The Piano Renewed for Second Series

[Kumazzz]

Yahoo News

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/jo-brand-tom-allen-perform-175528685.html

Thu, December 21, 2023 at 7:19 p.m

 

Jo Brand and Tom Allen to perform Fairytale Of New York in The Piano special

 

 

Comedians Jo Brand and Tom Allen will take on The Pogues’ hit song Fairytale Of New York in the upcoming Christmas edition of The Piano.

 

In a new teaser clip for the festive special of the Channel 4 music competition, Allen can be seen playing the piano while he duets with Brand on the gritty, festive track in the middle of London King’s Cross station.

The song by the London-Irish punk/folk band was originally sung by the late Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan, who died aged 65 earlier this month.

 

In the clip for The Piano At Christmas, Allen dons a red velvet jacket as he sits behind the piano, offering up his best MacGowan rendition.

Meanwhile, Brand wears a colourful checked jacket and fur-lined hat while she performs MacColl’s lines.

As they sing, a crowd of passers-by can be seen watching and cheering them on while judges Mika and Lang Lang watch the performance on a monitor.

Reflecting on the song, Brand said: “I love the song, The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, who is sadly missed.

“I think Shane MacGowan was a genius and a poet and even the most innocuous seeming lines are loaded with emotion, my favourite being the one about the old man who says he won’t see another Christmas, and now in retrospect I realise those words seem somewhat eerie and foreboding.”

Allen added: “Fairytale Of New York has always been my favourite Christmas song. A whimsical, poignant folk song and a rousing, ridiculous argument – what could be more festive.

“The Pogues showed it was OK to be yourself and to be silly. It’s so sad to hear of Shane MacGowan’s passing but I hope he’d like our irreverent, daft version of their song.”

Fairytale Of New York featured prominently in MacGowan’s funeral ceremony earlier this month, which was attended by Hollywood stars including Johnny Depp and U2 frontman Bono.

As the chords were struck up inside the church in Co Tipperary, attendees danced in the aisles while Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill performed.

Following his death, MacGowan’s wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, joined calls for the song to be this year’s Christmas number one.

 

 

The Piano At Christmas will see Claudia Winkleman return to her hosting duties while pianists from the first series will play their favourite Christmas songs.

The episode, airing on Christmas Day, will also feature secret Santa moments and a moving performance from the winner Lucy Illingworth accompanied by Grammy-winning artist Gregory Porter.

 

Mika and Lang Lang will also lead a finale performance.

The Piano At Christmas will air on Channel 4 on Christmas Day.

 

 

[TinyLove_CJ]

  I keep seeing the TV ad for it now on Channel 4! (and I have to stop whatever I'm doing just to watch it!). It looks like it's going to be such a fun Christmas episode and I'm getting more excited for it now!

[Kumazzz]

mikainstagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1Jw9SqoIdK/

 

‘The Piano’ is coming to you this Christmas Day!!

I loved being reunited with my buddies @langlangpiano and @claudiawinkle to make this special festive episode!

Monday 25th December, 8:45PM @channel4 🩷💚🩷💚
#thepiano #loveproductions #allyouneedislove

 

X ( Twitter ) mikasounds

 

[Kumazzz]

YoMIKA

https://www.yomika.com/2023/12/24/the-piano-christmas-special/

 

THE PIANO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Published December 24, 2023

 

‘The Piano’ is coming to you this Christmas Day!!

 

Join Mika, Lang Lang and Claudia Winkleman at London’s Kings Cross Station where they catch up with some of the brilliant talent from the first series, plus Mika and Lang Lang perform a very special version of the Beatles classic, ‘All You Need Is Love’.

 

Monday 25th December, 8:45PM on Channel 4! Don’t miss it!

 

 

 

[Kumazzz]

mikainstagram stories

 

 

[goose]

@mellodyI spotted you during the intro/recap at the beginning of the Christmas special I think😁 - at least I think it was you!

[mellody]

14 minutes ago, goose said:

@mellodyI spotted you during the intro/recap at the beginning of the Christmas special I think😁 - at least I think it was you!

 

really? Cool! Was it from the Royal Festival Hall? I missed the beginning of the Xmas special, watching live now

[Hero]

I'll be watching it later on catch up, so will avoid this thread for now in case of spoilers. Enjoy it everyone! 

[goose]

13 minutes ago, mellody said:

 

really? Cool! Was it from the Royal Festival Hall? I missed the beginning of the Xmas special, watching live now

Yes! It was definitely you I think! When it's on Iplayer I'll send you a video😊

[mellody]

Haha, love it that Mika loves the smell of this "fireworks" thing.  As much as I hate the smell of cigarette or cigar smoke, I absolutely love this smell of burnt fireworks - as long as it's not directly the smoke.

[mellody]

1 hour ago, goose said:

Yes! It was definitely you I think! When it's on Iplayer I'll send you a video😊

 

I saw it! They even showed me twice, haha! It was the same moment they showed in the final of The Piano earlier this year - guess they put it in as proof that Lucy moved the audience to tears.

