Chinese virtuoso pianist Lang Lang will present Bach’s “Goldberg Variations, BWV 988” at Pingshan Theater on Aug. 14, the first show at the theater since it was closed half a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Goldberg Variations, BWV 988,” is a musical composition for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is one of the most important examples of the variation form. It is named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may also have been the first performer of the work. The piece is currently widely performed on both the harpsichord and the piano.
Lang’s expressiveness and charisma made him one of the most sought-after performers in the early 21st century. In 1997, he enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he had been offered a scholarship. For the next five years he studied under noted pianist Gary Graffman, president of the institute. Lang’s pace of development was astonishing, and in 1998 he made his American debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Lang Lang. File photo
In 1999, at the Ravinia Festival in Illinois, Lang stepped in at the last moment for an ailing Andre Watts and earned rave reviews for his performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and became famous virtually overnight.
In 2002 he won the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival’s first-ever Leonard Bernstein Award for distinguished musical talent. By the time he was in his early 20s, Lang had firmly established himself as one of the most prominent young talents on the international classical music scene. He had already performed with many of the leading orchestras and conductors and had played in major concert halls across Europe, North America and Asia. A Chicago Tribune music critic called him “the biggest, most exciting young keyboard talent I have encountered in many a year of attending piano recitals.”
Ticketing of the concert will be announced later on Pingshan Theater’s WeChat account (search keyword “坪山大剧院”).
Venue: Pingshan Theater, Hekang Road, Pingshan District (坪山区荷康路坪山大剧院)
Transport: Take the high-speed rail from Futian Station or Shenzhen North Station to Pingshan Station and then take a taxi