Lang Lang: Global citizen

How did you become Global Ambassador for the Leeds International Piano Competition?
Dame Fanny Waterman approached me about it, and I decided to come to Leeds to see the competition first hand. It is obviously a legendary competition, and the list of previous winners speaks for the high standard it has set, but I was also interested in how individualistic the competitors might be. Suffice to say, I was even more impressed seeing the competition close up. Dame Fanny asked me to meet the finalists before the performances. They were a diverse bunch, and I then decided I would take on the Global Ambassador role.

Tell us about that initial meeting with Dame Fanny.
When I arrived at her house, which is full of momentos of students, the Leeds Piano Competition and many big moments in her life, she immediately asked me to play. It’s one thing playing to a Royal Albert Hall or Berlin Philharmonie audience, and another playing to the most famous piano teacher of all! We started to play together and had really good fun. It was the opposite of music making in a pressured environment. I can see why her students regard her with both fear and love – she has real magnetism and a sense of history around her.

Will you stay in touch with Dame Fanny after she steps down from the Leeds later this year?
I don’t think that Dame Fanny will ever not be part of the Leeds!?