I've been following the discussion of Lang Lang with some interest,
and hav e wondered what my reaction would be to him in live performance.
I now know, having just returned from Ravinia, where he played the
Beethoven Fourth Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by
Christoph Eschenbach.  While Earl Wild's quip about Lang Lang as the
J.Lo of the piano world may be a cute witticism, I'm thankful to report
that what I heard doesn't bear it out.  Lang Lang gave a thoughtful,
poised reading of this noble concerto.  I know this score intimately,
and Lang Lang followed it closely much of the time, even observing many
of Beethoven's long pedals.  He did add a few bass octaves to the great
first movement cadenza, which he approached somewhat capriciously, but
even so, nothing seemed particularly gratuitous.  Tempi were not pushed
but comfortable; the "Andante con moto" of the second movement was
stretched out in the currently fashionable "slow equals profound" manner,
and came out sounding rather like a largo.  There were a number of
beautiful touches throughout all three movements; Lang Lang's control
of softer passages and trills was particularly noteworthy.  He didn't
match the sublime simplicity that Leon Fleisher brought to the middle
movement of the "Emperor" Concerto on the previous weekend, but he has
fifty years in which to grow into it.  If he doesn't burn out under all
the pressures of his current celebrity, he has a lot to look forward to.
Meanwhile, the evident pleasure with which he plays is quite infectious,
and could carry him quite a distance.  I'm too slow-witted to figure out
what Lang Lang is if he is not J.Lo, but he isn't just the creation of
a publicity machine; there's a clear suggestion of content and potential
for growth underneath the surface.

The remainder of the evening's program was devoted to two other concerted
works for piano and orchestra.  The concert opened with a transparent
and stylish performance of Mozart's Concerto in A, K.  414, conducted
from the keyboard my Maestro Eschenbach.  While a few spots betrayed the
fact that this concerto performance was not the only thing on his mind
this weekend, Eschenbach's pianism was undeniably attractive and effective.
Rounding out the first half, Cliburn Competition veteran Christopher
Taylor was the confident, intensely focused soloist in Leonard Bernstein's
Second Symphony= , "The Age of Anxiety." Taylor's brand of intelligent,
straightforward playing is ideally suited to this kind of music, and the
resulting performance was quite satisfying.

All in all, it was an intriguing evening, and Lang Lang's performance
was a pleasant surprise.  I suppose it's possible that not everything
that glitters is only a flash in the pan.

Daniel Horn