Famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang and the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan performed in Samarkand

Famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang and the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan gave a concert in Samarkand

Chinese pianist Lang Lang is one of the most prominent figures in world classical music. He performs with the world's leading orchestras and at major concert venues, and also participated in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Critics highly praise not only his virtuoso technique but also his expressive stage manner: the pianist closes his eyes, leans over the keyboard, and abruptly lifts his hands from the grand piano. In a review of Lang Lang's concert at London's Barbican Hall in 2025, The Guardian specifically noted his astonishing rhythmic freedom — he manages to create the impression of improvisation even in a well-known repertoire.

Last weekend, thousands of listeners heard Lang Lang's virtuoso performance at the historic Registan Square in Samarkand. The pianist performed alongside the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan under the baton of conductor Alibek Kabdurakhmanov. This concert, like the first one held in November 2024 in Tashkent, was organized by the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan.

Two years ago, Lang Lang performed at the Palace of International Forums "Uzbekistan" with a solo program of world classical masterpieces. According to the pianist, he particularly remembered the warm welcome and the local audience's interest in classical music. It was then that his virtual acquaintance with Samarkand took place.

"After the concert, during dinner, I was shown a video of Samarkand. I asked, 'Where is this?' — the city looked like a living illustration of 'One Thousand and One Nights.' Soon I received an invitation to perform here, and now I have finally seen the Registan with my own eyes. It is especially beautiful in the evening when the illumination lights up and everything around looks like a world from a dream," Lang Lang said.

In Samarkand, Lang Lang and the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan performed Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor") and George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

"Registan is an amazing historical place where East and West meet. Therefore, here I wanted to combine two different musical cultures: the European classics of Beethoven and the American jazz of Gershwin," the pianist explained.

On the eve of the performance, the pianist toured the historical monuments of Samarkand and held an evening rehearsal on the square together with the orchestra.

"We rehearsed together only once, but we immediately found a common language — it felt as if we had known each other for a long time. I liked how the orchestra sounds in both Beethoven and Gershwin, especially how the musicians feel the swing (rhythmic pulsation characteristic of jazz — ed.) in 'Rhapsody in Blue,'" the pianist shared.

The first piece performed was Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto ("Emperor") — the composer's last of his five piano concertos. It was created in 1809, when Vienna was at the center of the military actions of the Napoleonic Wars. The name "Emperor" appeared later and does not belong to Beethoven. The concerto begins with an energetic first movement, followed by a calm adagio, and the piece concludes with a rapid finale. Lang Lang played very emotionally: at times leaning over the keyboard, at times abruptly straightening up at climactic moments.

The second part of the program featured George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." Its famous opening clarinet glissando immediately sets a jazz tone for the piece. The rhapsody was written in 1924 for Paul Whiteman's concert "An Experiment in Modern Music" at New York's Aeolian Hall, where Gershwin himself performed the piano part. The piece combines elements of jazz and the concert music tradition, blues inflections, and syncopated rhythms. After Beethoven, Lang Lang's playing became more free and expressive.

After the main program ended, the audience refused to let the artists go for a long time. To prolonged applause, Lang Lang bowed to the audience several times and left the stage, after which the orchestra performed Anor Nazarov's festive piece "Taronalar bazmi" as an encore.

Lang Lang and the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan will perform together once again in 2027 in Beijing at the foot of the Great Wall of China.