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Classical Album of the Week: Pianist Lang Lang's Romance

Week of March 5, 2018. The album Romance is a luscious collection of works by composers ranging from J. S. Bach to cinema composer Hans Zimmer. It’s a repackaging of some of pianist Lang Lang’s recordings from the last seven or eight years, put together on one disc, with romance in mind.

Romance showcases Lang Lang’s innate yet sophisticated feeling for nuance and reflection. Carefully curated from his Sony Classical discography, the selections achieve a fulfilling programmatic unity through subtle contrasts in mood and style.

The slow, yearning repeated note themes of Liszt’s Liebestraum No. 3 and Chopin’s “Aeolian Harp” Etude naturally lead into Hans Zimmer’s captivating main soundtrack theme from the film Gladiator.

Similarly, the juxtaposition of Chopin’s C-Sharp Minor Nocturne, Liszt’s Consolation No. 3 and the Adagio from Beethoven’s Sonata, Op. 2 No. 3 and Bach’s “Air on the G String” illuminates the common ground between four proudly individual composers.

Romance casts fresh light on Lang Lang’s lyrical gifts, revealing the artist behind the phenomenon. It’s a CD filled with some of the piano’s best-loved repertoire, with glowing performances by a pianist who has captured the hearts of music lovers around the world.

Be listening this week, as we highlight Romance, with Lang Lang.