The pianist Lang Lang spends a lot of time on airplanes, criss-crossing the globe to play storied venues and perform at some of the biggest events of the 21st century, including the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the coronation of King Charles in London, and, most recently, the long awaited reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. So how does such a gifted artist spend his flight time? Reviewing musical compositions, listening to Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff, or getting some much needed sleep? “I always like to look at pictures from the past and nice videos, especially of my son. He's four years old now, but time really flies,” says Lang. “I love to see when he was born, when we were having his 100-day celebration. I love to watch him on my [flights].”
Lang—who was born in Shenyang, China but educated as a teenager at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia—also founded the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, which seeks to provide musical education to children and nurture young talent across the United States, China, and Europe. He spoke with Condé Nast Traveler shortly after his most recent concert at Carnegie Hall, among the first shows of his four-continent 2025 tour.
His favorite musical venue in the world:
Carnegie Hall is just glorious. It kind of reminds me of the Roman Colosseum. [I first heard of it] when I was six or seven years old, but of course it felt so far away, both in distance and [talent]. I knew that every great musician played there, and I dreamed big that one day I’d be there. This season, I’m doing my series there. Playing a lot of concerts and getting to integrate myself with the hall, it feels great.
A destination he feels is underrated:
Andorra. I was there two years ago to perform in the mountains, and it’s like a fairy-tale place. It was not hard to get there—about an hour and a half drive from Barcelona or Toulouse, so it’s easy from Spain or France. I had a really nice picnic out in the mountains before the concert, it looks a bit like Switzerland.
How certain modes of transportation make him nostalgic:
It’s mostly airplanes for me now, and the car is a very, very important part of my life. Every day I’m in a car. I’m in a car right now talking to you, on the way to the airport to go to Philadelphia. But the train was very important during the first stage of my life, when I was going back and forth to Beijing from my hometown of Shenyang to study. That was a really long trip at that time, when I was eight or nine years old: 11 hours! With the high-speed train now, it’s only two and a half hours. That kind of transportation is a childhood memory.
His favorite vacation spot:
My best vacations are at my winter home on Hainan Island, in the city of Sanya in the south [of China]. Each year, we invite every family member to come and celebrate Chinese New Year. I have 10 days off and it’s the most [relaxing] time I have the whole year. I like to be home for vacation because I’m always traveling for work, [rather than] stay in a temporary place. I need this stabilized feeling. That’s why a beach house is the way to go, and mine is right next to the water.
How he makes himself at home in hotels:
Shangri-La Hotels always bring great, homemade food into my rooms. That helps a lot, when you have homey food in the hotel. And they [know] my favorite candle smell. That’s changed a lot of things!
The city he could return to again and again:
I never get tired of Paris, so even though I'm there every year, every quarter, I still love it. It's just so romantic. I really love to walk in the Luxembourg Gardens and the Parc Monceau—aside from being beautiful, those parks have good children's playgrounds, so I can take my son there to have fun. He loves them.
On going back to Philadelphia:
I get very, very emotional when I'm in Philadelphia. It was my first foreign city, the first western city, I lived in. I made so many great friends. I already have meals planned with all those wonderful aunties and uncles who helped me so much when I came to Philadelphia. Also, I bought my first house in Philadelphia. I’ve since sold it, but at that time, it was my dream-come-true moment, in a very nice townhouse, a brownstone. I like to visit my school, Curtis, and maybe practice in the practice room, [like I used to] in 1997. More than 25 years! Time flies! Then I'll meet some old friends from school, from the orchestra, and go to Pat’s for cheese steaks.
Where he’s excited to go next:
We are planning to do a concert this year in Egypt. I’ve been to Luxor Temple before, but I'm really looking forward to visiting and actually playing in front of the Pyramids. I think it's going to be magical.
