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(Talks/Authors/Brewmasters/Comedians/Green/Health/Innovators/Musicians/Artists/Filmmakers at Google)
[Applause]

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Artists at Google
Lang Lang The Chopin Album - Interview moderated by Jeff Spurgeon of WOXR
October 15th, 2012 
[Applause]

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[Lang Lang] Good morning. Thanks for being here.

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I'm very happy to be here for the second time, but the first time, I wasn't on the stage.

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I just - I was just visiting the office - a very cool office, I say.

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And yes, I prepared some morning songs for you to wake up.

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[laughter]

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So, a few Chopin pieces. We'll start with one of them, a very beautiful Nocturne

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and then, one or two Etudes, and then a Chopin waltz.

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So hopefully, we will get really waked after 20 minutes of performance. Thank you.

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[Applause]

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[Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat major, Opus 55 #2 (?)]

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(6:44) [Etude - which?]

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(8:11) [Etude in E Major, Op. 10, No. 3]

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(13:01) [Chopin: Waltz op 64 #1(?])

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(16:42) [Applause]

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[Jeff Spurgeon] Hello. I'm Jeff Spurgeon from WOXR, New York's classical station .......

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You may not know, because nobody told you: this is Lang Lang.

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He's a classical pianist, reasonably well-known all over the globe (17:12)

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and it's quite a wonderful thing to hear you play.

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Let me ask you: what was your warm up for this?

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Just this morning: did you warm up this morning?

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[Lang Lang] I - I'm sorry, I didn't warm up:

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I woke up around 10:20 [laughter]

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I mean I was running like crazy - speed - to get here

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and I'm really grateful that I - I mean - you are here today, ...... for me. Thank you very much.

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[Jeff Spurgeon] It's really wonderful
[Applause]

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[Jeff Spurgeon] It's extraordinary to have all that music just in your head, just at your command,

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but that's what you do.

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[Lang Lang] Well, as Rubinstein said, you know, one of the greatest pianists,

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and he's had, he has like 60 piano concertos in his head.

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And basically doing - in his 70's or 80's he said:

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"Just call me up, wake me up in the middle of the night, like, say, 4 am -

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and I can play whatever piece you want - in concert level" Well, I mean that's -

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[Spurgeon] I believe it but so can you - but so can you.

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He's had - he had a little more practice than you so far,

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but you'll be there.

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In China, Lang Lang is credited with influencing some 40 million kids

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to take up classical piano.

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Now, I know that 40 million is not maybe a huge number at Google,

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but still [audience laughs] it's a reasonably large number of people - [Lang Lang laughs]

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to persuade to take up - and when you think about all the pianos that have to be made,

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and all the music that has to be printed,

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and all the lessons that have to be paid for,

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I would say that you are, without question, classical music's greatest job creator.[laughter]

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I don't think there's anybody who's going to do more than that than you are.

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Lang Lang's new album on the Sony label is "The Chopin Album".

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It contains at its heart the Opus 25 set of a dozen études, studies for piano,

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that you have been studying since I think you were what?

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Eight it was when you started to play those things?

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[Lang Lang] Yeah, I started to play the Chopin études when I was 8, and -

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[Spurgeon] Took them on the road when you were 12 or 13?

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[Lang Lang] Yeah, I played the complete études when I was 13, right,

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and it was very tiring to play those pieces [laughter].

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I mean, it drives me nuts and it drives my neighbors nuts [laughter]

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I really feel bad about it, you know.

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And, as you know, recently I started practicing in my appartment here,

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and I started practicing the Chopin études, you know [imitates a few notes]

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and then my neighbor knocked at my door: "Can - could you stop?"

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[Spurgeon] Really? You mean really?

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[Lang Lang] Yeah. I mean, no no.

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I mean there's one neighbor who knows who I am,

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so she's always like, "Oh, that's really wonderful!"

