Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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When The Lang Lang Piano Book appeared in 2019 as a deluxe hardback publication from Faber Music, I described it as ‘sumptuous’. In the years since, several who come for lessons with me have enjoyed Lang Lang’s outstanding selection of popular classics and lesser-known pieces.
The original Artist Approved Collector’s Edition is now being replaced by the new Encore Edition, including scores of four additional pieces which appeared on the extended version of Lang Lang’s DG recording of the same name. This review similarly replaces my original one with an update that considers the publication in its new form.
The full list of pieces will appear later in this review (see below). But let me say from the outset that it’s a great list, and that I am sure that many will enjoy the Lang Lang Piano Book and welcome it as a strong anthology for early advanced players, the bulk of the material suitable at around UK Grades 6-8.
The Album of the Album
When Deutsche Grammophon released the 2CD recording of Lang Lang’s Piano Book, it was the pianist’s first for three years, and followed his 2017 diagnosis with severe tendonitis in his left forearm, a serious performance-related injury which had necessitated an extended career break.
The Piano Book album facilitated Lang Lang’s return to the studio by allowing him to revisit the comparatively easy pieces he had enjoyed as a child, smoothing his way back into regular playing. The extended Encore Edition appeared the same year, with four extra pieces.
By then, the deluxe Artist Approved Collector’s Edition had been published by Faber Music, with a beautiful hardback cover sporting gold inlaid text, high-end cream pages within, exquisite stitching, and even an integrated ribbon bookmark.
Encore Edition
With the original limited edition hardback no longer available, the new Encore Edition has a standard soft card cover. The collection is also now printed on bright white paper, has stitch and glue binding, and is quite stiff to open. In short, it is no longer ‘sumptuous’.
However, the content within has been retained in full, and as before begins with six pages of colour photos of Lang Lang himself, dressed in chic attire, and striking a variety of clothing-catalogue poses. This is followed by his short, encouraging Foreword by the pianist.
Four more colour pages appear at the rear, charting Lang Lang’s student years. There are photos of the extrovert five-year-old’s first recital, snaps with teachers (including Gary Graffman), and a shot from a concerto debut. Also still included, the book offers a second score of Für Elise, annotated with Lang Lang’s handwritten performance notes.
The scores in the Encore Edition occupy 130 pages, and are generally well laid-out. While these looked gorgeous (and were a delight to play from) when appearing on quality cream paper in the Artist Approved Collector’s Edition, the cheaper white paper used here is rather glaring, which makes the music harder to read.
Meanwhile, the newly added pieces don’t retain the carefully spaced engraving of the originals. Tchaikovsky’s Sweet Dreams is distractingly spaced with four lines of music justified to fill each page, while Kuhlau’s Sonatina in C major has seven lines of densely packed notation on some pages. This again gave me eye strain.
Positively, a good balance of fingering has been included throughout. But (also as before) pedalling indications are inconsistent. For example, in Grieg’s delicious To Spring, the composer’s own peddling indications are absent in this edition, which seems odd.
Some thoughts about the pieces
Though the presentation is a little disappointing, the inspiring selections of pieces ensure that the collection can still be given a strong recommendation. Writing about his choice of music for the album, Lang Lang tells us:
“With Piano Book I’m going back to my first love, to the pieces that made me want to become a musician in the first place.”
He goes on to say in his Foreword,
“I would love to inspire everyone to play the piano, and what better way than through a collection of the most significant pieces from my own personal musical journey, the repertoire that shaped me as a player and created my great passion for the piano. All the music in this book has huge personal importance to me and reflects my deep love of every aspect of the piano.”