[Hero]

What a blinder! Bravoooo!!!! I loved it so much! The camaraderie between Mika, LL and Claud is fantastic. The whole programme was joyful, like a warm hug full of life and cheer. Brilliant, beautiful and amazing. And the final song with Mika, the choir, the band, everyone together - it reminded me of what I'm missing from the gigs. Thank you Mika. That performance alone made my Christmas.  ❤️❤️❤️

[Kumazzz]

REPLAY

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-piano-at-christmas/on-demand/76068-001

 

The Piano at Christmas

Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang return with a festive songbook, secret Santa, some celebrity surprises, and a unmissable finale at London's King's Cross

 

Episode 1

Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang are back with a festive songbook, secret Santa, some celebrity surprises, and a unmissable finale for the holiday crowds at London's King's Cross Station.

 

Mon. 25 Dec, 8:45pm / 56 mins

 

 

[Kumazzz]

All Need Is Love

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1TSPTzvxD5/

 

 

 

[Kumazzz]

REVIEW

 

The Guardian

26 Dec 2023

 

• PDF file ( 1 page / 191 kb ) The Guardian - 26 December 2023_p.19.pdf
• WEB https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/dec/25/the-piano-at-christmas-review?

 

 

Review

The Piano at Christmas review – so moving it’s spine-tingling

 

The talent show’s festive edition is a generous-spirited joy, which catches up with past contestants and introduces celebrity guests. It warms the cockles of your heart

 

What could be more festive than gathering around the old joanna for a good cry? The Channel 4 gem The Piano was one of the sweetest TV treats this year – a talent show in the truest sense, full of uplifting human stories. Now the ivory-tinkling, heart-tugging show is granted its first Christmas special and what a celebratory, generous-spirited joy it is.

Claudia Winkleman swaps her Strictly sparkles for a military greatcoat and fingerless gloves – transitioning nicely to her Traitors wardrobe in time for its return next week – to host from King’s Cross station. When it first aired, the delightful series capitalised on the “street piano” phenomenon by inviting gifted amateurs to play at train stations across the country. Little did they suspect they were secretly being watched by the pop star Mika and the classical maestro Lang Lang – not so much judges as passionate cheerleaders for their instrument – who picked their favourites to play at a gala concert.

 

That element of surprise is missing here. With The Piano back for another series next year, it remains to be seen how the format will adjust to its spoilered plot twist. In the meantime, this one-off edition catches up with pianists from the debut run – oh, and while you’re here, you might as well plonk yourself on this stool and play us a Christmas tune.

Shy teenager Daniel, who only took up piano during lockdown, played Iris by Goo Goo Dolls first time around. He has since been invited to play on stage with the band and has grown markedly in confidence and power. “He’s maturing with his instrument,” says Mika, clearly speaking from experience. Student Angelina gives us a classical take on Last Christmas that’s spine-tingling, having first appeared on the show alongside her boyfriend – only for them to have since split up, lending resonance to George Michael’s bittersweet breakup song.

 

The seasonal theme strains at times, hardly helped by the fact that this was blatantly filmed two months ago – a TV trick that I call “the Hootenanny paradox”. When Winkleman wishes a passing police officer a Merry Christmas, he replies: “It’s a bit early.” “Ssh, we’re pretending it’s December,” she stage-whispers.

 

With her swift wit and easy warmth, Winkleman is a key part of The Piano’s appeal. She makes the busy concourse her own, trading quips with bystanders and going gooey over passing babies. Her giddy enthusiasm is infectious. Day-trippers and harried commuters stop to listen; they kiss and cuddle, smile and sway. Lucky punters are treated to an impromptu gig by the world’s most celebrated pianist as Lang Lang plays Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite.

 

There is a surprise visit from the comics Jo Brand and Tom Allen – who happen to present The Piano’s Love Productions stablemate The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. What are the chances? The pair belt out a rackety version of Fairytale of New York. Shane MacGowan would surely have approved of its pub singalong vibe. Brand nimbly avoids causing offence by tweaking the lyrics to: “You scumbag, you maggot, you look just like Taggart.” There’s been a mur-durr – of a song.

 

Retired teacher Sue and truck mechanic Jared team up for a boogie-woogie reboot of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. We catch up with teenager Melissa, who was inspired by anime and game soundtracks to teach herself via YouTube videos. She has since enrolled at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London and plays her own wintry composition, which has soul flowing through its fingers.

 

Then comes the emotive kicker. Nonagenarian jazzman Harry had been happily married for 49 years when we first met him. Now we learn that his wife, Pat, died last Christmas. “I’m just about coping with the grief,” says Harry. “Music is a great healer.” His trot through Mel Tormé’s The Christmas Song is twinkling, timeless and ends up with him shedding a tear. If viewers aren’t moved, they might need a medical professional to rouse them.

