Breaking: Lang Lang quits Channel 4 show
NewsThe Chinese pianist has quit the talent-spotting show The Pianist after two tear-jerk seasons.
‘Being a mentor on The Piano and spending time with the talented pianists has been a true joy. The level of talent I have witnessed has been phenomenal, and it has been a privilege to see the love for playing the piano across the UK,’ he said. ‘I am going to miss Mika and Claudia terribly, but am very much looking forward to being reunited with them later this year filming the Christmas special.’
There was a general impression in season 2 that Lang Lang had run out of things to say in between platitudes from Mika and gush from Claudia Winkelman.
Lang Lang will be replaced by multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste.
The show was/is fun but not Lang Lang’s scene. There is relatively little he can say of serious critical note. The finals was about as tacky as it could get – the poor Steinway digitally manipulated up to its eyebrows, everyone crying their eyes out and the music cut to shreds.
Jon Batiste is a very, VERY fine pianist.
With a very, VERY good manager?
He’s a huge star in the States and beyond. He was MD of CBS Late Night and is a multi-Grammy winner. I doubt his manager had anything to do with it.
Too much competition for poor old Lang Lang?
I cannot watch it. The piano playing is sometimes OK but the gush is absolutely painful.