Oak Park Newspaper

LANG LANG PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS HERO FRANZ LISZT

ON HIS SECOND RECORDING ON SONY CLASSICAL

LISZT — MY PIANO HERO AVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 4

COMPANION DVD - LISZT NOW! – AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 22

★★★★
"We highly recommend this wonderful
sojourn back to the birth of Liszt."
Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.

review by Ed Vincent

Arthur Rubinstein and Vladimir Horowitz were my piano men as a kid, and their recordings of Liszt’s work, along with Chopin's were the mark of excellence that I measured all performances against. When I played Lang Lang's new album honoring the talented Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886)
on his 200 year of birthday, I was impressed with his skill and emotion in bringing Maestro Liszt's work to life with beauty and finesse.

Liszt is known for his work in front of large audiences of admirers and Lang Lang has strong theatrics in playing as well. He clearly enjoys his piano and his skill with a flair for the Las Vegas drama of Liberace. We have had the pleasure to see Lang Lang perform numerous times at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and at Ravinia. He is always a fun and powerful player of whatever he chooses. I had dinner a few weeks ago with a clothes designer for Liberace and I am pleased that Lang Lang's theatrics have not gone down the road of apparel that Mr. Las Vegas chose.

Lang Lang's tribute to Franz Liszt in his latest album is a wonderful performance for all lovers of classical music.

We highly recommend this wonderful sojourn back to the birth of Liszt.

Sony Classical announces world renowned pianist Lang Lang’s new recording Liszt – My Piano Hero and DVD Liszt Now! which pays tribute to the life and music of Franz Liszt whose 200th anniversary is celebrated this year. One of the most eagerly anticipated classical releases of the year, the project encompasses an album – available October 4, a filmed concert and a documentary that will come out on multiple formats on November 22.

The album Liszt — My Piano Hero features the composer’s Piano Concerto No.1, which Lang Lang recorded with Valery Gergiev and the Vienna Philharmonic. The recording also includes some of Liszt’s most poetic and virtuosic solo piano works and transcriptions such as the Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos.6 and 15, Liebestraum, Grand galop chromatique, the Liszt/Schubert Ave Maria and the famous “La campanella” from Grandes Études de Paganini.

The release of the DVD and Blu-Ray Liszt Now! follows later in the year. It features Lang Lang’s solo performance at London’s Roundhouse, filmed during the iTunes festival. The DVD will also contain a documentary, The Art of Being a Virtuoso, produced by the award-winning production company Boomtown Media.

Franz Liszt, who is regarded as the first pop-star in music history, is Lang Lang’s piano hero. Lang Lang has had an extraordinary relationship with the iconic piano virtuoso and innovative composer since his first encounter with classical music at the age of two, when he was captivated by Tom and Jerry’s version of Hungarian Rhapsody No.2. Lang Lang will celebrate Liszt’s anniversary year worldwide in multiple concerts and events throughout his 2011/2012 season.

As well as a major Liszt tour with key concerts at the Salzburg Festival, the Last Night of the Proms, and in Japan, there are further celebrations planned to bring Liszt’s music to a worldwide audience. On July 25, there was a live stream from London’s iTunes Festival of Lang Lang performing Liszt at London’s Roundhouse. On October 22, the bicentennial of Liszt’s birth, Lang Lang will perform the composer’s Piano Concerto No.1 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. There will also be a major international television broadcast of the new documentary The Art of Being a Virtuoso. Leading up to the release of his Liszt project, Lang Lang will gear up for the celebration while on tour, by providing a weekly video blog on his website — Journeys with My Piano Hero.

Key Performance dates:

July 7: Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL — Chicago Symphony Orchestra

July 17: Munich, Germany — Munich Philharmonic

August 20 / 21: Salzburg Festival, Austria — Vienna Philharmonic

September 7 / 8: San Francisco, CA — San Francisco Symphony

September 10: Last Night of the Proms, London, UK — BBC Symphony Orchestra

September 28 – 30: Amsterdam, Netherlands — Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

October 4: Brussels, Belgium — Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

October 5: Cologne, Germany — Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

October 12 – 16: Yokohama, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Japan –
Vienna Philharmonic

October 18: Washington, DC – The Spring Court

October 20 / 22: Philadelphia, PA — Philadelphia Orchestra

October 25: New York, NY – Carnegie Hall

October 28: Newark, NJ – NJPAC

October 30: Boston, MA – Symphony Hall

November 4: Vancouver, BC – Orheum Theater

November 6: LA, CA – Disney Hall

January 18 - 24: New York, NY — New York Philharmonic

Sony Classical is the label group in charge of classical music within Sony Music Entertainment, based in New York and Berlin and responsible for the international productions of Sony Classical, RCA Red Seal and Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, as well as a vast catalogue that goes back to Enrico Caruso. Sony Classical is the home of artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lang Lang, Joshua Bell, Murray Perahia and Vittorio Grigolo, as well as containing the musical legacy of Glenn Gould, Arthur Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Arturo Toscanini and Leonard Bernstein. In the USA, Sony Classical is represented by the Sony Masterworks label group.

