Whenever You’re Near…

…I hear a symphony!

Ok, that’s a lie, because I rarely ever hear a symphony.  But I did last night and I witnessed a rare local performance by a true musical genius who is on his way to becoming a superstar.

Lang Lang is a 25 year old Chinese pianist who already can’t walk the streets in his home country without getting mobbed. Young classical music fans the world over revere him in a way normally reserved for rock stars.  Adidas has released a Lang ng Lang sneaker.  That’s a privilege normally reserved for star pro athletes.  This guy has already been tapped to open the 2010 Olympics.

Last night’s performance with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall had been sold out for a year.  On behalf of 680 News, Paul Cook and I hosted an intimate reception for some lucky listeners and awarded a trip for 2 to Austria.  Then we took our seats in the upper balcony and what a prime view we had of Lang Lang’s artistry.

He has said in interviews that some classical purists are put off by his shoulder swaying to the music but it’s as if he’s in a trance and almost channeling his incredible abilities.  His hands move with a fluidity and certainty I’ve never seen to play Beethoven’s very complicated Piano Concerto No. 1. It’s truly indescribably jaw-dropping to witness but this young man isn’t some sort of trickster – he’s a legitimate artist.  And when he becomes a worldwide phenomenon, those of us who attended his performance last night will be able to say, I saw him when.