2015年CRI Lang Lang in Concert to Mark the 500th Anniversary since the Founding of the Cuban Capital

 

Chinese piano virtuoso¹ Lang Lang joined Cuban jazz legend, Chucho Valdes for an electrifying² outdoor concert in the historic Cathedral corner in Old Havana on Friday to mark the 500th anniversary since the founding of one of the oldest cities in the Americas.

The repertoire³ included classical works composers like Tchaikovsky and Gershwin and popular Cuban pieces by local composers like Ernesto Lecuona and Antonio María Romeu among others.

It is the first time that a Chinese pianist has traveled to Cuba.

Lang Lang says it was an exhilarating experience.

"It's incredible for me to come to Cuba for the first time. I know Havana, the city, from films, from books, from movies, from the internet, for so many years, and such a beautiful city… and playing Cuban music, in Havana, that's going to be something."

One of the highlights of the show was Lang Lang's duet with legendary⁴ Cuban jazz artist, Chucho Valdes.

Valdés - born in Havana - has won eight Grammy Awards for his music.

The two musicians met by chance last year in Vienna, Austria.

Valdes says he was instantly taken in by Lang Lang's eclectic style and decided⁵ to invite him on the spot.

"It's a treat to have an artist of the stature⁶ of Lang Lang doing a concert here, on the 500th anniversary of the city of Havana, the founding of the city of Havana and the people, everyone wants to see the concert, wants to see Lang Lang, the symphony and what we're going to do, so this is going to be incredible."

The duo was backed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, led by American conductor Marin Alsop.

Music students were invited to the general rehearsals⁷ before the big event.

Cuban Piano Student, Magda Lisa Osorio said she was thrilled to see these two great musicians performing together.

"Being able to share with Lang Lang and listen to him, take pictures with him, it is amazing. I, for example could not have imagined being told, 'You are going to meet him and be close to him', it's like having your aspiration⁸, your greatest aspiration so close to you."

The New York Times has described Lang Lang as the "hottest artist on the classical music planet." Time magazine recently included him on its list of the 100 most influential⁹ people in the world.

The 30-year-old, who has become popular on social media for his spikey hairstyle and for sporting shiny jackets at classical music concerts, is one of the most successful cultural icons¹⁰ of modern China.

For CRI I'm Poornima Weerasekara

1 virtuoso   

n.精于某种艺术或乐器的专家，行家里手

参考例句：

• He was gaining a reputation as a remarkable virtuoso.作为一位技艺非凡的大师，他声誉日隆。
• His father was a virtuoso horn player who belonged to the court orchestra.他的父亲是宫廷乐队中一个技巧精湛的圆号演奏家。

2 electrifying   

v.使电气化( electrify的现在分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The dancers gave an electrifying performance. 舞蹈演员们的表演激动人心。
• The national orchestra gave an electrifying performance of classic music. 国家交响乐团举行了一次古典音乐的震撼性演出。 来自辞典例句

3 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。

4 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

7 rehearsals   

n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复

参考例句：

• The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
• She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 aspiration   

n.志向，志趣抱负；渴望；(语)送气音；吸出

参考例句：

• Man's aspiration should be as lofty as the stars.人的志气应当象天上的星星那么高。
• Young Addison had a strong aspiration to be an inventor.年幼的爱迪生渴望成为一名发明家。

9 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

10 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