Lang Lang takes five at Carnegie opening

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Even though he is nursing an injured arm, pianist Lang Lang found that he could avoid missing Carnegie Hall's annual gala Wednesday by getting a young protege to lend a hand - literally.

Due to his status as one of the world's most recognizable classical musicians, the famous Chinese pianist opened the prestigious New York concert hall's season by playing George Gershwin's classic "Rhapsody in Blue", where he was joined on a second piano by 76-year-old jazz great Chick Corea.

However, Lang Lang is recovering from an inflammation in his left arm that forced him to cancel several months of concerts.

The solution came in the form of Maxim Lando, a 14-year-old US pianist who studied in a music scholarship backed by Lang Lang, who joined him and played the left hand.

Photo via twitter.com

"With the artistry of the legendary Chick Corea and the exciting young talent Maxim Lando, we hope to delight the audience and take a little pressure off my left arm while it continues to heal," Lang Lang said in a statement.

The unusual three-person, four-hand arrangement accompanied the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the French Canadian conductor who in 2020 will become the music director of the Metropolitan Opera.

"Rhapsody in Blue", which premiered in 1924, is one of the most popular 20th-century US compositions and infuses jazz into Western classical music.

Gershwin – who composed for concert halls, theaters and early movies – wrote "Rhapsody in Blue" in versions both for one and two pianos.

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Source(s): AFP