director, Sir Clive Gillinson, used the event to focus on Lang Lang’s extraordinary career, and to draw attention to the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, which supports young Chinese musical talent.

The Chinese pianist Lang Lang is probably the only classical musician in the history of the world to have his own limited edition sneaker. Dean Corey, president of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, was sporting a pair Tuesday night at Segerstrom Concert Hall when he came onstage to welcome one and all to the evening’s entertainment, a show (that’s the right word) called Lang Lang and Friends.

The catch-all title for the series seems both portentous and pretentious: Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture. But the concert at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday managed to stop short of gaudy grandeur.