Lang Lang to Perform at Lyric Opera of Chicago Tomorrow

The internationally acclaimed Chinese pianist Lang Lang returns to the Civic Opera House, home to Lyric Opera of Chicago, on Saturday, May 9 at 7:30pm, for his only Chicago-area concert in 2015. Following Saturday night's performance, Lang Lang will also do a CD/DVD signing in the Civic Opera House foyer for those who purchase one on site.

"Lyric Opera's auditorium has the most incredible acoustic," says Lang Lang. "It is one of the biggest venues in America, but the sound is so intimate! It certainly is one of my favorite concert venues in the world. I love Lyric Opera, and I just can't wait to return after my previous recital there."

For his solo recital at Lyric on Saturday, Lang Lang will perform Bach's Italian Concerto BMV 971 in F major, Tchaikovsky's The Seasons, and Chopin's Four Scherzos. The performance will take place a month before the pianist's 33rd birthday.

Of the repertoire for this concert, Lang Lang notes, "Tchaikovsky's Seasons was one of my favorite works when I was a kid. It really shows the most beautiful changes of each month, and there are the most beautiful poetic points reflecting on those pieces. The Bach is a solo work but has a symphonic approach. The Chopin Scherzos just really bring us to the edge of our seats. We will have a very colorful evening."

Lang Lang enjoys a huge multicultural, multigenerational fan base worldwide. Global audiences heard him perform at the 2014 World Cup concert in Rio de Janeiro with Plácido Domingo, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (four billion-plus viewers), and in the 56th and 57th Grammy Awards broadcasts (with Metallica and Pharrell Williams respectively). His collaborations with a wide array of artists from the worlds of pop, jazz, and classical music have been seen and heard by millions via YouTube and social media, as well as in live performance.

Lang Lang's current tour of this program began in late February, with performances in Miami, Washington, Montreal, Los Angeles, Moscow, London, several cities in Germany, Florence, and Zurich before he arrives in Chicago. (The tour ends in Houston May 12.)

As with Lang Lang's Lyric debut in 2012, the audience will be able to follow his every move thanks to large-screen video enhancements.

Tickets for Lang Lang's May 9 recital can be purchased online at lyricopera.org/langlang or by calling Lyric's ticket office (312-827-5600).

Cosponsored by Robert and Evelyn McCullen and McDonald's of Greater China.

Photo by Xun Chi