Why do public these days always flock to the worser player (piano)

[chesebert]

Ok...before, I start I have no prejudice against the artist; actually I have never really seen him play so my initial impression was not marred by his circus acts.

So Lang Lang was just here on UM campus not too long ago and I missed listening to him, having heard bits of his playing on the radio here and there; let's just say his 'genius' reputation precedes him so I was quite angry at myself for not skipping my class and go to the concert

To make up for my loss I got his Live at Carnegie Hall CD and was prepared to be amazed and wowed. I could not believe what I was hearing.....a complete non-genius playing probably one of the worst Carnegie Hall debut ever. His technique is nothing to write home about, smearing keys and overuse of peddle; let's not go into those prolonged banging.

Hoping I was wrong, I pulled out some of the same songs played by Rubinstein, Horowitz and Yundi Li, and maybe Zimerman I forgot.... and to say the least Lang Lang is not even close to being in the same league.

Compared to his country man Yundi Li, Lang Lang is behind both in sheer technique, and musical understanding. (I don't mean technique as in he can hit the most number of keys in a sec, rather in music making techniques)

So, puzzled by why he is so popular, I went on to you tube and right away I discovered why.....his acts are so wild people just look at him instead of listening to his music. He butchered Rhapsody No2 just to get few more applauses from unlearned audiences....sad.

Now I am glad I didn't go to his concert, and I will probably keep the CD just to show people how ordinary he is.

[Wodgy]

They don't call him "Bang Bang" for nothing. He's like a swaggering, macho version of Glenn Gould when he was young.

[mark_h]

Check out his Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 on youtube and then Rachmaninoff's rendition! Quite a difference.

[zotjen]

People aren't always attracted to artists just for their musical abilities. Do you think people flocked to Liberace only because of his piano playing? It's the same in all fields, whether you're a pop star, opera singer,etc.

[mbhaub]

It's because the classical world is so stuck on the Star System that the artist managers will do anything to promote mediocre artists who they might be able to sell to a mostly uneducated, low-taste public. This isn't really new. There are many pianists better than Lang Lang who toil away out of the public eye, yet can outplay him without trying. THe same with violinists, conductors, and especially singers. All that matters is 1) are they young, 2) do they have sex appeal, 3) can they pretend to be great artists. And that's why we get the Nadia Salerno-Sonnenbergs, the Lang Langs, the Gustavo Dudamels, and one of the worst singers ever, Andrea Bocelli. Fortunately, most of these are found out, at slither away into the woodwork. Sadly, they are quite rich by then and couldn't care less. And let's face it, this occurs in every art form. Ryan Reynolds is no Spencer Tracy, but he's cute enough that he makes lots of movies anyway.

[goldenratiophi]

I just looked this guy up on YouTube, and.... wow. His performances are so ho-hum. No variety whatsoever. "Bang Bang" certainly is accurate - I played like that when I was 10.

[catscratch]

Lol. I saw the title of the thread and immediately thought "Lang Lang" before checking what it's all about.

I've Heard him in Carnegie Hall of all places. He's horrible. No rhythm, sloppy technique, exaggerated dynamics and silly and melodramatic interpretation, if it can even be called that.

Frankly, I was better, and I gave up on being a concert pianist, though not because I wasn't good enough. But that's a different story.

Avoid this man like the plague.

[kikkomang]

although i wouldn't call yundi li that great either, he is much better than lang lang. i listened to lang lang's rach concerto no2 performance and the tempo was pretty strange when he played it.

[chesebert]

Originally Posted by kikkomang

although i wouldn't call yundi li that great either, he is much better than lang lang. i listened to lang lang's rach concerto no2 performance and the tempo was pretty strange when he played it.

Who are you comparing Yundi to? Rubinstein? in all honesty let's not forget even Horowitz wasn't really in his prime until he was somewhat older. All I am saying is both from the same century one with limitless potential and the other one seems already peeked out, and pretty bad peak at that.

I just got the most recent CD release of the kid that won the 05 Chopin competition, supposedly he swept up all the 1st prizes......

[Aman]

Nice to hear that I'm not alone with these thoughts. I go to one of the most acclaimed music schools in the world, and I still hear people citing Lang Lang as one of their top influences. I've also heard this from people attending Juiliard, Eastman, and Peabody. Yikes.