An interview with Mrs Lang Lang

An interview with Mrs Lang Lang

News

norman lebrecht

July 26, 2022

Gina Redlinger has yet to say much to western media.

She tells all to a Shanghai magazine:

Warmth and brightness are what German pianist Gina Alice Redlinger hopes to present to her audience at her first Shanghai recital on August 14 at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

Turning 28 next month, Redlinger is probably better known more as the wife of famed Chinese pianist Lang Lang.

But she is an accomplished pianist in her own right, having worked with domestic orchestras like the Guangzhou Symphony and the Shenzhen Symphony.

“People long for warmth, brightness, and look forward to love and hugs,” Redlinger said in a recent interview in Shanghai. “I hope music can bring me closer to people and make our hearts communicate.”

She added that “Music plays various characters. It can be romantic, fancy and gentle, but sometimes explosive too. It’s fun to play these characters with music.”

The Shanghai concert has set four chapters – Ice World, Candy Kingdom, Under the Stars and Magic Jungle. The programs range from classical to modern, both Western and Chinese….

More of the same here.

Comments

  • NoFan says:

    Gina is a certified world class pianist with her DG contact plus her concert ticket sells!

    Again for more laughters. The marketing around Gina is like this in Chinese social media: “Gina shows off her skinny waistline while 6 month pregnant”.

    Such market actually costs big money so one can only admire lang lang is rich so he can buy any trending search team he likes. FYI The similar was trending when she was 1 month pregnant and after the birth of their son.

    • MMcGrath says:

      Thank you. You bring an important cultural translation to this story. We have to also remember that the Chinese idiom (both spoken and visual) is so much more florid amd colorful than English. Thus, verbatim translation from Mandarin into English often results in a quite saccharine and even risible chain of words which native English speakers would never use.

      • NoFan says:

        Oh i don’t quite get the implication of cultural translation here. The “pregnant with skinny waistline” hot search became a big joke even in China so i don’t see the cultural difference unless western culture considered such kind of show off would be plausible!!

        As for the wordings used in the news above, the translation was quite straight forward and Gina actually speaks English most of the time.

    • Gerry Feinsteen says:

      The vast majority of mainland audiences listen visually (many are parents of young students); they will choose the performer whose histrionics and facial maneuvers help to clarify Schubert over the playing of an Andras Schiff or Sokolov—indeed in mainland China it is very much musical artistry is in the eye of the beholder.
      This might evolve, but don’t hold your breath. Either way, classical music is a big biz there, so, performers need some dance lessons

    • Jnt says:

      Speaking from personal experience, you will pay for your sarcasm. One day, one way or another. And you’ll perhaps wonder and won’t understand why your life has turned to shyt. And then perhaps grow resentful and nihilistic. So for your sake, and the sake of those around you, cut it out dude.

  • Terence says:

    “ Redlinger is probably better known more as the wife of famed Chinese pianist Lang Lang.”

    Probably?

  • DG says:

    “People long for warmth, brightness, and look forward to love and hugs”
    – Originally attributed to Glenn Gould, right? Heh.

  • Yodi says:

    1) “The Shanghai concert has…. Candy Kingdom”

    The Chinese have a secret plan to destroy Western classical music, but where Mao failed by trying to ban it, they are now going to destroy it from within, killing it simultaneously with saccharine (Mrs. Lang Lang) and no taste (Mr. Lang Lang).

    2) “German pianist Gina….”

    She’s German until the Chinese authorities decide otherwise, when she will be VERY much Chinese and prohibited from leaving the country and all contacts with the German embassy in time of personal crisis. Her German passport is useless in China.

  • Langberace says:

    Wanda Toscanini Horowitz was a much more interesting beard for a much better pianist and musician. This beard is just dull. I’d rather go to a concert to hear Wanda on the bongo drums than suffer through Gina on the piano.

  • Jobim75 says:

    Her original and deep thoughts about music will probably upset and renew musical philosophy , just as her husband delicate and inspired playing will be a corner stone of XXI piano history.

  • Ciaro Mustard says:

    they are fabricating a “story” of sorts and hope people will fall for it. it is worth noticing that china alone produces yearly about 500+ pianists that are equal or better than lang lang in showmanship & co. the problem is that there aren’t that many concert halls and orchestras in the world that can accommodate such flooding of good “talents”. also to promote an artist costs too much money and the return isn’t always that great. the chinese market however is already saturated and with wang – lang – and li they already have their “heroes” to follow and imitate. in the year of the tiger who knows what else they’ll come up with. . .

  • IP says:

    Interviews are fine as long as she does not play.

  • Hmmb says:

    Shouldn’t the title be “Mrs Lang”?

  • Piano Lover says:

    She invented the new mode
    -we have
    -major
    -minor
    Now the DOLLAR mode.
    End of story!

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