 

The breakout star of the first series was blind, neurodivergent 13-year-old prodigy Lucy, whose virtuoso playing and ability to communicate via music was astonishing. She went on to perform at the Royal Albert Hall and the King’s Coronation Concert. Here she is accompanied by the Grammy-winning, velvet-voiced crooner Gregory Porter for a moving version of Silent Night, in the lead-up to a stirring finale. “Mika, please get into position,” says Winkleman. She gives a sidelong look to camera and adds: “I’ve said that before.” Mika and Lang Lang join forces for All You Need Is Love, with a choir and brass section swelling their sound. Crowds line every balcony, clapping along. Travellers are lured out of Costa and Upper Crust. It’s music worth missing your train or your sandwich for – and TV to warm your Christmas cockles.

 

 

[goose]

8 hours ago, mellody said:

 

I saw it! They even showed me twice, haha! It was the same moment they showed in the final of The Piano earlier this year - guess they put it in as proof that Lucy moved the audience to tears.

Yes! I couldn't believe they showed it for a second (well technically third) time! Lucy plays very beautifully so I'm not surprised you were moved to tears😊

[Kumazzz]

5 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

REPLAY

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-piano-at-christmas/on-demand/76068-001

 

The Piano at Christmas

Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang return with a festive songbook, secret Santa, some celebrity surprises, and a unmissable finale at London's King's Cross

 

Episode 1

Claudia, Mika and Lang Lang are back with a festive songbook, secret Santa, some celebrity surprises, and a unmissable finale for the holiday crowds at London's King's Cross Station.

 

Mon. 25 Dec, 8:45pm / 56 mins

 

 

 

BiliBili ( A Chinese site )

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1JQ4y1E7qc/?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0

 

YouTube block in UK.

 

 

[CharlotteL]

Thank you @Kumazzz!
Do you happen to have a version that doesn't have the audio description?

[Kumazzz]

24 minutes ago, CharlotteL said:

Thank you @Kumazzz!
Do you happen to have a version that doesn't have the audio description?

 

MikaWebSite ( @Antoine ) sharing without Audio Description.

 

https://www.mikawebsite.com/video-the-piano-at-christmas/

 

[Hero]

It's just as good the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th time around... 

[TinyLove_CJ]

   Watched the Christmas special today and it was so enjoyable! It's so nice to see Mika and Lang Lang back again, they seemed to have formed a true friendship and it's lovely to see them joking with one another and also being in the moment with the music too.

   Thank you LL for the ideal gift idea too!

 

  Still think they should have swapped sides with that jumper though!

 

  The music was wonderful and the end performance beautiful!

[crazyaboutmika]

I just watched it and Mika's performance at the end is my fav part

[SusanT]

Looks like the first season of The Piano will soon be available on Sky UK.

 

https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/43c3efdc-a786-465e-aee1-3797498a9ae8/the-piano-43c3efdc-a786-465e-aee1-3797498a9ae8/episodes/season-1/episode-3

[Kumazzz]

Le Figaro

https://video.lefigaro.fr/figaro/video/lang-lang-et-mika-en-tournage-musical-a-cardiff/

 

Lang Lang et Mika en tournage musical à Cardiff.

A Cardiff nous avons suivi Mika et Lang Lang.à l’occasion du tournage de The Piano, une émission de la télévision britannique, le chanteur pop et le pianiste classique ont accepté que nous filmions l'envers du décor.

 

Lang Lang and Mika on a music shoot in Cardiff.
In Cardiff we followed Mika and Lang Lang. During the filming of The Piano, a British television show, the pop singer and the classical pianist agreed that we film behind the scenes.

 

 

On 12/29/2023 at 2:15 PM, Kumazzz said:

 

Le Figaro Magazine

29/12/2023

• PDF file ( 4 pages / 661 kb ) Le_Figaro_Magazine_2023_12_29_thepiano.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 12/30/2023 at 3:16 AM, Kumazzz said:

Le Figaro Magazine

29/12/2023

 

WEB - https://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/mika-et-lang-lang-comment-la-musique-a-change-nos-vies-20231229

 

Mika et Lang Lang: «Comment la musique a changé nos vies»

 

RENCONTRE - Réunis à Cardiff à l’occasion d’une émission de la télévision britannique, le chanteur pop et le pianiste classique ont accepté de se lancer dans un dialogue inédit, en exclusivité pour «Le Figaro Magazine», sur leur enfance, leur formation, leur rapport au public... Et les raisons de leur admiration mutuelle.

En une saison, «The Piano» s’est imposée comme une émission phare de Channel 4, la quatrième chaîne de télévision de la BBC. Le concept est connu: un télé-crochet pour jeunes talents avec un jury composé de vedettes. Ici, le pianiste Lang Lang face à la pop star Mika. La nouveauté tient au fait que les candidats jouent sur les pianos mis à la disposition des usagers des gares et non sur un plateau de télévision.

