Style over substance

Lang Lang: Memory. Wolfgang Amadè Mozart: Piano Sonata in C major, K. 330. Frédéric Chopin: Piano Sonata no. 3 in B minor, op. 58. Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen, op. 15. Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2 in C sharp minor. Lang Lang, piano. Producer: Christian Leins. Balance and recording engineer: Stephen Flock. Two compact discs DDD, total playing time 89 minutes. Recorded at Hamburg-Harburg, Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, August 2005. Deutsche Grammophon 00289 477 5974 and 00289 477 5975. Distributor: Universal

Lang Lang’s first solo studio recording for DG, ‘Memory’, is a recital album consisting of works played or heard by the pianist during his childhood. Mozart’s Sonata in C K. 330, and Chopin’s great B minor Sonata have formed part of his repertory since his child-prodigy years, while, we are told, Liszt’s second Hungarian Rhapsody, when heard by a two-year old Lang Lang in the soundtrack to a Tom and Jerry cartoon, provided early inspiration to play the piano. Also included in this 90-minute (2 CD) recital are Schumann’s Kinderszenen, described by the composer as “the reflections of an adult [on childhood] for adults”.

Apparent throughout the release is a disparity between technique and musical maturity. Mozart’s intimate Sonata in C K.330 opens the programme, and for the most part the first movement is played with both sense and elegance.…

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