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But then, there's another neighbor, I think, living downstairs,

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because I always like to practice after 11, you know,

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to find inspiration [laughter]

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And - and this lady, I think she hates me all the time.

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So anyway, that's -

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[Spurgeon] So you've been playing these since you were 8, playing them in public since you were 13.

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Why record them now? Why not a little earlier?

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Why not wait a couple more years? Maybe the wine will mellow a little more in the bottle.

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Why decide to do these now?

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[Lang Lang] I mean, since I'm 30, you know, I like to -

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to do some more repertoire, which I played a lot when I was a kid,

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and also, you know, putting on new pieces.

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I actually thought to do the 24 études, the complete cycle,

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but I actually - I thought maybe I should do something, not just technical pieces,

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but also very artistic pieces combined for the Chopin first solo for me to record.

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And also to hear - I was also actually watching the video that I did when I was 13,

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playing the complete études, and I found (?) a few wrong notes, and I [makes dismayed sound]

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but now, playing a few of those pieces like "The Winter Wind", "Ocean" études,

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now I feel slightly easier - slightly.

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So that seems like a good sign, you know.

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17 years of practice and my technique is going somewhere [laughter]

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And - but more importantly, is the musical sense that -

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there are so many new things I'm trying to reinterpret in this album,

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that I try to find different colors, like you have here, different levels of colors

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and the combination of the ...... of Chopin,

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you know, the Romantic period of répertoire,

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and especially last year, I did Liszt.

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So I thought this was a nice moment to do Chopin.

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So next year will be very different. So -

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[Spuregeon] What's next year?

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[Lang Lang] Next year, I will do Prokofiev and Bartók.

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[Spurgeon] Well! OK So it's very very different, totally different, truly...

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There's some unusual pieces on this album.

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The Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, a big favorite of yours,

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done with orchestra sometimes, but there is the solo version.

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You've always liked this piece? (22:31)

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[Lang Lang] Not really. I mean, when I was a [laughter] - when I was a kid, I hated it,

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because I mean, once - no matter how great the work of art,

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there are so many pianists playing the same piece, not in a very good level (?)

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then you will feel kind of bored, you know.

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And so that exactly happens when I was a kid,

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you know, I heard so many interpretations of this piece I got totally all around (?)

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and I didn't like it.

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Then I came to America and I studied at Curtis' in Philadelphia

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- Do you know the Philly cheese steak? It's pretty good, yeah -

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Anyway, so, in Philadelphia, a boy from Kiev, he's - he also studied with the same teacher as me,

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Gary Graffman
[Spurgeon] Gary Graffman

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[Lang Lang] and he played it in a student recital. I was shocked by his playing.

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I'm like "Wow! This piece is spectacular!"

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And then I started loving this piece and - thanks to him, of course -

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and - so sometimes, you know, one amazing performance

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really changes your entire view of a work

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and that's what happens in the Spianato and .....

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[Spurgeon] Now it turns - you played actually a wonderful cross-section of the album

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just a few minutes ago.

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There is a piece on this album, it's the last selection called "Tristesse"

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and it features a singer named Oh Land, who is from - 
[Spurgeon and Lang Lang] Sweden

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[Spurgeon] She lives in Williamsburg,

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because most people do.
[Lang Lang] Right. [Laughter]

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[Lang Lang] Yeah, Brooklyn is getting .....

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[Spurgeon] That's - it's beautiful.

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Can you tell me the story of this, because it's from a film?

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[Lang Lang] Right, Trist - we did a film during the Chopin year,

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called "The Flying Machine", so it basically adapts a novel, kind of about Poland today,

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and as compared to the Chopin's days.

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So actually, I was actor in this movie and my partner was Heather Graham [inaudible]

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[Spurgeon] Yeah, Heather Graham - many faces lit up when you said those words. [Laughter]

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[Lang Lang] Anyway. But that one was pretty classic. ........

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And so that - that film actually was quite inspiring,

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because there was Chopin's music and takes the journey of a piano

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actually, the piano became a flying machine, sort of,

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we take the kids all over the world.

