A hot question buzzing on the Internet in China this week is this:
Did the Chinese-born pianist Lang Lang mean to send a pointed message
with the song he played at the state dinner at the White House last
Wednesday.

(Soundbite of song, "My Motherland")

BLOCK: The song is called "My Motherland." It was written for a Chinese movie about the Korean War from 1956.

(Soundbite of song, "My Motherland")

(Soundbite of film, "Battle on Shangganling Mountain")

(Soundbite of music)

Unidentified Woman: (Singing in foreign language)

BLOCK: The film portrays the war as a triumph over U.S. imperialism
and has been used as anti-American propaganda. But I when I reached Lang
Lang today, he said he had no idea about any of that.

Mr. LANG LANG (Pianist): The truth is, I only know this piece because
it's a beautiful melody. And, actually, I played many times as encore
before because it's, artistically, it's a beautiful piece. I never
thought about, you know, and I never knew about anything about, you
know, the background.

BLOCK: Well, some people, as you know, on blogs in China, are seizing
on this, saying that it was a moment for a world famous pianist to sort
of drop a note of nationalism, of Chinese nationalism into the States
here.

Mr. LANG LANG: You know, that's the last thing I want to do because,
first of all, you know, I grew up as a teenager in America. I mean, I
studied at Curtis. And I feel both China and America is my home. And,
you know, I have a really wonderful emotions towards American people.
And I have a lot of my great friends, my teachers, are all from here.

So for me, you know, to be invited to play at White House is a great
honor. And especially, you know, to play for president of my homeland
and also the country which I live, which is America. So, I only wanted
to bring the best, you know, of the music melodies. And that's it, you
know. I am absolutely say it from bottom of my heart that, you know, I
think music, it's a bridge between our cultures.

BLOCK: The song that you played, in the movie, in the "Battle on
Shangganling Mountain," which came out in 1956, it is a very
nationalistic song and it...

Mr. LANG LANG: You know, I never know about that movie. I just
learned it afterward. It's like, 1956. This is when my mother was two
years old. I mean, this is 55 years ago. And when I grew up, I only hear
this as a beautiful melody. That's it. And this piece is very popular
as a traditional Chinese song.

BLOCK: I've been told that this song is a favorite at karaoke bars.

Mr. LANG LANG: Yeah. I mean, it's just, you know, it's a song that,
like, everyone in the Chinese world knows about the melody. You know, I
mean, that's the truth. I mean, I choose it because its beautiful
melody. I have this connection through the melody. It's a really
beautiful melody.

BLOCK: Well, Lang Lang, what were your - how did you react when you
heard that in China, on the Web, people were adding meaning to this
choice thinking you were sort of thumbing your nose at the United States
in some way? What did you think?

Mr. LANG LANG: I feel very sad. You know, I very sad. And, you know,
and I must say, disappointing. Because, you know, as a person, what I'm
trying to do, and what my missions are, you know, making music. And, you
know, I'm very honored that people inviting me to play in those great
events and to connect us to classical music and to music, to Chinese
music and to American music, to, you know, to world music. And once, you
know, people use it as a political issue, that makes me really sad
because I am a musician. I'm not a politician.

BLOCK: Well, Lang Lang, it's good to talk to you. Thanks very much.

Mr. LANG LANG: OK. Bye-bye.

BLOCK: The pianist Lang Lang talking about the song, "My Motherland,"
which he played at the state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao at
the White House last Wednesday.

下载