 

C’est ainsi que les caméras de la chaîne ont débarqué dans les gares de Cardiff, Manchester, Victoria Station à Londres, Liverpool et Édimbourg pour filmer les prestations des prétendants. Avec, en mémoire, la bouleversante lauréate de l’année dernière, Lucie. Talentueuse, aveugle, atteinte d’une maladie génétique, Lucie connaissait toutes les musiques et les avait apprises à l’oreille ou en touchant les doigts de son professeur…

 

Une émission pour les vrais amateurs

Aux candidats, l’émission ne pose qu’une condition: être de véritables amateurs. Autant dire n’avoir jamais reçu de rémunération pour jouer du piano.

 

 

 

Mika et Lang Lang dans la salle des pas perdus de la gare de Cardiff, où sera enregistrée l’émission «The Piano».

Vincent Boisot/Le Figaro Magazine

 

 

On 12/29/2023 at 9:06 AM, NaoMika said:

Very interesting interview to two of them, MIKA and Lang Lang. 

 

Le Figaro Magazine

29/12/2023

 

Mika/Lang Lang artistes associés; Réunis à Cardiff à l’occasion d’une émission de la télévision britannique, le chanteur pop et le pianiste classique ont accepté de se lancer dans un dialogue inédit, en exclusivité pour « Le Figaro Magazine », sur leur enfance, leur formation, leur rapport au public… et les raisons de leur admiration mutuelle. 

 

En une saison, « The Piano » s'est imposée comme une émission phare de Channel 4, la quatrième chaîne de télévision de la BBC. Le concept est connu : un télé-crochet pour jeunes talents avec un jury composé de vedettes. Ici, le pianiste Lang Lang face à la pop star Mika. La ­nouveauté tient au fait que les candidats jouent sur les pianos mis à la disposition des usagers des gares et non sur un plateau de télévision. C'est ainsi que les caméras de la chaîne ont débarqué dans les gares de Cardiff, Manchester, Victoria Station à Londres, Liverpool et Édimbourg pour filmer les prestations des prétendants. Avec, en mémoire, la bouleversante lauréate de l'année dernière, Lucie. Talentueuse, aveugle, atteinte d'une ­maladie génétique, Lucie connaissait toutes les musiques et les avait apprises à l'oreille ou en touchant les doigts de son professeur…

 

UNE éMISSION POUR LES VRAIS AMATEURS

 

Aux candidats, l'émission ne pose qu'une condition : être de véritables amateurs. Autant dire n'avoir jamais reçu de rémunération pour jouer du piano. Le choix de la musique comme celui du genre est libre : classique, jazz ou variété. On peut aussi chanter en s'accompagnant au piano, ou même jouer ses propres compositions. Au terme du processus de sélection, cinq candidats - un par gare — se présentent pour la finale.

 

Nous nous sommes rendus à Cardiff pour assister à l'un de ces enregistrements. Un piano droit Steinway, partenaire de l'émission, trône au milieu de la salle des pas perdus. En toute discrétion, les jurés Lang Lang et Mika s'installent dans une salle ordinairement réservée aux techniciens pour commenter, devant les caméras, les prestations des musiciens. « Nous ne sommes pas là pour faire des stars », prévient tout de suite Mika. « Cela doit rester très humain », ajoute Lang Lang. De fait, si le stress des candidats est palpable, l'ambiance générale reste très bon enfant. L'animatrice Claudia Winkleman les accueille, leur pose quelques questions puis les invite à s'installer au piano pour qu'ils interprètent leur partition. La première candidate est une femme d'âge mûr, dans la vie conductrice de bus à impériale. Elle est venue accompagnée d'un chœur amateur d'hommes à la ­retraite. Dans cette belle salle construite en 1850, leur musique crée une atmosphère particulière. On se croirait lors de la grève des mineurs au temps de l'inflexible ­Margaret Thatcher. Le moment est si fort que Mika et Lang Lang viennent féliciter la pianiste et ses amis. L'émotion submerge la troupe de musiciens amateurs, qui proposent aux deux stars d'interpréter l'air national gallois. Le mari de la pianiste, qui s'était tenu à l'écart, a les larmes aux yeux. On est très loin de l'ambiance de « The Voice ».

 

Être dans l'ADN de la musique

 

Mika nous a d'emblée prévenus : « Vous êtes les premiers journalistes à entrer dans la délicate bulle de cette émission. Ici, on est dans le cœur de la musique, avec de vrais amateurs. Même si les interprétations ne sont pas toujours ­excellentes, elles sont authentiques et transmettent beaucoup d'émotions. On est dans l'ADN de la musique. Ce n'est pas Carnegie Hall ou Salle Pleyel, c'est une gare avec des gens ordinaires. Les moments peuvent être magiques. »

 

Après un après-midi d'enregistrement, nous avons proposé à Mika et Lang Lang d'écouter chacun un morceau interprété par l'autre, pour guetter leur réaction. On commence par un Nocturne de Chopin, joué par Lang Lang il y a vingt ans. Le concertiste le reconnaît aussitôt. Mika, par humilité devant Lang Lang, et le voyant totalement absorbé par la musique, n'ose pas commenter. Il finira simplement par dire que cet extrait le ramène « aux années où [il] faisai[t] du classique ». Et de poursuivre : « J'ai écouté Lang Lang des années avant que nous nous rencontrions. »

