LANG LANG

Lang Lang - the 'hottest artist on the classical music planet’ (The New York Times) - will be opening this year's edition of the Byblos International Festival! Accompanied by the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by maestro Darrell Ang, this piano super-virtuoso will perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no.2 as well as a selection of solo pieces by Chopin among others. Hailed as “the future of classical music”, Lang Lang is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic and all the top American orchestras. A showman as much as an artist, he has played sold-out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world, which is testament to both his commitment and popularity. In an age where pop and rock stars dominate with sell-out concerts and devoted fan bases, Lang Lang has proven there’s equal demand for classical music. His influence has inspired over 40 million Chinese children to learn to play classical piano - a phenomenon which lead to The Today Show to coin the phrase "the Lang Lang effect". He brought Prokofiev's 7th Piano Sonata to the soundtrack of the multi-million- selling computer game Gran Turismo 5 and this year performed at the Grammy Awards with Metallica. As well as collaborating with artists outside of Classical music such as dubstep dancer Marquese Scott and Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, he has formed musical partnerships with some of the world’s greatest conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Simon Rattle and Christoph Eschenbach. Lang Lang’s influence doesn’t stop there. In 2008, over four billion people view his performance in the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. In 2013, he was appointed a Messenger of Peace for the United Nations by the Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and was featured in Time Magazine's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. With his passion in bringing classical music to the world, Lang Lang continues to amaze and inspire: he will make a classical fan out of you!