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And so, the theme song, we actually thought the Tristesse (?), which is the Opus 10 #3 étude

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is such a beautiful melody, which I played here, second to the last (?),

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and so we transcribed that to the theme song,

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so we got this beautiful voice of - her name is pretty funny: Oh Land -

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yeah, so, in the beginning I didn't know she's a - I mean is a he or she -

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but when I heard the voice, I most certainly knew she's a she

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and she did a wonderful job.

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[Spurgeon] Yeah. It's a sweet - it's a sweet song

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and Chopin - lots of people - lots of popular songs have been written on Chopin themes,

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but this is another and it is just great
[Lang Lang] Yes.

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[Spurgeon] Your foundation. Let's talk about that because that's such a big deal:

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the Lang Lang International Music Foundation - it's going great guns (?)

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you had some kids I think, from part of that program on the Tonight Show?

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[Lang Lang] Yeah: two weeks ago I was on Jay Leno -

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[Spurgeon] Yeah: four minutes of classical music on network television.

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It was extraordinary. Four whole minutes.

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[Lang Lang] It was amazing.

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You know, these days, it's hard to get classical music on 
[Spurgeon] Exactly right.

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[Lang Lang] anyway, but I mean, Jay is a good friend

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and I mean, his name is Jay Jay now, after [laughter]

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[Spurgeon] - the Lang Lang.

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[Lang Lang] Oh my god, yes, 400 cars (?) -

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anyway, let's not talk about that.

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So, we actually had a very fortunate selection of wonderful talents from the Los Angeles area

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and they - there were - I mean some of the kids I know them before,

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because they perform with me, my condition-

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[Spurgeon] Do you mean all kids......

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10 of them, so Lang Lang played - you played "La Campanella" and the E-flat Waltz

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that you heard part of here, and then ten kids, five other Steinways around in the room

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and they are all doing [inaudible]

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[Lang Lang] Yeah, Turkish March [sings it]

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[sings on the Turkish March] And that was so beautiful

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that I really enjoyed working with them, and the way they played, it was magnificent.
[Spurgeon] [Inaudible]

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[Lang Lang] And - I mean, I thought I really want, watching, you know,

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our next generation perform, it's a special moment and for me it's very inspiring

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and that's what our foundation is wanting to do, you know, to work with the next generation of artists

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and to - helping them - to support them to achieve their dreams,

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just like many of the mentors helped me when I was very young.

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[Spurgeon] So, it's about helping the next generation - not necessarily about classical music?

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I mean it is classical-focused I think about it (?).

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[Lang Lang] Yes, it will be focused on classical and piano,

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but in the same time, we will also - to do some .....(?) with the Grammy people

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and VHI people, so we're trying to - trying to break the boundaries

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through these wonderful projects

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and I created this "101 pianists" project. So -

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[Spurgeon] You'll have a hundred pianists with you on stage? That's the idea?
[Lang Lang] Yes - yes.

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50 pianos, people play 4-hands, the re... is that -
[Spurgeon] It's also a great job creator too,

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just for the movers.[Laughter]

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[Lang Lang] I mean, yeah, the movers were quite happy about this, you know, and this, and -

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but the reason we wanted this is, as a pianist, we always practice by ourself.

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It's sometimes very lonely, you know, you are in a dark room, much tougher than this one [laughter].

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I practice hours, hours, it's - it's hard training and for a kid, it's important to have a partner,

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like two kids on one piano, so they can talk a little bit.

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And it's like doing your homework, you know, that type of thing.

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And then, the teachers can teach them, you know, how to play together

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and in the end, we all get together to play, and enjoy the music.

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[Spurgeon] Music making
[Lang Lang] Yeah.

