Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 118

The technically perfect Lang Lang appreciates
perfect automotive technology.
The Audi
ambassador
Lang Lang has been an
international ambassador
for Audi since 2006.
Whether playing at
concerts in Chicago’s
Orchestra Hall, at the
Salzburg Festival or at
the 2008 Olympics in
Beijing, the virtuoso
pianist always arrives in
an Audi. Two perfectly
matched partners, both
with premium creden-
tials. Both hold the power
to captivate others
through their dynamism,
technical prowess and
desire to become even
better. Both espouse the
virtues of perfection,
innovation and emotion.
116 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
The second time I met Lang Lang was at the
press conference for his new recording of
“Dragon Songs” at the end of 2006 in Munich. He
allowed our handshake to linger, probably for the
sake of the photographers. He remembered me,
he said, and wanted to introduce me to his
friends. Never before had I felt such soft hands,
whether belonging to a man or a woman. He had
matured over the years since we had last met.
The childlike facial features of a big boy, which
was how I remembered him, had been trans-
formed into those of a handsome young man.
His demeanour was a very natural blend of con-
fidence, openness, an awareness of his status of
a star, and a sense of humour. Humour is a mani-
festation of confidence, and confidence is a sign
of success. Even before he started to play his
piano, the young man came across as likeable.
He was quite unlike other Chinese stars that
I know: he was utterly unaffected, and acted nat-
urally and spontaneously – and that is precisely
how he plays. I suspect this has something to do
with the many years he has spent living abroad.
His manner expressed utter independence,
openness and relaxation. He came across as
easy-going, direct and in touch with himself –
key requirements in an artist. These qualities
allow an artist to dedicate themselves unre-
servedly to their art and become one with it. In
a world of their own. The extent to which he
immersed himself in that world became clear to
me as he played.
That evening, he performed works by various
composers, from various periods and of various
styles, Chinese and Western, each one of them
delivered with astonishing mastery. In one clas-
sic Chinese piece he was even able to tease the
poetry of a Chinese picture out of the grand
piano. It was almost beyond belief how his touch
evoked the tender flowing of the silk strings of