Lang Lang Goldberg-Variationen BWV 988 Deluxe-Edition

Studio & Live Recording from St. Thomaschurch Leipzig (4CDs)

Künstler: Lang Lang (Klavier)
Label: DGG, DDD/LA, 2020
Release date: 4.9.2020

»The live shot is very spontaneous. In the studio, on the other hand, my playing is different, extremely thoughtful and reflective. At the concert you experience the 100-minute work as a whole. The studio allows you to work on individual parts in detail. This naturally has a considerable effect on the musical result. In the studio you have to know exactly what you are doing. Much of what happens there is extremely well thought out, and the sound quality is absolutely perfect. You can't create that live. What I like about a live concert, on the other hand, is that I take a certain amount of risk there and act much more spontaneously overall. That in turn cannot be simulated in the studio. After I compared the recordings, it was clear to me that I can't decide which one to use. There are a lot of similarities, but also a whole range of personal differences, the handling of the ornaments for example, the tempi, but also the time between the individual variations. Perhaps I need the spontaneity of the live feeling just as much as the thoughtful and reflected work.« (Lang Lang on the differences between the two recordings)