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Lang Lang, Live in Studio 4A

Piano prodigy Lang Lang, just 20 years old, describes playing the piano — touching the keys — as an electrical force.

One reviewer said of a recent Lang Lang recital: "He created such a gut-level excitement that the audience responded with almost primitive intensity."

He's making his first appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he'll perform the world premiere of Eight Memories in Water Color by Chinese composer Tan Dun.

Tan Dun rose to international fame after winning an Academy Award in 2001 for his score to the mystical martial arts film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Lang Lang and his father, Gorin Lang, recently joined NPR's John Ydstie in Studio 4A to talk about Western music, traditional Chinese music and the meeting between the two. Gorin Lang is an expert player of the traditional Chinese violin, called the er hu.

Lang Lang started on the piano at age 3, and held his first concert at age 5 in northern China. He came to the U.S. six years ago, and has become something of a phenomenon. His parents supported his music career from the beginning, and father and son moved to Philadelphia in Lang Lang's mid-teens so he could continue his studies with some of the world's best tutors.

His big break came at 15, when he amazed audiences at the Ravinia Festival's Gala of the Century in August 1999. Pianist Andre Watts fell ill and Lang Lang was asked to step in at the last minute.

Lang Lang is well known for his technical skill, but also for his dramatic presentation. He plays with an almost unbridled energy and intensity.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.