 

Ces deux-là ont fait connaissance par le biais de Rich ­McKerrow et Ted Hill, les producteurs britanniques à qui l'on doit la brillante idée de les réunir pour une émission de télévision. « Ça a été très compliqué car nous étions tous les deux en tournée, courant d'un train, d'un avion à une salle de concert. Nous en savions peu sur ce projet, si ce n'est qu'il s'agirait de gens de la vraie vie, de pianos dans des gares, avec la garantie que nous pourrions parler sans aucune censure », raconte Mika. « Ce qui nous a plu, ajoute Lang Lang, c'était la simplicité de la formule. Et puis, il y avait, en plus, la ­rencontre de deux mondes très différents… »

 

Tous deux élevés à la musique classique

 

Petit à petit, Mika se montre plus volubile sur son rapport à la musique classique : « Quand j'écoute Chopin ou Rachmaninov, je suis dans un univers familier, mais cela m'oblige au plus grand des respects, car j'ai très tôt compris que je ne serais jamais assez bon pour inter­préter ces compositeurs. Cela ne m'empêche pas pour autant d'en comprendre toutes les nuances, d'écouter les notes, d'écouter ce qu'il y a entre les notes. » Et de nous raconter ses premiers essais au piano lorsqu'il était ­enfant. Des leçons particulières avec Alexander ­Ardakov, très bon interprète russe de Chopin. Mais le professeur, découragé par les difficultés techniques du bambin, finit par le confier à sa femme. Et celle-ci, à son tour, finit par expliquer au jeune Mika qu'il « ferait mieux de chanter » ! Six mois plus tard, Mika chante, et avec passion, tant la musique est devenue le refuge de son enfance difficile. « La musique était mon recours. Alors, évidemment, ce Nocturne de Chopin me rappelle les moments pas évidents de l'enfance. » Lorsque, par exemple, un instituteur dont il est la tête de turc l'oblige à rester assis sans bouger, sans même pouvoir aller aux toilettes. « Le chaos que vous ressentez en vous à ce ­moment-là, c'est la musique qui m'a permis de le surmonter. » Elle lui donne même un sens au monde, à la vie. Car « quelqu'un qui joue au piano crée son propre univers, son propre monde, confirme Lang Lang. On se raconte une histoire de la vie avec des nuances, des contrastes, des contradictions. C'est une conversation avec soi-même à la fois philosophique et psychologique. »

 

Puis, c'est au tour de Lang Lang d'écouter la chanson Take it Easy de Mika, un de ses nombreux tubes. ­D'emblée, le concertiste lui pose des questions tech­niques sur le son très particulier du piano et de la guitare.

 

« J'ai découvert qu'il existait d'autres musiques que le classique quand j'avais 7 ou 8 ans. C'était avec Michael Jackson et des artistes pop chinois. Ce fut un choc, mais cela ne m'a pas incité à changer de genre. Ma seule inquiétude était le fait d'avoir ou non du succès, et quand. Je m'entraînais tout le temps. Je ne faisais que ça. »

 

Malgré des personnalités et des abords très dissem­blables, Mika et Lang Lang ont noué une véritable complicité, donnant à leur duo un charme irrésistible.

 

« Je me souviens d'avoir écouté Mika seul au piano devant le Duomo de Milan. Je dois avouer que j'ai pleuré !

 

- Je joue pourtant au piano d'une manière très simple ! s'étonne Mika.

 

- Mais c'est ce qui me plaît ! » lui répond Lang Lang, qui se souvient aussi avoir été impressionné par la voix de son complice lorsqu'il avait chanté avec le contre-ténor Jakub Józef Orlinski, accompagné par l'orchestre ­baroque de l'Opéra royal de Versailles.

 

Si les deux artistes ont en commun une enfance difficile, leurs phénoménaux succès respectifs les ont-ils consolés de ces années qu'on ne souhaiterait à aucun enfant ?

 

« Nous en avons parlé tous les deux. Est-ce que je peux le dire ? demande Mika à Lang Lang. Oui, nous nous ­sommes en effet posé la question de l'incidence de ces ­années sur nos vies actuelles. » « C'est vrai qu'on a un peu vécu la même chose », ajoute Lang Lang. « Est-ce pour autant une revanche ? interroge Mika, avant de poursuivre : Nous sommes, en tant qu'artistes, nés de ces difficultés. »

 