Here is the list of the pieces Lang Lang selected, the final four of which are those newly included in the Encore Edition:
- J.S. Bach: Prelude in C major
- Beethoven: Bagatelle in A minor, “Für Elise”
- Max Richter: The Departure from “The Leftovers”
- Mendelssohn: Spinning Song
- Debussy: Clair de lune
- Chopin: Prelude in D flat major, “Raindrop”
- Debussy: Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
- Mozart: Allegro, 1st movement from Sonata in C major, K545
- Clementi: Andante from Sonatina in C major
- Czerny: Presto from The School of Velocity
- Yann Tiersen: La Valse d’Amélie
- Schubert: Moment musical in F minor
- Grieg: To Spring (An den Frühling)
- Debussy: Reverie
- Poulenc: Staccato from Villageoises
- Hu-Wei Huang: The Merry Shepherd Boy
- Schumann: Wilder Reiter (The Wild Horseman)
- Badarzewska-Baranowska: The Maiden’s Prayer
- J.S.Bach att. Petzold: Minuet in G major
- Ryuichi Sakamoto: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
- Chinese trad: Jasmine Flower
- Mozart: Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman”
- Korean trad: Arirang
- Elena Kats-Chernin: Eliza Aria
- Swedish trad: Limu, limu, lima
- Ginastera: Danza de la mozo donosa
- Elgar: Nimrod from Enigma Variations
- Scott Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag
- De Lulli: The Chop Waltz (“Chopsticks”)
- Tchaikovsky: Sweet Dreams
- Khachaturian: Andantino “Ivan Sings”
- Petzold attrib. Bach: Minuet in G minor
- Kuhlau: Sonatina in C major
Aside from a few notable absences, this repertoire selection reads like a dream list of most requested pieces, with a few lesser known and unexpected extras thrown in to give the book its uniquely personal character.
Teachers will note that there is quite a range here in terms of difficulty, but with a centre of gravity somewhere around ABRSM Grade 7 level. As the pieces follow the order of the recorded album, they are not sequenced according to difficulty, so teachers and players should select advisedly.
It seems to me, however, that a player might live with the book, exploring and enjoying its content over a period of a few years, happily dipping into it between other playing, core repertoire, and grade preparation work.
Adult piano enthusiasts will especially enjoy the fabulous range on offer, with easier accessible pieces that can be mastered in an evening, alongside more challenging pieces that they have perhaps always yearned to play.
Lang Lang’s tips
Some might assume Lang Lang’s personal editorial input here would have been minimal, but it certainly appears he took a hands-on interest in the development of this publication.
Most impressively, every piece is preceded by a personal introduction. These chatty comments highlight why each piece is so special, as well as offering tips and advice to players. Take the opening Bach Prelude in C major for example; here’s what Lang Lang has to say:
“You know, many pieces in this book are in C major, but this is certainly one of the most important. Although it is short, it is a masterpiece in miniature, with a structure as perfect as any symphonic movement.
The dynamics here are my own interpretation.”
That final comment is perhaps the most telling; certainly when I played through the score (without reading Lang Lang’s words) I wondered who had added the editorial dynamics. I confess to being a little surprised to discover that it was Lang Lang himself. But as you would expect, they offer a strong musical interpretation (and are certainly better than some I’ve seen added in exam publications).
Lang Lang is quick to encourage creativity too. In some of his comments introducing pieces, he observes that his recorded versions include embellishments, and encourages pianists to similarly explore the music for themselves. In his introduction to Jasmine Flower, for example, he writes:
“You’ll notice I create my own variations in the second half. You should feel free to develop your own version of it too.”
For a few pieces, the advice offered is somewhat minimal and generic, but overall I found Lang Lang’s comments on each piece very helpful, and at times quite fascinating. And yes, the four new pieces include his personal introductions, too.
Conclusion
The Lang Lang Piano Book really is a brilliant achievement, and will offer continuing appeal to a broad audience. The Encore Edition, though less plush than the original limited edition hardback, remains an affordable anthology of great piano music for early advanced players, and as such I think that it is very hard to beat.
Beyond mere fan memorabilia, this is certainly a collection that offers a great assortment of varied pieces to play and enjoy. There will undoubtedly be many developing pianists who treasure this as an anthology of inspiring music that they can and will return to over several years of piano study.
As Lang Lang himself writes,
“This is the music that has shaped me as a pianist and musician from the very beginning; I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I did.”
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