Lang Lang: Saint-Saëns

by Bill Heck

Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals, Piano Concerto No. 2; Ravel: Pavane pour une infante defunte; Debussy: Petite Suite 71; Fauré: In paradisium; Delibes: Delibes: Lakmé: Flower Duet; Saint-Saëns: Toccata after the Fifth Concerto (from Six Études pour piano op. 111); Fauré: Pavane op. 50; Farrenc: Étude No. 10; Sohy: Song without Words; Tailleferre: Valse lente; Bonis: The Little One Falls Asleep; Boulanger: Of a Bright Garden; Saint-Saëns: The Swan. Lang Lang, Gina Alice (pianos); Gewandhaus Orchestra; Andris Nelsons, conductor.  DG 5058

Based on an admittedly very small sample, it seems that DG is interested in producing events as much as producing recordings. I suppose that’s their business, and but my curmudgeonly side is, shall we say, a little jaded.

There’s no doubt that Lang Lang is a musical superstar, and I suppose that it’s natural for DG to be trading on that fame. Thus, you can find video sections from the Carnival of the Animals on YouTube and, at least on streaming sources, hear a version of the Carnival with the movements interspersed with accompanying verses originally written by Ogden Nash; here they are read by Jimmy Fallon. And the “exciting audio-visual project” (DG’s words) extends to a concert film of the Piano Concerto made live in concert at Leipzig’s Gewandhaus  and a performance film of the Carnival to be shown on TV internationally and on DG’s video streaming service, STAGE+. Meanwhile, for true collectors, this set is available in multiple versions: LP, signed “crystal” (clear plastic) LP, signed CD set, plain old CD set, and downloads in several resolutions, plus streaming on DG’s own service. Whew!

The promotion continues in the booklet that accompanies the CD: the cover is dominated by a photo of Lang Lang, eyes closed as he blissfully sniffs a flower. The next page shows a hand shot, then we see a repetition of the flower photo, then a close-up of Lang Lang’s head resting on a keyboard, then of him and his wife and co-artist, Gina Alice, embracing, and… Well, you get the idea. The text of the booklet does have some information about the works along with sometimes gushing explanations of why Lang Lang chose the particular works included.

But the premise of the album is odd. The notes tell us that this is a voyage of discovery, but the Saint-Saëns Second Concerto, which we are told is something of a neglected masterpiece, is perhaps the composer’s most frequently recorded, while the Carnival surely is Saint-Saëns’s most popular work. The idea of discovery seems more plausible when referring to the miniature solo pieces, of which more anon.So what about the music found here: are these performances to be recommended? Well, it seems to me a mixed bag. To begin with, there is the recording itself. The sonic presentation greatly emphasizes the pianos, which are up front and, even accounting for the fact that there are two of them, appear unnaturally wide. Meanwhile, the orchestra is a good way farther back on the stage. The resulting imbalance makes both the Carnival and the Concerto into works for piano with orchestral accompaniment rather than real partnerships.

Camille Saint-Saëns

And then there’s the playing. There are plenty of passages in which Lang Lang’s complete mastery of his instrument comes through, with precision of touch and lovely tone. But the interpretations mostly left me thinking of Lang Lang rather than of carnivals, animals, Saint-Saëns, or the exchange between soloists and orchestra. For example, the Carnival is supposed to be a bit of musical fun; indeed, Saint-Saëns would not allow it to be published during his lifetime for fear that it’s perceived frivolity would damage his reputation. But, to cite two examples, the lion depicted in the first movement doesn’t seem very ferocious, and the fourth movement’s elephant, which should be humorously harrumphing, just ambles along in a nondescript way. The Swan (number thirteen) is the one movement that Saint-Saëns did allow to be published in his lifetime, and it  is a lovely miniature. If you hear it on this album, you certainly will be impressed – but if you hear it on, say, our own JJP’s recommended performance (Previn/Pittsburgh), you will be swept away by the sheer beauty, with the voice of the cello soaring above the perfectly balanced piano, not the other way around. The performance of the Concerto is in much the same vein: extraordinary in spots but facing stiff competition. (JJP recommends those by Jean Philip Collard on Warner, Stephen Hough on Hyperion, and Chamayou on Erato). In totality, this one leaves me feeling that the current production is just another version – and again, independently of interpretation, there’s the issue of the imbalance between soloist and orchestra.

Earlier, I mentioned the other short solo pieces on the album. Most were not composed by Saint-Saëns, but I won’t quibble about their relation to the title: these are, at least for me, the most interesting pieces here. While the first few are by familiar composers, including Debussy and Fauré, with the remainder we hear little-known works by little-known female composers. These, not the far better known earlier pieces, are the ones more appropriately described as the advertised “discoveries”. While each of these works has been recorded elsewhere, having them on an album that is sure to receive major publicity and high availability is a good thing. Lang Lang’s playing here is expressive; some may find it over the top, but that’s a matter of taste. My only real complaint here goes back to that booklet: each of these works receives a single sentence. Surely an album of discovery should devote a little more space to the works most plausibly thought of as needing to be unearthed.Where does all this leave us? For “us,” readers of this review, who likely have some familiarity with classical music and who are looking primarily for recordings that they will enjoy on musical and sonic terms, my instinct is to say move along, nothing to see here. But if the superstar project approach generates excitement, or even a modicum of interest, among the wider public and brings others into the classical music fold, can that be all bad? We'll see how it goes.