For email updates and information please visit www.SonyMasterworks.com.

“PRODIGY. VIRTUOSO. GENIUS. THESE ARE SOME OF THE WORDS USED TO DESCRIBE

LANG LANG, THE MOST POPULAR PIANIST ON THE PLANET.” - CNN

INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED PIANIST

LANG LANG

CELEBRATES FRANZ LISZT’S 200^TH BIRTHDAY IN A PERFORMANCE

WITH THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

TO BE BROADCAST LIVE TO MOVIE THEATRES THROUGHOUT THE US

OCTOBER 22^nd, 2011

Tickets on sale September 16^th

EVENT MARKS THE FIRST CLASSICAL MUSIC CINEMACAST

TO BE HEADLINED BY SOLO ARTIST

‘LISZT – MY PIANO HERO’ CD AVAILABLE OCTOBER 4

Over 100,000 people will have the unprecedented opportunity to experience internationally acclaimed pianist Lang Lang in a special event to be broadcast live to movie theaters across the country. Sony Classical is proud to announce that on Saturday, October 22, 2011, Lang Lang will celebrate Liszt’s 200th anniversary on his exact birthdate with a special, live concert featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra. A re-broadcast of the performance will take place on Monday, October 24th in select movie theaters. Event and ticketing information will be announced in September.

Lang Lang, will perform Liszt’s famed Piano Concerto No. 1 with additional selections from Liszt’s well-known repertoire in conjunction with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Charles Dutoit. The performance will also feature unique footage from this summer‘s iTunes Festival in London, including behind the scenes interviews, commentary and exclusive musical performances.

The Event will be offered in high definition across NCM Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN) in hundreds of locations. The event will mark the first time that a live, classical music cinema broadcast will be headlined by a solo artist.

* * *

Sony Classical recently announced Lang Lang’s new recording Liszt – My Piano Hero and DVD Liszt Now! which pays tribute to the life and music of Franz Liszt whose 200th anniversary is celebrated this year. One of the most eagerly anticipated classical releases of the year, the album Liszt — My Piano Hero features the composer’s Piano Concerto No.1, which Lang Lang recorded with Valery Gergiev and the Vienna Philharmonic. The recording also includes some of Liszt’s most poetic and virtuosic solo piano works and transcriptions such as the Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos.6 and 15, Liebestraum, Grand galop chromatique, the Liszt/Schubert Ave Maria and the famous “La campanella” from Grandes Études de Paganini.

The release of the DVD and Blu-Ray Liszt Now! follows later in the year. It features Lang Lang’s solo performance at London’s Roundhouse, filmed during the iTunes festival. The DVD will also contain a documentary, The Art of Being a Virtuoso, produced by the award-winning production company Boomtown Media.

Franz Liszt, who is regarded as the first pop-star in music history, is Lang Lang’s piano hero. Lang Lang has had an extraordinary relationship with the iconic piano virtuoso and innovative composer since his first encounter with classical music at the age of two, when he was captivated by Tom and Jerry’s version of Hungarian Rhapsody No.2. Lang Lang will celebrate Liszt’s anniversary year worldwide in multiple concerts and events throughout his 2011/2012 season.

As well as a major Liszt tour with key concerts at the Salzburg Festival, the Last Night of the Proms, and in Japan, there are further celebrations planned to bring Liszt’s music to a worldwide audience. On July 25, there was a live stream from London’s iTunes Festival of Lang Lang performing Liszt at London’s Roundhouse. On October 22, the bicentennial of Liszt’s birth, Lang Lang will perform the composer’s Piano Concerto No.1 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. There will also be a major international television broadcast of the new documentary The Art of Being a Virtuoso. Leading up to the release of his Liszt project, Lang Lang will gear up for the celebration while on tour, by providing a weekly video blog on his website — Journeys with My Piano Hero.

For more information and tour dates, visit http://www.langlang.com/.

Key Performance dates of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.1:


September 10: Last Night of the Proms, London, UK — BBC Symphony Orchestra

September 28 – 30: Amsterdam, Netherlands — Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

October 3: Paris, France – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

October 4: Brussels, Belgium — Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

October 5: Cologne, Germany — Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

October 12 – 16: Yokohama, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Japan – Vienna Philharmonic

October 20 / 22: Philadelphia, PA — Philadelphia Orchestra

January 24: New York, NY — New York Philharmonic

Sony Classical is the label group in charge of classical music within Sony Music Entertainment, based in New York and Berlin and responsible for the international productions of Sony Classical, RCA Red Seal and Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, as well as a vast catalogue that goes back to Enrico Caruso. Sony Classical is the home of artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lang Lang, Joshua Bell, Murray Perahia and Vittorio Grigolo, as well as containing the musical legacy of Glenn Gould, Arthur Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Arturo Toscanini and Leonard Bernstein. In the USA, Sony Classical is represented by the Sony Masterworks label group. For email updates and information please visitLanwww.SonyMasterworks.com.g

To purchase tickets, vist http://www.fathomevents.com/advanceticketdetails.aspx?seriesid=669

For more information about the Cinecast, visit www.FathomEvents.com