How Lang Lang is looking to “inspire… the next generation of music lovers and performers”

I took my son GM to ‘Exploring the piano with Lang Lang’ at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday. I wanted to take the whole family but the 5,300 tickets for the event sold out in just 48 hours. Either Lang Lang is very popular (likely) or there are a lot of young pianists out there (also likely) or both (most likely).

GM seemed a bit preoccupied as we caught the train into London and the tube to South Ken. He perked up markedly when he found out he wasn’t going to be expected to take to the stage and play in the concert.

We were treated to a lot of great piano playing and some interesting insights into Lang Lang’s pre concert routine, including visits to the bathroom and diet, how to make practicing more interesting (particularly scales), and how learning music, through one of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation Programs, is helping kids in the US get better results across all their classes.

Inside the Hall was a swarm of teenagers, children, toddlers and babies and a healthy buzz of excited chatter. The Hall was bathed in funky pink and purple light and the acoustic reflectors that hang like inverted mushrooms from the ceiling had been picked out with striped lights that made them resemble the planet Jupiter. This caught GM’s eye who then got his touch out and started taking photos.

With an estimated number of under 16’s of around 2,000, I expect it was one of the noisiest audiences Lang Lang has performed in front of. He opened with an old favourite Liszt’s Liebestraum No. 3 (ironically, “Dreams of Love”) to some very enthusiastic and loud crying from some of the, what seemed like anyway, very large number of babies attending — you can’t start ’em too young. He joked later how he had “enjoyed dueting” with the audience during the quieter bits.

Then after Chopin’s sparkling Scherzo No.2, showing off the piano’s range, it was the turn of Alasdair Howell, the first of Lang Lang’s two protégés performing with him. Alasdair is only 11 and with the press of a lever — no cranking of handles at the RAH! — raised the piano stool a good 20 centimetres. Hands were now in the right place, but feet could barely reach the pedals, but that didn’t put him off. Nor was he apparently phased by having his piece — Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso — introduced as the composer’s failed love letter to a certain Delphine. He gave a very assured performance for his Albert Hall debut, and skittered through the presto, handling the runs and octaves with confidence.

I asked GM (nearly 10) what he thought of that performance from an 11 year old — pretty sick was the verdict. Having struggled with the same piece at school when some years older than the performer, I felt oddly similar.

Another piano stool was brought on and Lang Lang and Alasdair skipped through Mozart’s Rondo a la Turca with Lang Lang providing a bouncy accompaniment in the bass and occasionally reaching over Alasdair’s arms to play the tune (because he can).

As well as providing a great opportunity to experience some world class piano playing tailored to a young audience, the event was being held to promote the Lang Lang International Music Foundation (www.langlangfoundation.org) whose mission, as the flyer on the seat said, is “to educate, inspire and motivate the next generation of music lovers and performers.”

There are a number of Programs to choose from, each with a rather colourful logo. My favourite is m.a.g.i.c. — Music Aiding Growth In Children (see what he did there) — and comes with a colourful stripey magician’s top hat logo.

Questions to be put to Lang Lang had been sought in advance, and one asked for advice on how to make practicing, “especially scales”, less boring. GM lent forward at this point.

When he was learning the piano in China, Lang Lang related, he would play his scales in their apartment, and the neighbours would tap or bang back with the same rhythm on the walls — possibly not out of a desire to provide encouragement.

So, how to make practicing them more interesting? He recommends mixing it up a bit — don’t always emphasise the same note (e.g. every third beat for arpeggios which he exaggeratingly demonstrated at the piano with a heavy hand and body collapsing on top) and try letting the hands go in different directions with some contrary motion.

“Try also to bring excitement and emotion to practice and find a way to think that it is fun.” he exhorted. GM sat back again at this point a little disappointed with the answer — clearly this guy has no idea.

We also found out that the Foundation has been working with schools in the US, including in the New York Bronx district, through its Keys of Inspiration program, and this has really changed lives. Students were at first reluctant to play, but those that took the program found that what they applied to learning music was helping them improve in their other classes.

Thanks to technological advances, there are also now keyboards that light up so you can program in your piece and the keys you need to press light up in sequence, which makes piano playing more accessible and therefore makes it easier to make music.

He revealed he still gets excited before performances which involves numerous visits to the bathroom during the preceding night, enjoys eating chocolate and strawberries before going on stage, though not too much or else “everything’s adagio” and still meets with piano teachers — his first one from China, the teacher he studied under in the US from the age of 14, and other mentors, such as Daniel Barenboim and Sir Simon Rattle. Apparently Lang Lang didn’t coach Mr Bean ahead of his memorable piano playing (with the orchestra conducted by Sir Simon) at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony!

Back to the music, and next up was George Harliono, 15 years old, who Lang Lang first met when he was only 11 playing what he described as a really difficult Prokoviev Sonata. This time he was playing Balakirev’s Islamey which regularly features on lists of world’s most difficult solo piano works. George said he keeps it ticking over as his show piece, and you could see why. It was dazzling.

Twin stool time again, this time four hands taking on Brahms’ Hungarian Dance no. 5. Played with joy and pizzazz, even managing to synchronise throwing their arms up together at the end.

Lang Lang bookended the afternoon with a couple more solo pieces. The first was from China and when he introduced it I wrote down Choral Dance but then he invited the audience to imagine little fish swimming around, so I’m guessing it is without the h.

This was followed by more Chopin — this time the Scherzo no. 3 — played with great exuberance and flair.

Lang Lang sent us out into the sunny London afternoon, flanked by protégés George and Alasdair, with the following message: “Music has changed our lives, made us better people and more interesting, and we are leading a more meaningful life, so join us and have a wonderful time, not just dream, with the most wonderful artform — Music!” Inspiring stuff! Surely ‘concert pianist’ must now feature near the top of GM’s career choices.

Outside, I asked GM what he thought of the performance. “Good” he said before trotting off to take a photo of the Albert Memorial followed by one of the ornate and statued front of the nearby University College London building. Hopefully the trip will have inspired him in some way, only time will tell if that turns out to be in Piano or in Photography.