(Photo provided to China Daily)
"New York has changed the course of music more than any other in the last hundred years. It has inspired and enriched me beyond words and has become my home away from home."
He was named the city's first ambassador for cultural tourism in July.
Inspired by E.B. White's celebrated essay, Here Is New York, his new album's producer Klein assembled musical ideas and energies that both reflect New York's past and evoke its dynamic present.
"The process of recording the album was a challenging one," Klein says. "Coming from completely different areas on the musical continuum, Lang Lang and I had to educate each other in order to create a meeting place where our worlds intersected to craft what we were both seeking－a fresh voice that felt both timeless and new.
"The quality of Lang Lang's personality and playing－that was my beacon while creating that place. It was the same quality that drew me in at the beginning of the project－insatiable curiosity."
At the center of the album is Rhapsody in Blue, featuring Hancock in a two-piano version conducted by John Axelrod with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Isbell gives a fresh edge to British band Elbow's New York Morning and Grammy-nominated R & B singer Andra Day adds a new dimension to the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' hit Empire State of Mind.
Singer Madeleine Peyroux recaptures Moon River from the film Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Klein and Grammy-winning composer Billy Childs mixed the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim song, Somewhere, from West Side Story with Lou Reed's Dirty Blvd from his classic album New York.
In Beijing recently, the pianist gave a performance along with Nashville-based singer-pianist Springs, with a new interpretation on Don Henley's moody New York Minute. The song is also recorded in the album.
Following the release of the album, a star-studded concert special Live From Lincoln Center will air on US public television on Nov 25 as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival.
"People always say that classical music is traditional and the market is dying. But with this album, I hope people will change their perspective because classical music can be fun," Lang says.
After this album, the energetic pianist says he will go back to being "first and last, a classical musician".
On Sept 10, he gave a recital in Guangzhou, playing Debussy's ballade, Liszt's sonata and pieces from Spanish composers.
Next, he kicks off his US tour, including performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at its 2016-2017 opening season concert. Next year and in 2018, he will tour with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic.
"Now, I am working hard on Bach's Goldberg Variations," he says.