Si les parents de Mika ne poussaient pas la carrière de leur fils, il en fut autrement du père de Lang Lang, qui nourrissait des ambitions très personnelles à travers son rejeton. Était-ce trop pesant ? « Difficile à dire quand les parents vous poussent à essayer de trouver votre chemin, et le langage qui vous permettra de vous exprimer, nous ­répond Lang Lang. Mon père a su découvrir très tôt mon talent. La mémoire oublie les moments les plus cruels, car j'ai très vite adoré donner des concerts. » Et Mika de souligner : « Quand vous êtes sur scène, vous devez laisser votre liberté prendre le dessus. Tout ceci fait partie de votre être, et nous faisons preuve d'une incroyable résilience. Rien n'est moins créatif que la colère de la revanche. La musique et la poésie, au contraire, nous permettent cette résilience. » « Même si c'est un mécanisme un peu complexe, car cer­taines choses reviennent en mémoire quand vous jouez des pièces sur lesquelles vous vous êtes acharné enfant, comme certaines sonates de Beethoven, intervient Lang Lang. La musique agit comme un flash-back : vous vous entendez les jouer comme des années auparavant et vous vous rappelez ­immédiatement ce que vous ressentiez alors. »

 

Mika est à l'abri de ces dangereux souvenirs. Il ne joue que son propre répertoire, quand Lang Lang interprète celui des grands compositeurs. Les voilà à évoquer Jean-Sébastien Bach, « si compliqué mathématiquement et ­spirituellement. Combien de temps as-tu attendu pour ­enregistrer les Variations Goldberg que tu jouais en concert depuis si longtemps ? demande Mika.

 

- Vingt-huit ans, répond Lang Lang, en souriant, qui ­insiste sur le fait que le meilleur interprète de cette partition reste Glenn Gould, qui a tellement fait évoluer ­l'interprétation au fil des années.

 

- Moi aussi, j'aimerais changer les interprétations de mes chansons, mais ce n'est pas facile, avoue Mika. Les attentes du public sont phénoménales. Il aime réentendre encore et toujours les mêmes choses, comme pour se rassurer. Les gens payent un billet pour vivre une expérience. Ils ont ­besoin de reconnaître les tubes qu'ils ont aimés afin de se ­retrouver. Pourtant, refaire une chanson avec orchestre, c'est très jouissif. Même si elle est ainsi totalement différente. »

 

Sans doute est-ce pour cette raison qu'il a donné ce concert baroque à Versailles, dont il garde un souvenir enjolivé par la présence de sa mère, qui était venue alors qu'elle était au plus mal.

 

LA MUSIQUE DONNE UN MEILLEUR VISAGE AU MONDE

 

Si Mika a commencé à monter sur scène dès ses dix ans, « moyennant de petits cachets qu'[il] donnai[t] à [s]a mère », Lang Lang était, au même âge, une bête de concours avec obligation paternelle de les gagner. De cette période, ils ont hérité d'une véritable empathie pour les enfants. « Je me sens bien quand je suis avec eux, dit très calmement le concertiste. Nous avons des discussions très honnêtes, très vraies, et c'est chaque fois une grande expérience humaine. Ma chance est d'être citoyen du monde grâce à la musique. Je veux que d'autres en profitent. »

 

« La musique donne aux jeunes un meilleur visage du monde, ajoute Mika qui, au Liban, a connu la guerre. Elle peut changer la vie des enfants comme elle a changé la nôtre. Elle renforce la communauté humaine. Une communauté musicale est transsociale. Elle oblige à la réciprocité. Et cela donne des fondations aux hommes de demain. » 

 

FRANÇOIS DELÉTRAZ

 

Mika : son album Que ta tête fleurisse toujours (Island) vient de sortir. Il sera en tournée à partir du 26 février à Clermont-Ferrand, puis pour 20 dates dont l'Accor Arena, à Paris, le 25 mars.

 

Lang Lang : son nouvel album consacré à Saint-Saëns (Deutsche Grammophon) sortira en mars prochain. Il sera en tournée au printemps : à Bordeaux le 25 mai, à Lyon le 9 juin, à la Philharmonie de Paris les 12 et 14 juin.

 

(Google Translation)

 

Mika/Lang Lang associated artists; Gathered in Cardiff on the occasion of a British television program, the pop singer and the classical pianist agreed to engage in a new dialogue, exclusively for "Le Figaro Magazine", on their childhood, their training, their relationship with the public… and the reasons for their mutual admiration. 

 

In one season, “The Piano” established itself as a flagship program on Channel 4, the BBC’s fourth television channel. The concept is known: a talent show for young talents with a jury made up of stars. Here, the pianist Lang Lang faces the pop star Mika. The novelty lies in the fact that the candidates play on the pianos made available to station users and not on a television set. This is how the channel's cameras arrived at the stations of Cardiff, Manchester, Victoria Station in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh to film the performances of the suitors. With, in memory, last year's moving winner, Lucie. Talented, blind, suffering from a genetic disease, Lucie knew all the music and had learned it by ear or by touching her teacher's fingers...

 

A SHOW FOR REAL FANS

 

The show only has one condition for the candidates: to be true amateurs. Suffice it to say that I have never received remuneration for playing the piano. The choice of music and genre is free: classical, jazz or variety. You can also sing while accompanying yourself on the piano, or even play your own compositions. At the end of the selection process, five candidates - one per station - appear for the final.

