Lang Lang Celebrates the Year of the Dragon

A new 50-track digital compilation brings together
all the pianist’s recordings of Chinese music

Year of the Dragon – Songs from China includes the complete Dragon Songs album,
works by Tan Dun and favourite pieces from Piano Book, among others

It also features two brand-new recordings –
Snowflakes (listen here) and Moon is Bright Lullaby

The album comes out on 27 September 2024,
alongside a Dolby Atmos reissue of Dragon Songs

According to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, 2024 is the year of the dragon. To mark this auspicious occasion, Lang Lang is celebrating his heritage with a digital album comprising all his Deutsche Grammophon recordings of Chinese music. Year of the Dragon – Songs from China presents, among other works, all the music from the Dragon Songs album, including the “Yellow River” Piano Concerto and, to open with, Autumn moon on a calm lake – one of the pianist’s most successful streaming tracks. The compilation also takes in Tan Dun’s Eight Memories in Watercolour and complete soundtrack to The Banquet; a selection of pieces from Piano Book; and two new recordings – Snowflakes and Moon is Bright Lullaby. Snowflakes will be available to stream/download from 13 September, while Year of the Dragon is released two weeks later, on 27 September.

As well as featuring a wealth of solo pieces, the album offers ensemble and orchestral works in which Lang Lang is joined by an array of other world-renowned artists. These include tenor Andrea Bocelli and soprano Lei Jia, the China Philharmonic Orchestra and Long Yu, the Shanghai Opera House Chorus, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Tan Dun, and the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Alexandre Desplat.

Snowflakes, by Shuai Zhang, was originally performed by a children’s choir at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony. “It was like music from paradise,” recalls Lang Lang. On Year of the Dragon he performs a new solo piano arrangement created by Shuai Zhang. “I’m very happy to work with Shuai Zhang, who is from my home city and the same age as me, so we share a lot of the same memories,” notes the pianist. “This melody is almost like a wave of love and passion, and it gives you joyfulness.”

By contrast, Moon is Bright Lullaby has a far longer history – a traditional tune from northeastern China (Lang Lang’s home region), here arranged by Zhang Zhao, it resonates deeply with many people across the country. “This melody transports me back to my home town in the cold winter,” says Lang Lang. “At my grandparents’ place, my cousins and I fell asleep to this beautiful melody … This is a new arrangement by a remarkable composer and I like it very much.”

Also out on 27 September is a brand-new Dolby Atmos mix of Dragon Songs. Originally released in 2006, the album was based on the idea of cultural exchange – having introduced many western classical masterpieces to Chinese audiences, Lang Lang was keen to reverse the process. As he said at the time, “I love the idea of making connections between Chinese culture and the rest of the world.” Gramophone praised the album’s “fascinating variety of traditional Chinese songs” especially those pairing the piano with Chinese instruments. “Not only do they marvellously showcase Fan Wei’s pipa (Chinese lute), Zhang Jiali’s guanzi (double-reed pipe) and Ji Wei’s guzheng (Chinese zither), they also reveal Lang Lang as an inspiring and musicianly collaborator.”

Filmed in 2006, the Dragon Songs documentary traces a journey back to Lang Lang’s roots, following his return home to China to reconnect with family and friends, and share the importance of having a personal connection to the music. The film is available on Deutsche Grammophon’s streaming platform STAGE+ and can be watched free of charge until the end of October.

About STAGE+

STAGE+ is a ground-breaking classical music streaming service from Deutsche Grammophon, which has been designed to bring audiences closer than ever before to the Yellow Label’s roster of world-class artists and beyond, via a wide range of content, which includes exclusive live concerts and premieres; long-form concert and opera programmes; music videos; documentaries and behind-the-scenes interviews; new audio releases, as well as albums from the legendary Deutsche Grammophon and Decca catalogues. The platform is available as a TV, mobile and web app, with many videos offered in 4K resolution and Dolby Atmos. Audio content is available in Lossless or Hi-Res formats. Optimised metadata enables users to search via title and access individual works, movements, or opera scenes, with every search linked to all relevant audio and video content available for any particular artist, composer, work, venue or partner organisation. Subscribers can save favourites and download content to mobile devices for offline viewing or listening.