Track Listings (15) - Disc #1| All Artists: Joseph Haydn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Mily Balakirev Title: Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Balakirev / Lang Lang Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label: Telarc Original Release Date: 1/1/2001 Re-Release Date: 2/27/2001 Genre: Classical Styles: Chamber Music, Forms & Genres, Fantasies, Short Forms, Sonatas, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830), Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Instruments, Keyboard Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPC: 089408052422 |
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Search - Joseph Haydn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms :: Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Balakirev / Lang Lang
 | Joseph Haydn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Balakirev / Lang Lang Genre: Classical
This CD, apparently a recording debut, presents a Chinese pianist in his teens in live performance (at Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood). It has many successful elements. The first one is the pianist's selection of Haydn to begin hi... more » |
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Amazon.com This CD, apparently a recording debut, presents a Chinese pianist in his teens in live performance (at Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood). It has many successful elements. The first one is the pianist's selection of Haydn to begin his program, since few pianists these days bother to investigate the riches of Haydn's prodigious piano output. Lang proves thoroughly sympathetic to Haydn's idiom, in a delightful, witty performance. It's a huge distance from Haydn to Rachmaninoff, but Lang has complete command of Rachmaninoff's extravagant virtuosity, and he makes this bombastic piece--not one of the composer's best--sound like convincing music. The most impressive performance on the disc is the Brahms set, on which the playing is poised and mature. The way Lang builds the crescendo in the central section of the final Intermezzo is the work of a mature artist, whatever his age. The uncommon Tchaikovsky pieces are also excellent. Only in the final Balakirev, where Lang sounds just a trifle cautious, can one have even slight reservations about his abilities; perhaps he was just tiring at the end of the concert. Unlike many CDs issued today, this one makes a very satisfying listening program, just like the recital it reproduces (with excellent sound quality). --Leslie Gerber Similarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsExciting showman. alan | Atlanta, Georgia United States | 01/02/2003 (4 out of 5 stars) "After seeing Lang Lang play twice in one week I can give an honest review. He has some of the best showman qualities that great performers possess but is lacking in substantial overall pianistic ability and maturity. He concentrates too much on his look and celebrates, in my opinion, his ego. Horowitz was proclaimed as "the greatest pianist alive or dead" but his music had little showmanship. The music went from the heart and then directly too the fingertips. But Lang Lang has a maturity beyond average pianistic ability. I have scarcely heard anyone play Brahms as well as Lang Lang, which is a great and well-deserved compliment. But his maturity does lack in pieces like Islamey and Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata. These are heavy virtuoso compositions that are recieved with reservations and little power from Lang Lang. He plays in a perfectly crisp tone and does not confuse the listner. He rarely uses the damper pedal which can be a blessing when playing Hayden and a curse with Rachmaninoff. I give this cd 4 stars based on content. Hayden, Brahms, a beautiful Dumka by Tchiakovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Balakirev. It has pieces for everyone and seems to be a promising start for just a 19 year-old pianist." Decent performance marred by in-your-face sound Mireille Wastwater | England | 12/04/2001 (4 out of 5 stars) "Having read so many conflicting reviews of this CD I could not resist buying it and listening to it myself. BBC Magazine called him 'a talent in a million' whilst Gramophone were less enthusiastic. So which do I agree with? One thing I'll mention straight away is that the sound is far too dry. Some of the 'floating' pianistic effects that Lang Lang uses, such as in the Rachmaninov 2nd movement and the 2nd of the Op.118 by Brahms, relies on a warmer recording to capture its essence. No doubt the live audience would have been delighted, but on this record the effect is lost. I have heard Lang Lang in concert and he is indeed a talent in a million, as BBC Magazine enthuses. But to label him as such on the basis of this CD would be wrong as it does not show him at his best. Indeed, I would not give a top recommendation for any of the performances on this CD - It is only interesting/worth buying in that it is the debut CD of a rising star. His next recording is of the Rachmaninov 3rd concerto, which I listened to live. You will understand what I mean by the 'floating' effect when you hear his opening phrase (as long as they haven't recorded it as drily as this CD)." A phenomenal young pianist rainbowcrow | 05/03/2001 (5 out of 5 stars) "Since hearing Lang Lang perform in Seattle a few months ago, I've been eager to get ahold of this CD, his first recording. I was very curious to see whether his personality and uniquely emotive style of playing would come through on CD. I finally found a copy of the recording, I certainly was not disappointed! The record faithfully reproduces his spirit of his performance.It is a joy to hear, as well. The pieces are well chosen (with the possible exception of the Rachmaninoff, in my opinion), and the recording quality is superb. I do not share the editorial reviewer's concern about the final piece, myself, and I find the Tchaikovsky Dumka to be practically worth the price of admission on its own.If haven't heard about Lang Lang, this might be a good time to see what the buzz is about; if you have heard him play, I suspect you'll be delighted by this recording. I certainly was, and this one will definitely spend a lot of time in my CD player."
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