Walk of Fame Honoree Lang Lang Seeks to Inspire Kids by Linking Classical Music and Disney Songs
variety.comJon Burlingame Hailed by no less than the New York Times as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet,” Chinese pianist Lang Lang has expanded traditional performance boundaries beyond the usual Bach, Mozart and Chopin to include Disney songs and contemporary film music.
On April 10, he will become one of a handful of classical pianists to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Among them: Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein, Rudolf Serkin and Ignace Paderewski.) This recognition acknowledges Lang Lang’s connection to movies and his commitment to bringing classical music to younger audiences everywhere. “This is truly a great honor, a great encouragement,” Lang Lang tells Variety from Europe, where he is currently on tour.
Now 41, he has spent half his life on stages around the world, stunning listeners with his technical proficiency and annoying critics with his theatricality and showmanship.
The fact is, Lang Lang is immensely popular, and three of the current top 20 bestselling classical albums are his, including his newest on Deutsche Grammophon, a collection of French masterpieces leading off with Camille Saint-Saëns favorite “Carnival of the Animals.” He characterizes the album as “the very impressionist French music and more vibrant French music.
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