The attractive man with tousled hair and a shiny black suit steps away from the piano and strides purposefully forward to the front of the stage and bows deeply, again and again, as he acknowledges the applause and shouts of the crowd: “Bravo!”, “Encore!”, “More!”. A young girl presents him with a bouquet of flowers and he smiles broadly at her, then throws the flowers into the midst of his adoring audience. The cheers resound as he makes his way back to the grand piano and settles down to play another Chopin sonata. The music seems to pour out of his soul as he rocks and sways to the impulses of the music’s melodies. The pianist is Lang Lang, superstar of classical music, and he is in his element. He is the most famous and inspirational classical musician that China has yet produced, arousing adulation wherever he goes — and he is still in his thirties.

Lang Lang (the name means “brilliance of the sky”) was born in Shenyang in 1982. His family were neither rich nor particularly musical but they discovered his early passion for the piano when he became entranced by an old Tom and Jerry cartoon episode “The Cat Concerto” which featured Liszt’s music. Soon Lang Lang was practicing the piano four hours a day and by the age of five he had given his first public recital. His parents kept pushing him, telling him to try to become the “number one” pianist in China. At times the pressure was intense, particularly when he and his father moved to Beijing to further his studies. He missed his mother so much that all he played were sad songs.

Lang Lang wanted to quit the piano a number of times, but he gained renewed enthusiasm for the instrument when he heard a Mozart concerto at the age of nine. By 13 years old the child prodigy had won a number of national and international piano competitions, including the prestigious Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians’ Competition.  Still, some people doubted his talent and one teacher in Beijing suggested he “think about something else” rather than become a pianist. His next big step was to move to America to further his studies, and he made his name there when at the age of 17 he played a Tchaikovsky concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra — a star was born.

Lang Lang has performed with famous orchestras all over the world and gives around 140 live concerts a year, an astonishing number which entails constant travel. He has also performed at such global events as the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when he played a red Steinway piano and the Last Night of the Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall. He has made numerous recordings of the major piano composers including Mozart, Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Schumann and he even provided the soundtrack to the best- selling video game Gran Turismo 5 with his recording of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.7! Lang Lang’s international collaborators include renowned conductors such as Simon Rattle and Daniel Barenboim to singers such as Julio Iglesias and the jazz player Herbie Hancock. He is a truly global figure.

 What makes Lang Lang so popular? For many people it is his performance style — loud, bombastic, and thoroughly entertaining. He plays with unreserved flamboyance, his arms raised high before his hands  crash down on the keys at a piece’s climax or the graceful flourishes as he tickles the ivory in the slower movements. He is an unabashed showman in the style of the great Vladimir Horowitz, and his expressive gestures and “heroic” poses enable him to reach out to audiences all over the world, allowing people who had never thought they would enjoy classical music to appreciate the art form. Some music critics may scoff and accuse Lang Lang’s playing of lacking depth and insight and — worst of all — purity, but Lang Lang’s legion of fans are moved and thrilled by his playing and he deserves respect for what he has achieved.

Lang Lang is especially idolized in China. Where previously Western music was frowned upon during the 1960s and 1970s now it is estimated that there are more than 40 million Chinese children learning the piano and most claim to have been inspired by Lang Lang — the so-called “Lang Lang effect”. He loves hearing the enthusiasm these pupils have for classical music and in response he established the Lang Lang International Music Foundation to promote musical education and spread the popularity of classical music. In 2011 Lang Lang Music World centres were established in Shenzhen and Chongqing to enable children to have piano lessons, take part in competitions and attend concerts. “Children and music are my passion,” he says.

Lang Lang has received many honours during his career. He was named one of the 250 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum in Davos and has received the highest prize awarded by China’s Ministry of Culture. He has been awarded honorary doctorates of music by the Royal College of Music in Britain and also by the Manhattan School of Music in the USA. But his greatest honour, he says, is to have been made a Messenger of Peace by the United Nations. The Messenger of Peace is the highest honour given to an individual in any field. Lang Lang was “really awed” by this award and in his role he has a special focus on providing education for young people. He received the award from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who called him “one of the most exciting and accomplished musicians of our time”.

Lang Lang is more than just a famous musician, however. He is now a worldwide phenomenon. He has trademarked his name to protect his brand image and regularly appears in advertisements for cars, watches and other luxury goods. He has a number of lucrative sponsorships and rubs shoulders with celebrities and world leaders. He    90 has come a long way indeed from the provincial boy in Shenyang watching cartoons on TV.

