Chinese pianist Lang Lang has said he was surprised by the success of the debut season of The Piano, with strangers later telling him the Channel 4 TV show “touched their hearts”.
The world-renowned classical musician received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on Wednesday, in the category of live performance, taking to the piano after his on-stage speech to play Jasmine Flower from his album Piano Book and Ritual Fire Dance by Manuel de Falla.
The 41-year-old shot to TV fame in the UK after his appearance as a judge on The Piano, which saw host Claudia Winkleman search for the UK’s best amateur pianists before the show culminated in a concert at the Royal Festival Hall featuring four chosen finalists.
“I couldn’t believe how successful that this show became, a lot of new people that I’ve never met before, they came to me and they said this show really touched their hearts and I’m very happy to be part of this show,” Lang Lang told the PA news agency.
“I’m actually flying to Manchester for the final, the second season is coming to air beginning of May so I hope you will like the second season.”
What a day! Thank you to everyone who came down to my surprise performance at St Pancras International Station 😊 Inspired by #ThePiano, make sure to tune into the final episode on @Channel4 this Wednesday at 9pm GMT 🎹 pic.twitter.com/mh9L9GLoC6
— Lang Lang (@lang_lang) March 10, 2023
The debut season saw a visually impaired 13-year-old girl called Lucy win the competition, having impressed the judges with her rendition of Debussy’s Arabesque.
Lang Lang, whose musical achievements are mirrored by his commitment to charitable causes including the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, said being honoured with a star was a “dream come true”.
“Getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it’s unbelievable, it is like the biggest dream you can dream in the world,” he told PA.
“I’ve been very lucky to have this, being a musician, sharing my love and music with the world.
“I hope this star that I’m getting today will encourage the younger generation all over the world, also in Asia, to dream big because you can. You can deliver, you can achieve.”
⭐️ Tune in to the livestream on Wednesday, April 10th at 11:30am PST exclusively on https://t.co/A3EBVPHH6J#hollywoodwalkoffame #hollywoodchamber #walkoffame #langlang #hollywoodnews #hollywoodindustry #hollywoodchamber pic.twitter.com/hEKrRl0bLE
— Walk of Fame (@WalkofFameStar) April 10, 2024
During his on-stage speech, Lang Lang thanked his parents for pushing him as a child but joked “I don’t know if I will push my son”.
Lang Lang, a former child prodigy who performed at the 2008 Olympic Games opening ceremony in Beijing, thanked his parents in the audience for pushing him to work hard as a child, but joked: “I don’t know if I will push my son.”
“The truth is, music brought me here today,” he said on stage.
“The common ground is always music, whether you grew up in Beijing or Boston, it reminds us that we are not that different at all.
“The world communicates through music, we see how the same music will have the same effect everywhere around the globe, because it is about emotions and intentions behind it.
“I promise I will always play with both emotions and intentions – and some technique,” he joked.
Lang Lang said there is “nothing better than sharing the gift of music”, describing it as something that both heals and inspires.
“I love performing and recording, (but) my purpose is always to share music, share music education, and I really hope to teach and inspire as many people as possible to learn an instrument – whether it is piano or anything else.
“To me, this honour is a reminder of the power of inspiration as well. I was inspired to play classical music and if I can inspire even more people to pick up an instrument and to play classical music I will be forever thankful.
“Also I believe classical music is very exciting, very loving and it is a fantasy world – it is certainly not boring.”