Lang Lang releases a super deluxe album of J.S. Back's iconic Goldberg Variations

THE DOUBLE RECORDING IS INTRODUCED WITH A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE AND Q&A LIVE FROM BEIJING TODAY AT 10AM EDT ON THE OFFICIAL ARTIST YOUTUBE CHANNEL

THE SUPER DELUXE EDITION OUT NOW, OFFERS A WORLD-FIRST COUPLING OF STUDIO RECORDING AND LIVE PERFORMANCE AT LEIPZIG’S THOMASKIRCHE – BACH’S OWN CHURCH

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

NEWS PROVIDED BY
Universal Music Canada

“These twin versions will open new doors to Bach’s sublimely coded mystery” – The Economist

“Deeply felt and two decades in the making” – New York Times

04 SEPTEMBER 2020 (TORONTO, ON) – “This is a very important dream-come-true moment”, says Lang Lang. The superstar pianist, who waited 20 years before playing Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental composition in public, has finally achieved his goal of recording the Goldberg Variations. The result of two decades of deep study and personal reflection, his vision of Bach’s Aria and 30 Variations is out now on Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music Canada, the country's leading music company.

Listen to Goldberg Variations BELOW

Lang Lang will mark the global release of his new album today with a special introduction from the historic Temple (东景缘, Dongjingyuan) in Beijing – site of the old imperial printing house and a former Buddhist shrine, meticulously renovated in recent years to preserve its multi-layered history. The pianist will perform extracts from the Goldberg Variations and talk about the intense personal connection he feels to Bach’s music, as well as answering questions from fans.

Watch the live performance and Q&A BELOW at 10am EDT

Also available from today is a super deluxe edition featuring not only Lang Lang’s studio recording but a performance captured live in concert at Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, where the composer worked and is buried. This coupling of studio and live recordings, a world-first for the “Goldbergs,” offers fascinating insights into the art of interpretation. Lang Lang’s performances intensify the work’s breath-taking blend of contrapuntal complexity, diverse musical styles and life-affirming spontaneity.

Fueled by a lifelong passion for one of the most challenging but rewarding compositions in the entire classical repertoire, Lang Lang’s latest album represents a major milestone in an already stellar career. “I would say performing and recording this concert leads me into the next level of piano playing,” he explains. “I’m now 38 and, while that’s not old, I think the time was right for a new stage in my artistic development,” he adds. “I’ve moved into new terrain with the Goldberg Variations and really immersed myself fully in this project. My goal as an artist is to keep becoming more self-aware and more knowledgeable, as well as to keep offering inspiration to others. It’s an ongoing process, but this project has taken me a little further along the path.”

About

About Lang Lang
Globally celebrated piano virtuoso Lang Lang has sold millions of albums around the world, topping classical charts and achieving simultaneous mainstream success. Named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine, during the past decade he has performed for such dignitaries as President Barack Obama, Pope Francis and Queen Elizabeth II, as well as giving sold-out concerts with all the world’s top orchestras and conductors. Lang Lang has also reached vast televised audiences by performing at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, and with artists such as Metallica, Pharrell Williams and Herbie Hancock at various editions of the Grammy Awards. In April 2020 he took part in the One World: Together At Home concert, which was broadcast on major television networks and streamed online on multiple global platforms.

The scale of Lang Lang’s musical achievements is mirrored by his tireless commitment to charitable causes, most notably through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation and Keys of Inspiration®. Both a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a UN Messenger of peace, he has inspired 40 million children to learn the piano and has developed hugely successful educational programs.

Lang Lang’s previous album, Piano Book, became 2019’s biggest selling classical album worldwide.

It topped the charts in multiple countries and was also his biggest streaming debut, with over 170 million streams. One of the most influential classical musicians in the world, Lang Lang has more than 20 million social media followers.

Everything the pianist does is underpinned by his belief that “music makes life better – it heals, unites and inspires, and it makes us better people”. The Goldberg Variations is his latest musical offering and aims to encourage a new generation of fans to explore Bach’s astonishing work.

Source Universal Music Canada