"Lang Lang – Piano Magic" is a compilation of a wide variety of recordings made between 2010 and 2014; the album brings together short pieces, and also some of the most popular isolated movements in piano music – which are often played as encores. In a few minutes, each of these morsels conjures up its own miniature universe, as if by magic... Hence the title. While the majority of pieces are brilliantly virtuoso, our pianist doesn't forget to include a few rather less complex moments, which put the emphasis more on softness and solemnity. The magnificent Entertainer by Scott Joplin which closes the album, is played with an offbeat wit and a very personalised idea of rhythm with a few melodic turns which Lang Lang puts a jazzy spin on, as if re-improvising the whole thing on the spot. © SM/Qobuz