Quotable

With status comes pride, and no musician from China, representing the hopes and dreams of its billion-plus citizens, has captured his country's heart and soul, as well as the rest of the world's, as Lang Lang. His technique is insurmountable; he can play anything. His artistry is pure, mature, the perfect balance of freedom and security Lang Lang is a citizen of the world, a musician par excellence, and a human being and friend who cares not only about the people with whom he makes music, but also the public, especially young ones, that, like China, are the future.

John Axelrod, American conductor, currently Music Director of l'Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire in France.

Say what you will about Mr. Lang's piano playing - in the past I have found him elegant, hyperbolic, generous and gaudy, often in the space of a single performance - but his instinct to extend the benefits of his fame to others is entirely laudable.