Lang Lang

Last night I went to see the NSO special presentation with Lang Lang, the piano virtuoso. After being told it was unlikely that we'd get in, we ended up with fabulous seats on audience left so we had a perfect view of Lang Lang playing. He plays a bit like a caricature of someone playing the piano - arms and hair flaying around the place. Apparently he's not like this at all in rehearsal so it's just part of his stage persona. He's young so gets away with it (though it was funny hearing some in the audience comment on how he wasn't wearing a tie with his tuxedo jacket. Shocking! and cool looking FYI) If you'd like to get as sense, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b85hn8rJvgw

(sorry I can't get the link to "embed" here...will have to figure that out...)

I have to admit that 3 of the 4 pieces of the evening left me cold. The NSO played two on their own and they were their usual lack luster efforts. The first piece with Lang Lang, Beethoven's Piano Concerto no.1 in C major, sounded like they'd never played it together before. Now, this is not a piece of music that I'm familiar with but it did not sound like the piano was meant to be played with the rest of the orchestra - when of course it is. The couple of orchestra people I was with (who did know the music) agreed with me.

Fortunately the evening was entirely worth it for the last piece, Prokofiev's Piano Concerto no.3 in C major, which was brilliant and exciting and had the audience on its feet at the end. It was truly breathtaking playing. I would love to see him play again with a somewhat less...regimented orchestra. The NSO never quite feels to me like they love what they are doing...