Hear from Lang Lang ahead of his Abu Dhabi show this Friday

He’s performed at the 2008 Olympics, 2014 FIFA World Cup and more…

What’s On Abu Dhabi: Tell us about your early years as a performer and when you realized you wanted to become a professional pianist.

Lang Lang:  I started playing the piano at the age of of two-and-a-half, did my first recital at the age of 5 and made up my mind to be a professional at the age of 7, after I lost a competition, because I wanted to prove that I’m really good at this. I then started being trained professionally at the age of 9. I guess the good side of it was I made my decision early, and the downside was that it meant I didn’t have many other choices to fall back on.

What’s On Abu Dhabi: How did you come up with the idea of performing iconic tunes from Disney, and which ones do you personally enjoy most?

Lang Lang: I enjoy playing The Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie, and also Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins, which is a really beautiful piece. I also think Frozen has been the most fun to play.

What’s On Abu Dhabi: Tell us about your experience performing at the 2008 Olympics, and at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. What did that do for your career?

Lang Lang: The 2008 Olympics in Beijing really opened China up to the world. I was very lucky to be a part of it, and that had great meaning to me. It was a very big stage to perform on with over 100,000 people, and more than 150 heads of state from around the world. It was a tremendous honour to be present there, and I remember after I’d performed, I had to turn my phone off because so many people send me text messages in disbelief that I’d performed there.  The 2014 FIFA World Cup was much more relaxed, it was more of a celebration of football when we performed in Rio de Janeiro.

What’s On Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi loves a good stage show. What can we look forward to from Lang Lang and the orchestra?

Lang Lang: We have this wonderful orchestra that I toured with last year, from Eastern Europe. They are very professional and play with heart, so I really enjoy making music with them. Additionally, my wife will also be singing during the performance and my childhood friend will perform too. The orchestra will consist of 70 to 80 performers so it’s going to be a great show, merging classical tunes with Disney pieces.

What’s On Abu Dhabi: As a pianist, what would you rate as your most powerful/successful show to date?

Lang Lang: That’s a very tough one. Every day is a different game, and we have to perform with full focus. I personally really enjoy teaching, and going to remote areas to help students, because I feel that is so meaningful – so getting involved with educational programmes as part of my foundation is very special. The last time I performed here, I performed at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and I had a chance to conduct a masterclass with local students which I really enjoyed.

Lang Lang Plays Disney, Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, November 22, from Dhs145. ticketmaster.ae

Media: Instagram, What’s On archive