Lang Lang at the Opera House

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) hosted a beautiful evening of French music of the Romantic era featuring the dazzling pianist Lang Lang.

Opening the program was the SSO’s premiere of D’un Matin de printemps (On a Spring Morning), a five-minute joyful, fresh and colourful work composed in 1918 by Lili Boulanger. Lili came from a very musical family and was extremely talented herself. She was the first woman to win the Prix de Rome for her composition Faust et Helene. Unfortunately, her career came to a sad and abrupt end when she died of the Spanish flu at the age of 24, but not before composing this piece, virtually on her deathbed.

The composition displayed playful twists and turns and showed Boulanger’s clear understanding of how to make the best use of each instrument in the orchestra. Boulanger’s use of subtle dissonance (clashing sounds) is unnerving but exciting and keeps you hooked to this work. The use of the celeste was interesting, but the two harps added a special zing through the work, especially at the end with their vibrant downward flourishes. Overall, a cute and elegant piece of music, thoroughly enjoyable, from a female composer who was not blessed with the opportunity to fulfil her talents, but her legacy lives on and so does her music.

The next work provided quite a different mood to the evening. Claude Debussy’s La Mer (The Sea), which premiered in 1905, is not literally about the sea, but rather Debussy’s connections, ideas and memories of the sea. Despite not having clear melodies to hang on to in these three symphonic sketches, the orchestration was fascinating, like Debussy, who created an unusual timbre by dividing the cello section into four parts and assigning each its own solo. The timpani was able to show off not only how loud it could play, but more rarely, how incredibly soft it could perform drumrolls. The oboes and violin had a beautiful call-and-response section and the harps featured here again with big flourishes, adding sparkle to the music.

In the third symphonic dance of La Mer, Debussy was very daring in having double basses and piccolo play the same note five octaves apart, ever so softly! The extreme register difference between the piccolo, the highest-pitched orchestral instrument, and the double basses, the lowest, immediately created a sense of immense space, like the wide expanse of the sea.

Debussy’s work did not elicit a great response from the audience, but after the interval, when Lang Lang entered the stage, there was no doubt who the superstar of the night was. The Chinese pianist received a standing ovation before touching a single piano key – a testament to his global celebrity and the anticipation surrounding his performance.

From the moment Lang Lang commenced Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2, we saw a magical and effortless performance from a pianist who has devoted his life to attracting a wider audience to classical music. He has been achieving this through experiences like contributing to musical education, especially with young people, collaboration with pop icons like Ed Sheeran and performing all over the world, including for Pope Francis at the Vatican and at the Grammy Awards with Metallica and Herbie Hancock. He has won a very long list of awards and highest recognition in many countries around the world, making him “the hottest artist on the classical music planet”.

This concerto features much rubato (expressive and rhythmic freedom), and Lang Lang coordinated this perfectly and with ease with the wonderfully talented Orchestra, and the Conductor in Residence, Benjamin Northey, who so capably and minimalistically conducted the three very varied and challenging pieces for this concert. Lang Lang and Northey had a very relaxed and intuitive rapport.

From the Bach-like opening solo to the blistering third movement, Lang Lang played with crystal-clear articulation, astonishing speed, and expressive depth. His posture remained relaxed yet poised, his feet seemingly dancing beneath the piano, and not a single note was lost to over-pedalling. The piano was like an extension of his body, which is no surprise, as he played his first public recital by the age of five.

The audience, visibly captivated, erupted in applause at the concerto’s end and would not let Lang Lang go without some encores.

He rewarded the audience with two solos, starting with a tender and expressive performance of Debussy’s Claire de Lune. He elicited a full range of dynamics, giving beautiful shape and expressiveness to the phrasing. In the softest sections, you could almost hear the audience breathing in and out, but every note carried clearly throughout the Concert Hall.

Lang Lang followed the Debussy with Sir Stephen Hough’s fun, exciting and technically demanding arrangement of Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf from Disney’s Three Little Pigs, originally composed by Frank Churchill, which he delivered with charm and virtuosic flair.

The evening highlighted not only Lang Lang’s star power but also the orchestra’s versatility and sensitivity. With a full house that included families, children, and standing ticket holders, the evening proved that classical music, when performed with such artistry and joy, can resonate with audiences of all ages.

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall 18/6/25
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO)
Pianist-Lang Lang