Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Steve Smith wrote in the New York Times: "Knowing what to expect from Lang Lang is a tricky proposition. Early on, this copiously gifted Chinese pianist offered technical bravura and excitable flamboyance in roughly equal measure. But lately Mr. Lang has shown signs of increasing insight and maturity. When he recorded the Beethoven Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4 with Christoph Eschenbach and the Orchestre de Paris for Deutsche Grammophon last year, the result was creditable, promising much for future developments. When Mr. Lang and Mr. Eschenbach returned to the First Concerto with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall on Wednesday night, many of the estimable qualities of their recording came through. Mr. Lang’s crisp articulation and judicious dynamics held sway during the opening Allegro, and his performance of Beethoven’s cadenza was beyond reproach. If the broadly paced Largo verged on obsessive and fussy, Mr. Lang’s liquid sound gave ample compensation" ("Music Review: The Flame of Beethoven, Calibrated," 11/7/08).