Lang Lang again: a Lizst in HK?

Last night was a long awaited night. It I was both delighted and slightly disappointed. I went to a concert at the Cultural Centre, this time not by the HKPO but by one artist alone. It was Lang Lang's piano solo recital.

He appeared on stage in a black suit upon an open neck white shirt, his hair no longer gelled until they stuck out like porcupine quills. There were instant applauses. He sat down, adjusted his stool, relaxed his arms and started. It was Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 5 in G K 283. This was followed by 2 other works also by the same composer, Piano Sonata No. 4 in E Flat K 282 and then Piano Sonata No, 8 in A minor K310., the first two being originally written for the harpischord. The first is a delightful piece with that typical Mozartian lightness of touch and simple fun. The second is another piece which oozes flow of the spirit. The third is full of the joie de vivre from the very start which persists to bubble till the very end. Lang Lang gave them his very unique interpretation with heavily emphasized contrast between the left hand and right hand, making the bass notes sound weightier, with longer than usual pauses to let the effect sink in before his right hand would explode with faster than machine-gun notes which dazzle with their speed, delicacy and grace with occasional notes hit harder to accentuate the rhythm. Lang Lang has very different notions about the punctuation of the pieces, often joining phrases and sentences together into one whole very long paragraph. I feel that I am hearing more Lizst than Mozart, perhaps a Lizstian Mozart or more accurately a Langian Mozart? Why disappoiinted? I did not have a Mozartian Mozart!

The second part of the programme was much better. Lang Lang was playing 4 Ballades of Chopin, a composer whose composing style was much more susceptible to the Langian treatment. According to the programme notes, these 4 ballades were inspired by 4 ballads by the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz: Konrad Wallenrod, Switez, The Water-Sprite and The Three Budrys. I haven't seen any of them and so haven't got the faintest clue as to what they were about nor the sentiments or emotions or moods they portrayed. But I certainly agree with the programme note's quote from the Groves Dictionary that they are full of "melodic beauty , harmonic richness and powerful climaxes". Under the hands of Lang Lang, I can feel the impact of the powerful resonances of the notes lingering long after they were originally played, lasting sometimes three or four seconds after his hand first hit the keyboard thus producing literally a wall of sonic waves in which the resonances of the earlier left hand (and sometimes right hand) notes blend in with those of the later notes amidst the flurry of fast notes played by the right hand. Fireworks on the piano? If so, it's a strange blend of fire with grace. Whether or not one agrees with the way Lang Lang interpreted the pieces, one can never fail to be stunned. We had four encores, three short waltzes by Chopin and I'm not sure if the last one is by Lizst. Whatever they were, they were magnificent. I left the concert hall a happier man than when I went in.