Lang Lang & Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam

Lang Lang is a Chinese classical pianist, born in Shenyang in 1982. He is known for interpretations of concertos by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, as well as recordings including Piano Book and Bach’s Goldberg Variations. At the 1999 Ravinia Festival, he stepped in for André Watts to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Christoph Eschenbach. He made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 2003, then appeared before a worldwide audience at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is a Dutch symphony orchestra founded in Amsterdam in 1888. Its musical identity is closely tied to Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss: both composers conducted the ensemble, and Strauss dedicated Ein Heldenleben to Willem Mengelberg and the orchestra. Its recorded legacy also includes major Bruckner and Mahler cycles under Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly and Mariss Jansons. The orchestra gave its first concert at the Concertgebouw in 1888 under Willem Kes. Mengelberg later led the 1920 Mahler Festival, which surveyed the composer’s music, and in 1975 the ensemble began its annual Christmas Matinee. International tours have repeatedly brought the orchestra to New York’s Carnegie Hall and the Berliner Philharmonie in Berlin.