 

We traveled to Cardiff to attend one of these recordings. A Steinway upright piano, partner of the show, sits in the middle of the Salle des Pas Perdus. In complete discretion, the jurors Lang Lang and Mika sit in a room usually reserved for technicians to comment, in front of the cameras, on the musicians' performances. “We are not here to make stars,” Mika immediately warns. “It must remain very human,” adds Lang Lang. In fact, if the stress of the candidates is palpable, the general atmosphere remains very good-natured. Host Claudia Winkleman welcomes them, asks them a few questions then invites them to sit at the piano so that they can perform their score. The first candidate is a middle-aged woman, in life a double-decker bus driver. She came accompanied by an amateur choir of retired men. In this beautiful hall built in 1850, their music creates a special atmosphere. It feels like the miners' strike at the time of the inflexible Margaret Thatcher. The moment is so strong that Mika and Lang Lang come to congratulate the pianist and her friends. Emotion overwhelms the troop of amateur musicians, who ask the two stars to perform the Welsh national tune. The pianist's husband, who had stood aside, had tears in his eyes. We are very far from the atmosphere of “The Voice”.

 

Being in the DNA of music

 

Mika immediately warned us: “You are the first journalists to enter the delicate bubble of this show. Here, we are in the heart of music, with real fans. Even if the performances are not always excellent, they are authentic and convey a lot of emotion. We are in the DNA of music. It's not Carnegie Hall or Salle Pleyel, it's a train station with ordinary people. Moments can be magical. »

After an afternoon of recording, we asked Mika and Lang Lang to each listen to a piece performed by the other, to see their reaction. We begin with a Nocturne by Chopin, played by Lang Lang twenty years ago. The concert performer recognizes him immediately. Mika, out of humility in front of Lang Lang, and seeing him totally absorbed by the music, does not dare to comment. He will simply end up saying that this extract takes him back “to the years when [he] was doing classical.” And continues: “I listened to Lang Lang years before we met. »

 

These two got to know each other through Rich McKerrow and Ted Hill, the British producers who had the brilliant idea of bringing them together for a television show. “It was very complicated because we were both on tour, running from a train, from a plane to a concert hall. We knew little about this project, except that it would be about real-life people, pianos in train stations, with the guarantee that we could speak without any censorship,” says Mika. “What we liked,” adds Lang Lang, “was the simplicity of the formula. And then, there was, in addition, the meeting of two very different worlds…”

 

Both raised on classical music

 

Little by little, Mika becomes more talkative about his relationship to classical music: “When I listen to Chopin or Rachmaninov, I am in a familiar universe, but that requires me to have the greatest respect, because I very early understood that I would never be good enough to interpret these composers. That doesn't stop me from understanding all the nuances, from listening to the notes, from listening to what's between the notes. » And to tell us about his first attempts at the piano when he was a child. Private lessons with Alexander Ardakov, a very good Russian interpreter of Chopin. But the teacher, discouraged by the toddler's technical difficulties, ends up entrusting him to his wife. And she, in turn, ends up explaining to young Mika that he “had better sing”! Six months later, Mika sings, and with passion, as music has become the refuge of her difficult childhood. “Music was my recourse. So, obviously, this Nocturne by Chopin reminds me of the difficult moments of childhood. » When, for example, a teacher of whom he is the head of Turk forces him to remain seated without moving, without even being able to go to the toilet. “The chaos you feel inside at that moment, it was music that allowed me to overcome it. » It even gives him a meaning to the world, to life. Because “someone who plays the piano creates his own universe, his own world,” confirms Lang Lang. We tell ourselves a life story with nuances, contrasts, contradictions. It is a conversation with oneself that is both philosophical and psychological. »

 

Then, it's Lang Lang's turn to listen to the song Take it Easy by Mika, one of his many hits. From the outset, the concert artist asks him technical questions about the very particular sound of the piano and the guitar.

 

“I discovered that there was other music than classical when I was 7 or 8 years old. It was with Michael Jackson and Chinese pop artists. It was a shock, but it didn't make me change my genre. My only worry was whether or not I would be successful, and when. I trained all the time. That's all I did. »

 

Despite very dissimilar personalities and approaches, Mika and Lang Lang have formed a real bond, giving their duo an irresistible charm.

 

“I remember listening to Mika alone on the piano in front of the Duomo in Milan. I must admit that I cried!

 

- However, I play the piano in a very simple way! Mika is surprised.

 

- But that’s what I like! » replies Lang Lang, who also remembers being impressed by the voice of his accomplice when he sang with the countertenor Jakub Józef Orlinski, accompanied by the baroque orchestra of the Royal Opera of Versailles.

 

If the two artists share a difficult childhood, have their respective phenomenal successes consoled them for these years that we would not wish on any child?