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[Spurgeon] October 30th at Carnegie Hall, the Lang Lang International Music Foundation

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is having a big benefit concert, an evening with Joshua Bell and Dee Dee Bridgewater

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and the formerly mentioned Oh Land -

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[Lang Lang] And Alec Baldwin
[Spurgeon] And Alec Baldwin will be the host

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and [inaudible]

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So what's going to happen that night?

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Just a big bunch of music making, I guess'

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[Lang Lang] Err yes.

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[Spurgeon] I mean, do you collaborate, are you doing something with Dee Dee Bridgewater?

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[Lang Lang] Yes, so - so here I start, playing some Chopin,

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and then - with Josh - we play the Grieg Violin and Piano Sonata -

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[Spurgeon] Is he Jay Jay also to you?

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[Lang Lang] Err - Josh Josh. [laughter]
[Spurgeon] Just checking.

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[Lang Lang] And then [giggles] in the second half, we start with 4 hands, 6 hands, 8 hands - and 10 hands.

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[Spurgeon] [Laughs] On one piano?
[Lang Lang] No.
[Spurgeon] OK.

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Just checking. Just checking.

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[Lang Lang] Yes, 10 hands on one piano that's -

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[Spurgeon] Well, you'd know each other very well by the end of the piece, you'd be very familiar.

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[Lang Lang] Just like the subway, you know
[Spurgeon] That's right.

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[Spurgeon] You are a master, at the age of 30, you are a master, recognized around the globe.

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But are you still a student and do you see any of your old teachers?

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Gary Graffman was your teacher at Curtis,

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and then you've done a little bit of work with Daniel Barenboim.
[Lang Lang] Absolutely.

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[Spurgeon] When you see them, do you play for them and ask them for their thoughts?

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Is it a lesson they give you - no - how does it work at this level

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where you are, in your stage of artistry - with these elder mentors, I guess you'd call them?

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[Lang Lang] Yeah. I mean, my teachers were, and still are

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Gary Graffman, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniel Barenboim

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and they helped me tremendously, not just technically but -

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[Spurgeon] Well, I was going to say, they're not going to say:

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"You missed the E flat in the 40th bar." or - that's not what they do. So, what are they -

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[Lang Lang] Well, sometimes they do that too. [laughter]

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But they - because the great musicians like those names, you know,

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they are much more focused on the understanding

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and also on the traditional interpretations.

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So they will show you how the traditional sound.

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And then we will start discussing about new possibilities -

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how we recreate those moments that the traditional lights (?).

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And then, you know, they will help me to find out my ways, you know:

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I will start to explore some of my ideas on those passages, how I'm going to do it.

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And obviously, we know that music - there are some, I mean, there are certain styles.

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but there are not certain rules, you know, so basically, there are lots of alternatives.

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And the important thing is how to organize the alternatives,

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and how to - balancing them, having a right pulse (?).

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And this is the challenge, because you can do lot of interpretations,

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but if they are unbalanced, if what you start, in the end, doesn't make sense,

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then all those feelings are wasted, you know,

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and so, first you free [inaudible], and then you need to limit your interpretations into certain ways.

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And then, in the concert, you start everything new again, you know,

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try to get inspired from the actual stage and to recreate new feelings, a new emotion,

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but aware of that tradition lines, which will hold every interpretation

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in the right speed and right pulse.

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[Spurgeon] Right. Well, you're part of that tradition.

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You're recreating it and making it at the same time.

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I should say too that there is time for questions from all of you here -

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a little bit, to just - hold: think of your question -
[Lang Lang] Hold the line! Hold the line!

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[Spurgeon] Yeah, exactly.

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And I've wondered about the transition from Chinese culture to Western culture for you,

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in music as well, because you grew up playing this music for a very long time.

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For me, Chinese classical music is - is a little bit strange,

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and maybe a little bit difficult to listen to, because I haven't had as much experience with it.

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You've been steeped in both traditions.

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Do you hear them the same way, or do you switch, sort of from one to another?