一位头发蓬乱、穿着一身闪亮黑色西装的迷人男士从钢琴旁站起，迈着大步径直走到台前，多次向大喊着“太棒了！”、“安可”、“再来一个！”的观众们深深鞠躬致意。一个年轻女孩向他献上一束花，他朝她露出灿烂的笑容，随后将花抛给了仰慕他的观众们。他走回三角钢琴旁坐下，这时欢呼声又再次响彻会场，直到他开始弹奏另一首肖邦奏鸣曲。他的身体随着音乐旋律的跌宕起伏而摇摆，指尖弹奏的乐曲好似是从他的灵魂里倾泻流出的。这位就是古典乐巨星、风华正茂的钢琴家郎朗。他是中国有史以来最著名、最具感召力的古典音乐家，可谓是声名显赫——而他才三十多岁。

郎朗(“朗”意指“天空明朗、清亮”)1982年生于沈阳。他的家庭并不富裕，也算不上音乐世家，不过家人发现他很小的时候就对钢琴表现出浓厚的兴趣：小郎朗在看卡通片《汤姆与杰瑞》时被那首由李斯特的《匈牙利狂想曲》所改编的《猫的协奏曲》给迷住了。不久，郎朗开始每天练四个小时钢琴，年仅五岁就举办了自己的首场公开独奏会。他的父母一直鼓励他，告诉他要成为中国“第一”的钢琴家。他时常感到巨大的压力，尤其是在他父亲带着他去北京求学的时期。他非常想念母亲，以至于他那时弹奏的都是悲伤的曲子。

郎朗曾多次想过放弃学琴，不过，九岁那年他听到的一首莫扎特协奏曲又让他重新燃起了对钢琴的那份激情。十三岁时，这位小天才便已赢得了一系列国际国内钢琴比赛的大奖，包括颇负盛名的柴可夫斯基青年音乐家国际钢琴比赛。即便如此，仍然有人怀疑他的天赋，北京的一位老师甚至建议他“想点别的”，但别想成为一名钢琴家。去美国深造对他来说可谓是跨出了一大步。在美国，17岁的郎朗与芝加哥交响乐团合作演出了柴可夫斯基的第一钢琴协奏曲，从而一举成名。

郎朗与世界各地的著名乐团都有过合作，每年大约要参演140场现场音乐会，这意味他必须马不停蹄地在世界各地赶来赶去。郎朗还曾在一些世界瞩目的海内外重要场合进行演出，例如在2008年北京奥运会的开幕式上，郎朗在一架红色施坦威钢琴上演奏，他还参加了在伦敦的皇家阿尔伯特音乐厅举办的“终场之夜”音乐节。郎朗录制了包括莫扎特、李斯特、拉赫玛尼诺夫和舒曼等著名钢琴曲作家的作品，甚至还为畅销视频游戏“GT赛车5”提供了普罗科菲耶夫的第七钢琴协奏曲录音！郎朗和诸多国际大家都有过合作，包括著名指挥家西蒙•拉特尔、丹尼尔•巴伦博伊姆，歌手胡里奥•伊格莱西亚斯，以及爵士乐手赫比•汉考。他是真正的国际人物。

是什么让郎朗如此受欢迎？很多人喜欢的是他的演奏风格：张扬、夸张、富有娱乐性。演奏时郎朗激情四溢、挥洒自如，高潮时手臂高抬、让手指用力落回键盘上，弹到舒缓的乐章时手臂优雅挥动、指尖轻轻略过象牙色的键盘。他是一位豪放不羁的、弗拉基米尔•霍洛维兹式的演奏家，他颇具表现力的手势和“英雄式”的姿态打动了全世界的听众，让那些以前从未想过会喜欢古典音乐的人们能够欣赏这种艺术形式。也许有些乐评人会嘲笑他、指责他，说他的演奏缺乏深度和见识，更糟的是——还缺少纯净，可郎朗的众多粉丝都被他的演奏所感动、所震撼，他如今所取得的一切成就都应当受到尊重。

郎朗在中国特别受人崇拜。在20世纪六七十年代，西方音乐在中国国内是不被认可的，而如今，约有四千多万中国儿童在学钢琴，其中大部分都说是受到了郎朗的鼓舞——这就是所谓的“郎朗效应”。听说有这么多小学生对古典乐充满了热情，郎朗感到非常高兴，为此他成立了“郎朗国际音乐基金会”，以推动音乐教育、推广古典音乐。2011年，“郎朗音乐世界”在深圳和重庆落户，孩子们可以在这里上钢琴课、参加比赛、听音乐会等。“孩子们与音乐是我的激情所在。”郎朗说道。

郎朗在他的职业生涯中获得了诸多荣誉。他是达沃斯世界经济论坛所提名的250位“全球青年领袖”之一，并荣获由中国文化部部长颁发的最高奖项。他获得了英国皇家音乐学院和美国曼哈顿音乐学院的荣誉博士学位。但他说，他最大的荣誉是被任命为“联合国和平大使”。“联合国和平大使”是授予个人的最高荣誉。郎朗称获此称号让他感到“非常不可思议”，作为联合国大使，郎朗尤为关注向年轻人提供教育。联合国秘书长潘基文亲自向郎朗颁奖，并称赞他是“这个时代最令人激动、最有造诣的音乐家之一”。

不过，郎朗可不止是一位著名音乐家。他现在已经成了一种全球现象。他将自己的名字注册成商标以保护自己的品牌形象，并经常出现在豪车、名表及其他奢侈品的广告中。他获得了许多丰厚的赞助，并与诸多名人和国际领袖有来往。与过去那个坐在电视机前看卡通片的男孩比起来，现在的郎朗真是取得了很大的进步。