Pianist
Lang Lang and his
Deutsche Grammophon label have apparently decided that his last peak to scale is that of massive crossover stardom, and the fact that he had a childhood affection for Disney films and their music during the first years in which they were available in China, provided the ideal opening. Listeners' reactions to
The Disney Book will probably largely depend on whether they think this is a desirable development. Three things, however, should be noted. First,
Lang Lang has enlisted top-flight arrangers in the cause, among them pianist
Stephen Hough. The music on this album sounds fresh because it is indeed freshly made. The arrangers strike a good balance between the world of Disney songs and
Lang Lang's general high Romantic idiom. Second, animated film and classical music used to be more closely linked than they are today. In a way,
The Disney Book is a welcome throwback to the days of
Fantasia. Third, on the pop side,
Lang Lang's abilities are undoubted. With many classical pianists, even those who have recorded a lot of material derived from pop, one can still sense the level at which they were taught to clap on the downbeat. Not so with
Lang Lang, as a sample of the fun he has with the likes of
The Bare Necessities will testify. Listeners delighted with the idea of a big treatment of Disney classics will be pleased here, and even those less enamored might give the album a try. There are guest vocal stars, including
Andrea Bocelli and
Lang Lang's wife
Gina Alice; they are pretty much smoothed down so that they blend into the scenery that will spill across one's phone if one finds the Deluxe Version. Conductor
Robert Ziegler, leading the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, also had a tough row of balances to hoe and succeeds admirably. Probably the crossover event of 2022. ~ James Manheim
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