Superstar classical pianist, Lang Lang, will return to the Royal Albert Hall in November for two headline concerts spotlighting the work of composer Camille Saint-Saëns.
The musician, currently being seen on Channel 4’s hit show The Piano, will be accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as he performs two immortal Saint-Saëns works: the composer’s second piano concerto, and his Carnival of the Animals. The latter piece will also feature a second soloist: Lang Lang’s wife, fellow pianist Gina Alice.
Matthew Todd, Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, said: “Lang Lang is one of the giants of the classical world: a unique performer whose prodigious talent has made him a worldwide sensation. These headline performances will see him take centre stage at the Hall, performing a pair of works that will show him at his incomparable best.”
The concert will begin with the RPO – conducted by Mark Wigglesworth – bringing to life Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture & Venusberg Music, before Lang Lang joins them for a performance of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor. The orchestra will then kick off the second half with Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, before the show’s climax: a performance of Saint-Saëns’ witty ‘Carnival of the Animals’, featuring Lang Lang and Gina Alice Redlinger as soloists.
Lang Lang said: “Join me for a truly memorable evening this November at the Royal Albert Hall where I will play the wonderful music of Camille Saint-Saëns alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Wigglesworth. With all of its beautiful and exciting passages, I’m sure you will walk away with a new favourite melody.”
Lang Lang is a leading figure in classical music: as a pianist, educator and philanthropist, he has become one of the world’s most influential ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century. Equally happy playing for billions of viewers at the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing or for a few hundred children in schools, he is considered a master of communicating through music.
Heralded by the New York Times as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet”, Lang Lang plays sold-out concerts across the globe. He has formed ongoing collaborations with conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Barenboim and Christoph Eschenbach and performs with all the world’s top orchestras.
Tickets for the concerts on 21 and 23 November, priced from £40, go on general sale at 10am on Friday from www.royalalberthall.com. A pre-sale for the venue’s Friends and Patrons starts tomorrow at 10am.
