Lang Lang’s charisma mesmerizes the audience
The world-renowned pianist performs Faure, Schumann, and Chopin
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT TORRES
Celebrity Series of Boston
Lang Lang
Piano Recital
Boston Symphony Hall
Feb. 28, 2025
On Feb. 28, world-renowned pianist Lang Lang performed for a sold-out concert in Symphony Hall. In the recital, Lang Lang played iconic Romantic-era pieces with a diverse array of emotions and textures, from Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana to a varied selection of Frederic Chopin’s mazurkas. He mesmerized the audience by finely expressing the emotional nuances of each piece and demonstrated his virtuosity by mastering its complex passages.
Lang Lang opened the recital with French composer Gabriel Faure’s Pavane, Op. 50. He began the piece with a gentle staccato at a slow tempo, elegantly capturing the qualities of pavane — a slow, processional Spanish court dance from the 17th century. His intimate, immersive playing brought Pavane’s emotional subtleties to light, especially the melancholia permeating throughout the piece. Although Pavane was wistful, Lang Lang made the melody irresistible by imbuing the piece with a tinge of nostalgia and reminiscence.
The quiet passage in Pavane stood out the most for its feeling of uncertainty. The sustained trills helped further this theme, seeming like spontaneous swirls or wisps in the air. Lang Lang’s playing was very delicate, which helped reveal the piece’s many textures, from the left hand’s light motif to the right hand’s pensive melody. The piece concluded with a smooth, gradual decrescendo that finished with a soft touch at the end.
Following Pavane was Schumann’s Kreisleriana, a set of eight piano fantasies that was a kaleidoscope of emotions, dynamics, and tempos. Based on the fictional musician Johannes Kreisler, created by writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, Kreisleriana is a reflection of the genius and madness Schumann struggled with throughout his life. Lang Lang skillfully embodied Schumann’s alter ego in the performance, taking the audience through an emotional rollercoaster of a listening journey. The first movement, “Äußerst bewegt” (“Extremely animated”), was full of ferocity, like a brewing storm with growing ocean waves. This tumultuous state then drastically transitioned into a calm, lyrical theme reminiscent of a romantic daydream in the second movement.
The striking contrast between these passages captured the volatility of emotion, a tension present throughout the piece. Lang Lang’s interpretation provided an inner glimpse into the emotional turmoil of Schumann, as if he was torn between two frequently switching polar opposites — agitation and bliss.
In its final movements, Lang Lang played a wide array of passages that captivated the audience through the piece’s ever-changing nature. In one part, he played wonderful flourishes that sounded like a tune from a windup music box. In another section, the clear staccato and sustained chords had a larger-than-life personality. The final movement, “Schnell und spielend” (“Fast and Playful”), began with very light grace notes with a frisky quality that transformed into a turbulent passage. Ultimately, however, the movement returned to its original theme, leaving the audience with a mysterious ending.
After Lang Lang’s stunning rendition of Kreisleriana, he returned to the stage after the intermission to play a selection of Chopin’s mazurkas. A mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter known for its rhythmic emphasis on the third note instead of the first. His careful playing brought out the dance’s versatility, ranging from its regal elegance to its playfulness.
In the carefree mazurkas like Op. 17, no. 1, the melody had a vivacious quality, as if a dancer was prancing lively and spinning in a dizzying fashion. In Op. 33, no. 4, Lang Lang exquisitely encapsulated the music’s solemn and contemplative facets, doing an excellent job balancing the lightness and heaviness of the piece.
Lang Lang concluded the performance on a high note with Chopin’s Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44. Originally a court dance in the 17th century, the polonaise eventually developed as a symbol of independence from foreign rule during the 19th century. Chopin left Poland in 1830 because it was under Russian rule and moved to Paris, where he remained for the rest of his life. Lang Lang’s stage presence was enthralling, as he flung his arms off to the side when he played the piece’s loud, declarative chords, while also maintaining a kind of gracefulness. His execution of the rapid ascending scales was impressive, and the quick tempo and fortissimo captured Chopin’s patriotic pride for Poland. Overall, the Polonaise sounded like a militant march that captured a person’s unrelenting passion to protect one’s homeland.
Before officially ending the performance, Lang Lang performed two encores that complemented each other — one highlighted his keenness to emotional detail, while the other displayed his musical prowess. He first played Charlotte Sohy’s “Romance sans Paroles,” a dreamy and romantic piece resembling a lullaby. Then, he closed off with Manuel de Falla’s “Ritual Fire Dance,” colorful and showy for its intense trills and loud accents. His performance was enchanting — even intoxicating — as he played at lightning speed with dramatic leaps above the keys.
Lang Lang’s recital was iconic not only for his rare ability to bring out the emotional complexities in a piece, but also for his musical charisma that held the audience spellbound. His expressive, visual playing added an extra dimension to the listening experience, transporting the audience to shifting musical realms, from the melancholic Pavane to the lively mazurkas.