Off topic: Lang Lang

[Michelle]

For Sean and anyone else interested:
I got my copy of Lang Lang's "Dragon Songs" which includes both a CD
and a DVD. This is the one I ordered from Amazon because as you may
remember, the one he autographed will never be played. Anyways, if
you are curious, let me know and I'll be happy to put it in the club
library for you to borrow.
Did I mention I already have tickets for his next appearance here in
October? It would be safe to say I am a die hard fan.;)

[Sean]

Sure. I would love to listen to him and see what makes you a die-hard
fan.

[Sean]

Correction: What it has that makes you a die-hard fan.

[Michelle]

I must warn you that I don't think you'll be able to get a full idea
of why I am such a fan by listening to him or watching a DVD. I think
it's one of those things where you have to be there and witness it
live to get the full experience. A critic from the Chicago Tribune
put it so well: "His playing was so raptly beautiful that one would
hold one's breath for fear of missing a single note." There is
something ethereal or transcendant about being in the building with
him while he is playing; it is hard to put into words and I doubt it
translates onto a recording. He moves people to tears not necessarily
because of the beauty of the music but because of the way he plays it.
It is like a religious experience for many people, apparently.His
concerts sell out so quickly that you pretty much have to be a
subscriber like me or know a subscriber in order to get a ticket
because sometimes they sell out before they go on sale to the general
public. I have already gotten tickets for several people this way.
Still, I will leave it in the 'library' on Monday. He is quite the
phenomenon.

> > > October?  It would be safe to say I am a die hard fan.;)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Sean]

Ah... so it's him that's the show, instead of music? Well, I guess
once in a while someone like that comes along.

[Michelle]

Yeah, it's one of those rare cases. The same piano concerto played by
another pianist would not come across the same. He expresses the
feeling of the music in a way I have never experienced
before...usually when I go to the symphony and hear a piece of music
that is not already a favorite of mine, I don't feel anything while
it's being played and I may even get bored. Give that same piece of
music to Lang Lang, and it's a completely different story. He
breathes life into the music, so I couldn't really say that it isn't
at all about the music. It's more like he makes the music better. I
would rather hear it played by him than by any other pianist.
I have not watched the DVD yet, and it will be interesting to see
how much of it translates in a recorded format.

> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Sean]

I listened to his music... I got a ticklish feeling in my stomach. Is
that sort of like what it is?

[Michelle]

Well, that could be something. It's probably different for everyone.
Or it could be indigestion.**
**translation: Michelle doesn't know.

[Sean]

How was it for you then?

[Michelle]

I think that quote from the Chicago Tribune critic says it better than
I could: "His playing was so raptly beautiful that one would hold
one's breath for fear of missing a single note." When I read that
quote, I remember thinking,"EXACTLY." That was after I had seen him
once. Now I've seen him twice, and it was the same the second time.
Plus there is something ethereal about the whole experience.
I thought of another movie for you that fits all of your "smart movie"
criteria. It's a little independent film from a couple years ago
called Primer. I strongly recommend it.

[Sean]

I listened to him, and probably the recording never really showed the
real things.

But there is a guy whose music can be preserved in videos (youtube
video, too!), Wilhelm Kempff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqSulR9Fymg
(Moonlight sonata mvt 3)

His music freezes time.

[Sean]

It seems like the piece is meant to be played by him. I have listened
to a few others, but I couldn't like them as much as this man. Much of
the piece sounds like noise when played by other people, but Kempff
manages them just correctly and use them to freeze time. It's like a
fountain -- the water-drops, in the hands of other people, end up
splattering everywhere, while Kempff manages them just so that the
water-drops become a sculpture of water. Its structure and movement
makes it seem as though water has lost its natural inclination to fall
out of shape, and just like that, Kempff's playing seems to destroy
the fleeting nature of a note and turn it into a picture.

I've found that I have my own brand of sensory messup.

[Michelle]

I wouldn't describe it as messup...I would describe it as yet another
example of your talent for writing and communicating things in a very
original way.
"His music freezes time." That's one of the most powerful descriptions
of anything I have ever heard. Your whole description is fascinating.