Feature: Lang Lang thrills Expo Milano 2015 with Chinese touch

The Expo Milano 2015 inaugural concert on Thursday night gave a glint of globalized China to the heart of Milan crowded with guests ready to welcome the world exposition that kicks off on Friday.

Chinese pianist Lang Lang impressed the audience with his skills and passion. The program that he performed along with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and The Teatro alla Scala Chorus and Orchestra in Duomo Square included opera pieces from Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi as well as the Spring Festival Overture Fantasy from Li Huanzhi.

"I proposed this Chinese piece because I knew it could be understood by everyone from different countries of the world," Lang told Xinhua in an exclusive interview shortly before the concert, where he played the real piano of Puccini. "Just think that Puccini wrote Turandot on this instrument!" Lang stressed.

So what does being an internationally acclaimed Chinese pianist mean for Lang? "I belong to a fortunate generation able to travel around the world and communicate with different cultures very easily," he said.

China's history, Lang went on saying, counts many outstanding musicians who however had not the same opportunities that today's young talents have to express themselves at the international level.

Chinese artists today have a very good knowledge of the world, which at the same time has become aware of the potentials of fast-developing China, Lang pointed out. "The perception of China has changed very much ... people from all over the world respect China and want to be friends of China," he noted.

In fact the 32-year-old pianist, who has travelled abroad for around 20 years, never misses the opportunity to spread his culture of origin, starting from food, which with the theme "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" is the leading motif of Expo Milano 2015.

"When I find a genuine Chinese restaurant, I always definitely opt for Chinese food," he said. But at the same time Lang appreciates very much the Italian cuisine and does not dislike trying other culinary arts of the world.

Lang is very active on social networks, where once a week he holds a "Mandarin Monday" short Chinese course. "I think that many people in the world would like to learn Chinese ... So I teach a word every week," he told Xinhua.

Lang has become a model for young pianists from all over the world and especially from China, where he started playing piano aged three in his hometown Shenyang. "I am very lucky that my first teacher was excellent, which is fundamental for a good start," he stressed.

In his view, art is an extraordinary instrument to promote diverse cultures in the world and leave their legacy to future generations "as happened for the great musicians of the past that we are celebrating tonight," he said.

"But talent must arouse from a natural interest for music and not from other reasons or objectives such as money," Lang explained to Xinhua. Endit