Being Lang Lang must require a lot of patience. The high-profile Chinese pianist makes himself very accessible on social media and the questions that come in range far and wide. “What was the first scary movie you remember watching?” “What is Lang Lang’s hand size?” “What’s the last wedding that wowed you?”
It is hard to imagine many pianists having to field questions like these, but Lang Lang answers them in good humour and with apparent enthusiasm. He is tirelessly bright-eyed as a communicator, which is fortunate given the media spotlight that shines on everything he does.
The days when Lang Lang, still only 38, was simply a young Chinese pianist with a hotline to virtuosity feel long gone. Riding the wave as the first Chinese musician to win widespread fame in the west has taken him far beyond the boundaries that limit most classical musicians. He played at the opening concert of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He is a Unicef Ambassador and a UN Messenger of Peace. He was presented with the Crystal Award at Davos in 2010 and chosen as one of 250 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum.