Lang is the first name and Lang the last name, although the pianist's media ubiquity lends itself to the entanglement of a melomaniac version of Jeckyll and Hyde. In such a way that Dr. Lang would have locked himself in the laboratory of the recording studio to justify the relevance of his Goldberg Variations to those who consider that the fragility of Bach's music does not comport with the virtuosic excesses of Mr. Lang, who a few days ago enrolled in the orchestra of the Parisian parade of Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton and who arrives this afternoon at the National Auditorium in Madrid to present his latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, an unusual, disconcerting and even great collection of versions of songs from Disney movies.

It all depends on the Lang you like: Chopin's Concerto No. 2 with the Vienna Philharmonic or this picturesque and fun crossover in homage to Walt's centenary. One thing is clear: the Chinese pianist does not renounce any of his facets. "The Disney Book is a very serious project, with arrangements by seven composers, such as Stephen Hough, Natalie Tenenbaum and Randy Kerber, that sound very classic," the 41-year-old artist says via zoom. "There are themes of impressionist style and others more romantic, such as the Fantasy of Mary Poppins or Let go! of Frozen, which connect directly to Liszt's universe." That he is one of his fetish composers since, with 2 years, he heard the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in a chapter of Tom & Jerry. "I would have liked to include all my animation references, from the Looney Tunes to the Japanese Transformers manga."

In fact, the original approach of this recording adventure was much more ambitious: "We set out to create an animated film, but in the end it could not be," he laments. "Too many agendas to synchronize in a short time". The album opens with a mashup of Beauty and the Beast accompanied by the musicians of the Royal Philharmonic of London and maestro Robert Ziegler. Its author, Alan Menken, was inspired by the Carnival of the animals of Saint-Saëns, and Lang, who prepares a recording of the French composer's Concerto No. 2, has managed to squeeze all the juice. "It has to sound like a fairy tale, to move you to a world of imagination where wishes are fulfilled."

During the presentation concert in Spain, he will be accompanied by his wife, the pianist and singer Gina Alice, the jazz player Zenet, the erhu master (Chinese two-stringed instrument) Guo Gan, the guitarist Rafael Aguirre and the Latin pop star Sebastián Yatra, whom Lang invited through Instagram to join the list of collaborators of the album (which also includes Andrea Bocelli) and who will perform the theme Dos Oruguitas de Encanto, as he did at last year's Oscars. Conductor Rubén Gimeno will take the baton at the head of the Cordoba Orchestra. "It will be a meeting between old and new friends to make the public enjoy the songs that marked our childhood."

We set out to create an animated film, but in the end it could not be

Lang Lang

Then he confesses that his favorite Disney movie is The Lion King, but that the character with whom he most identifies dresses as a sailor and is barely understood when speaking. "I love Donald Duck's irreverent humor and I have a predilection for the boy Miguel de Coco." Lang is not satisfied with the nostalgia that will surely provoke this assortment of melodies of all times, but has set out to awaken interest and fondness for classical music. "The merit of Walt Disney is not limited to the drawings, but is completed with an immense love for this repertoire, which he disseminated and made accessible to everyone, especially from Fantasia and later by the hand of the Sherman brothers."

Lang acknowledges that fatherhood has given Disney images new meanings. "It's like you see them through their eyes," she says, adding, "My son is two, which is the age at which I first sat down at the piano. At the moment I have not given him any lessons, but he enjoys listening to me a lot and something tells me that he has the wood of a director». To help other children in China make their way through music, the Lang Lang Foundation has been recruiting the best teachers for its Hangzhou school for months. "In a world as divided and turbulent as ours, I think the best gift you can give a child is an instrument," he muses aloud. "Look at me: almost four decades later, the piano is still my favorite toy."

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