Lang Lang to Sit Down with London Symphony Orchestra for Week of Programs | Playbill

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Classic Arts Features Lang Lang to Sit Down with London Symphony Orchestra for Week of Programs The London Symphony Orchestra will have Lang Lang under their roof for an entire week in April to engage in a range of activities to show more sides of the remarkable keyboard virtuoso.


The internationally-renowened musician, perhaps the most recognized of any classical artist, is certain to boost sales in any symphony's season brochure.

On April 18 an all day "Piano Extravaganza" will have him working his inspirational magic on young musicians. In the morning Lang Lang supervises a hundred kids pounding out Schubert's "Marche Militaire." After lunch, he conducts a masterclass for young aspirants from the Guildhall School.

April 20 features a concert at Barbican Hall with Daniel Harding and the LSO. He plays the Bartok Piano Concerto No. 2 with Harding finishing with the Bruckner Fifth Symphony. The following day, also at the Barbican, he plays the European premiere of Tan Dun's Piano Concerto which Lang Lang first performed in New York six days earlier. In addition to Mahler's First Symphony, (conducted by Harding - the composer handling the rest of the duties) the program will include Tan Dun's Internet Symphony Eroica which the LSO recorded especially for the You Tube Symphony Orchestra.

On April 23, in the series "UBS Soundscapes Eclectica" Lang Lang plays with the London-based Chinese quartet Silk Strings in the more intimate surroundings of St. Lukes mixing traditional Chinese music with some contemporary creations with titles like "Spring Flowers in the Moonlit Night on the River" and "At Night on the Lake Beneath the Maple Bridge."

The following night LSO violinist David Alberman will be in St. Lukes with Lang Lang for an intimate question and answer session about the series of performances with the London Symphony and what it is like being always in the spotlight. This conversation will be streamed live over the internet if you failed to reserve your free seat early enough.

The series ends on Sunday, April 26 with Lang Lang's return to Barbican Hall for a solo recital with a program to be announced later. This recital is also part of the Great Performers series at the hall. This is all part of the "UBS Soundscapes" series, an award-winning program to involve the orchestra, young people and new music to reach a wider London audience.

For further information, visit www.lso.co.uk/langlang.

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Frank Cadenhead is a journalist who has written for such publications as The International Herald Tribune and The American Record Guide. He is the Paris correspondent for MusicalAmerica.com.
 
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