#langlang

Emma Watson at Lang Lang's concert in Baden-Baden, Germany [March 02, 2024]

“What does it mean to play expressively? Compare classical music to film. Film buffs recognize overacting in a flash, and won’t put up with it. Mr. Lang, I think, does the equivalent of overacting in music; his expressivity tips over into exaggeration, even vulgarity. He has won ardent fans for the sheer brilliance and energy of his playing. But many also respond to moments of deep expression, when he sure seems to be doing something to the music, almost always reflected in his physical mannerisms.

In classical music, unlike in film, players are often performing repertory works, like the “Goldberg” Variations, which are familiar to their audiences. Listeners are judging a performance based on its differences from others they’ve heard, not merely in a vacuum. The key, I’d say, is the proper mixture of bold personality — difference from the norm — and subtlety, taste.

...

It’s like he’s attempting to show us how deeply he feels the music, to prove that it’s truly coming from his heart. But as a listener I don’t care about his feelings; I care about mine. He has to make this music touch me, not himself.”

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