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And you put them together too, because you've done lots of piano transcriptions

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of traditional Chinese pieces that weren't thought of on a piano. (33:52)

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[Lang Lang] It's just like this, you know, when you hear American music,

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when you hear a German music, when you hear a - African music, it's different, you know.

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But in the same time, it's all called music.

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It's like music, I mean, in that we try to express similar subjects, similar feelings

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but use a different wording and a different language.

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That's a bit like in the music world.

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I mean, obviously, you have to switch fast with the haste (?) of music making.

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But in the end of the day, following that (?) I grew up both in the Chinese traditional music

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and in Western classical,

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because my father plays erhu, which is a Chinese violin,

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Yeah - I mean recently, I found a different interesting thing of the difference between fork and chopsticks

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and the difference between erhu and violin -

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Do you see the similarity out there?
[Spurgeon] Interesting.

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[Lang Lang] Well, erhu has two strings, and violins have four.

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[Spurgeon] [laughss] and chopsticks: two and a fork, usually four tines.

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[Lang Lang] Right, here we go. So that's the difference.

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[Laughter]

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[Spurgeon] Very good, that's a very good answer.

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Do you - do you think it's - I mean, one of the things with your foundation,

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you're helping people to explore classical msic:

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do you think you can make people like classical music?

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I was - I feel like, sometimes it's a sales job.

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Nobody says: "Oh my God, you've got to hear rock n' roll, you won't believe what that stuff is"

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Nobody says that, but about classical music, some of those people say:

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"Oh, well, if you haven't heard it, you should maybe listen to a little bit of it."

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Do you feel like having, I mean, to "sell it"?

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The idea of it?

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[Lang Lang] I mean - my experience of it (?) is pretty funny.

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There are two - there are two experiences of it.

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The first was in America - and then I'll talk about China alright? -

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So, first in America, I came when I was 15, and then, I was in a regular high school in Philadelphia.

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All those "dudes" and "yammies" (?) 36:09

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And then, they asked me: "What do you do here, in this country?"

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And I: "Oh, I'm studying classical music." alright (?): "Classical music? what is that?"

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[laughter] "Oooh, I know, I know - I'll tell you: are you playing the dudes that already passed,

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like 500 years ago?" [laughter]"You do his work?"

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I say "Yes, kind of like that but not [inaudible]"

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I say: "Just think about Shakespeare, right? He died for many years, but still his work is classic, right?"

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So there, I know we have a serious problem, you know.

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And then a few years later, I went back to China for - for concerts.

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And then - ............ (36:55)

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There's one guy who came and he's like:

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"I hear so you're recording in the same label as Mozart." [laughter]

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So, you see, it's a total ........

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but somehow it's quite funny, right?

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So - so in a way, that - you know - that gives us the room to sort of have some work to do.

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But I don't think we need to "sell" this, you know, this art,

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because classical music is so wonderful - it's just -

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people sometimes don't know it, that's it: we just need to, you know,

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using social media and networks and platforms too.

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[Spurgeon] Can you give an example of social media?

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- Just kidding, just kidding: it's Google Talk - it's Google

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[Lang Lang] Yeah. Yeah, I mean, remember, a few years ago,

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YouTube had a, like a YouTube Symphony Orchestra competition

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and it was a big phenomenon on internet.

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And I had the great privilege of being their ambassador for - for the proect.

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And - so in the future, I mean, today, even like when I tweet or I'm facebooking,

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I start to share some of the musical thoughts

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- not just talking about food and movies 
[laughter]

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but to share a little bit of feelings towards, to the music I play.

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And then, I share some of my favorite links of the great musicians performing

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and you know, to try to inspire some fans to listen.

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[Spurgeon] Yeah. Very good, thank you. Alright.

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You've got microphones over there, so if you have questions,

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please go to a microphone and we'll .... up and knock you down with Lang Lang.

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[From the audience] Hi [name ?] [Inaudible]

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I'm a father: I've got a 5-year old and a 2-year old (38:41)