Audio CD review:
Mily Balakirev, Johannes Brahms, Franz Joseph Haydn, Sergey Rachmaninov, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Lang Lang, Joseph Haydn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Balakirev / Lang Lang

Mily Balakirev, Johannes Brahms, Franz Joseph Haydn, Sergey Rachmaninov, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Lang Lang, Joseph Haydn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Balakirev / Lang Lang

Band: Mily Balakirev, Johannes Brahms, Franz Joseph Haydn, Sergey Rachmaninov, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Lang Lang, Joseph Haydn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Title: Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Balakirev / Lang Lang Rating: Release Date: 27 February, 2001 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: I. Moderato 2: II. Allegretto 3: III. Finale: Presto 4: I. Allegro Agitato 5: II. Non Allegro/Lento 6: III. Allegro Molto 7: I. Intermezzo In A Minor 8: II. Intermezzo In A Minor 9: III. Ballade In G Minor 10: IV. Intermezzo In F Minor 11: V. Romanze In F Major 12: VI. Intermezzo In E Flat Minor 13: Dumka (Russian Rustic Scene) 14: Nocturne In C Sharp Minor 15: Islamey (Oriental Fantasy)

Editoral Review It has many successful elements. This CD, apparently a recording debut, presents a Chinese pianist in his teens in live performance (at Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood). The first one is the pianist's selection of Haydn to begin his program, since few pianists these days bother to investigate the riches of Haydn's prodigious piano output. Lang proves thoroughly sympathetic to Haydn's idiom, in a delightful, witty performance. It's a huge distance from Haydn to Rachmaninoff, but Lang has complete command of Rachmaninoff's extravagant virtuosity, and he makes this bombastic piece--not one of the composer's best--sound like convincing music. The most impressive performance on the disc is the Brahms set, on which the playing is poised and mature. The way Lang builds the crescendo in the central section of the final Intermezzo is the work of a mature artist, whatever his age. The uncommon Tchaikovsky pieces are also excellent. Only in the final Balakirev, where Lang sounds just a trifle cautious, can one have even slight reservations about his abilities; perhaps he was just tiring at the end of the concert. Unlike many CDs issued today, this one makes a very satisfying listening program, just like the recital it reproduces (with excellent sound quality). --Leslie Gerber .. You can see a complete list of all Mily Balakirev, Johannes Brahms, Franz Joseph Haydn, Sergey Rachmaninov, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Lang Lang, Joseph Haydn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky discography, or go back to the Mily Balakirev, Johannes Brahms, Franz Joseph Haydn, Sergey Rachmaninov, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Lang Lang, Joseph Haydn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky tabs