Lang Lang: Life is All About Music

Lang Lang, a renowned pianist from China, gave a speech at the Columbia University on November 13, an event that was jointly organized by People’s Daily Online USA and the university. He shared with the audience about his passion in music and music education, and ended the event by playing two Chopin pieces –the “Grande Valse Brillante” Op. 18 in E-flat major and the Op. 25 No. 1 étude.

Lang Lang, a renowned pianist from China, gave a speech at the Columbia University。 Photo by Linyao Tang/ People's Daily Online

The Beginning of His Fire

Sitting in between a grand piano and Professor Peter Susser, Director of Undergraduate Musicianship and the moderator of the event, Mr. Lang, dressed in black, shared his first impression of music as a child.

Mr. Lang grew up in a musical family, where all his family members enjoyed playing and listening to Chinese and Western music. His father played Err Hu, a Chinese string instrument. All these formed the first basic knowledge for Mr. Lang about music. Whether it is Bach, Mozart, or Chinese music, Mr. Lang grew up with them all and was fascinated by the melodious sounds.

But the things that enthralled him the most, and that were what made him decide his profession, were more than just merely playing and listening to music. At the age of five, he had his first concert after winning a competition. He was first enchanted by the golden stage lights that showered onto him and the piano. Then, standing on stage at the auditorium after playing four short pieces, including Chopin Waltz, Mr. Lang was completely captivated and awed by the applause and flowers from the audience.

“And I thought, ‘Wow, being a pianist is pretty cool.’ For me, when I was five, being a pianist was like being a rock star. This is the coolest profession, and I want to be a professional musician,” he said.