Changing his tune

Piano prodigy Lang Lang will spend less time touring and more working on charitable and educational projects. Liu Yuhan reports.

Superstar pianist Lang Lang will slow down his tempo this year, decreasing the number of concerts from his usual 150 a year to 120 or even fewer than 100. He hopes to devote more time to helping others achieve the same music dreams he has through charity and education, he tells China Daily. "I'm turning 30 this year and - as a traditional Chinese saying goes - you stand up when you turn 30," Lang says in New York after a concert at the Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, where he played Bartok's Piano Concerto No 2 with Alan Gilbert conducting the New York Philharmonic.

The private multifunction arts complex Lang Lang Music World opened in Guangdong province's Shenzhen city at the beginning of this year. Its stated goal is to cultivate the next generation of musicians through educational programs.