 

“We both talked about it. Can I say it? Mika asks Lang Lang. Yes, we have indeed asked ourselves the question of the impact of these years on our current lives. » “It’s true that we experienced a bit of the same thing,” adds Lang Lang. “Is this really revenge? asks Mika, before continuing: We are, as artists, born from these difficulties. »

 

If Mika's parents did not encourage their son's career, it was different for Lang Lang's father, who harbored very personal ambitions through his offspring. Was it too heavy? “Difficult to say when parents push you to try to find your way, and the language that will allow you to express yourself,” Lang Lang answers us. My father discovered my talent very early on. Memory forgets the cruelest moments, because I very quickly loved giving concerts. » And Mika emphasizes: “When you are on stage, you have to let your freedom take over. It's all part of who you are, and we have incredible resilience. Nothing is less creative than the anger of revenge. Music and poetry, on the contrary, allow us this resilience. » “Even if it's a slightly complex mechanism, because certain things come back to memory when you play pieces that you worked hard on as a child, like certain Beethoven sonatas,” Lang Lang intervenes. The music acts like a flashback: you hear yourself playing them like years ago and you immediately remember how you felt then. »

 

Mika is safe from these dangerous memories. He only plays his own repertoire, while Lang Lang performs that of the great composers. Here they are, evoking Johann Sebastian Bach, “so complicated mathematically and spiritually. How long did you wait to record the Goldberg Variations that you had been playing live for so long? Mika asks.

- Twenty-eight years, replies Lang Lang, smiling, who insists on the fact that the best interpreter of this score remains Glenn Gould, who has made the interpretation evolve so much over the years.

 

- I too would like to change the interpretations of my songs, but it's not easy, admits Mika. Public expectations are phenomenal. He likes to hear the same things over and over again, as if to reassure himself. People pay for a ticket to have an experience. They need to recognize the hits they liked in order to find themselves. However, redoing a song with an orchestra is very enjoyable. Even if it is totally different. »

 

No doubt this is why he gave this baroque concert at Versailles, a memory of which he keeps embellished by the presence of his mother, who came when she was at her worst.

 

MUSIC GIVES A BETTER FACE TO THE WORLD

 

If Mika began to go on stage at the age of ten, “for small fees that [he] gave to [his] mother”, Lang Lang was, at the same age, a competition beast with paternal obligation to win them. From this period, they inherited a true empathy for children. “I feel good when I’m with them,” said the concert artist very calmly. We have very honest, very real discussions, and each time it is a great human experience. My chance is to be a citizen of the world thanks to music. I want others to benefit from it. »

 

“Music gives young people a better view of the world,” adds Mika who, in Lebanon, experienced war. It can change children's lives as it changed ours. It strengthens the human community. A musical community is transsocial. It requires reciprocity. And this provides foundations for the men of tomorrow. » 

 

FRANCIS DELETRAZ

 

Mika: her album That your head always blooms (Island) has just been released. He will be on tour from February 26 in Clermont-Ferrand, then for 20 dates including the Accor Arena, in Paris, on March 25.

 

Lang Lang: his new album dedicated to Saint-Saëns (Deutsche Grammophon) will be released next March. He will be on tour in the spring: in Bordeaux on May 25, in Lyon on June 9, at the Philharmonie de Paris on June 12 and 14.

 

 

[Kumazzz]

 

https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/the-piano/

The Piano – The Final Concert

 

21 Apr 2024 6:00 PM

The Hall, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ

 

Tickets

https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/the-piano/book-ticket/

Standard tickets £25, £15 & £10
Affordable tickets (for U16s & O65s) £12.50, £7.50, £5

 

Suitable for ages 6+. Under 18s to be accompanied by an adult aged 18+.
Running time: 90 minutes. Pre-event entertainment from 4pm.

 

Claudia Winkleman welcomes the most gifted amateur pianists from across the UK to Aviva Studios’ stage for the final of The Piano

 

The final concert of the hit Channel 4 TV series The Piano is coming to Aviva Studios in Manchester. A unique one night only celebration of the nation’s favourite instrument, hosted by Claudia Winkleman and curated by the greatest living classical pianist, Lang Lang, and pop global superstar Mika. 

 

Lang Lang and Mika will perform alongside an extraordinary group of amateur pianists, taking them from street pianos in train stations around the UK to the biggest performance of their lives on the Aviva Studios stage.  

 

This event will be filmed for television transmission. By purchasing a ticket, you agree that you will keep all details of this performance confidential and consent to inclusion in the programme. Money raised from tickets sales will go towards the placing and maintaining of street pianos in train stations up and down the country. 

 

Join us for pre-show entertainment Legacy Street Pianos from 4pm.

Image: Nic Serpell-Rand/Love Productions

Tickets

Factory International members on sale: Wednesday 31 January, 10am

General on sale: Friday 2 February, 10am

For ticketing and box office related enquiries, please contact tickets@factoryinternational.org or call 0333 322 8679 (phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 10am to 8pm and Saturday from 10am to 6pm).

For more information please visit Ticketing and Sale of Goods Terms & Conditions – Factory International

Good to know

This event will be filmed for television transmission. By purchasing a ticket, you agree that you will keep all details of this performance confidential and consent to inclusion in the programme.

To keep you safe when visiting Aviva Studios, security checks and bag checks by our Visitor Safety team will be in operation on entry to the gig. Please keep personal belongings to a minimum – bags above the size of an A4 sheet of paper will not be allowed.