The initial burst of hype surrounding the appealing young Chinese pianist
Lang Lang was followed by an equally strong backlash alleging that he was a pure product of panicked major-label marketing. Perhaps with this disc it will be possible to get beyond these rather instinctive reactions. Despite its thematic-sounding title, it's a very mainstream piano recital with its
Mozart curtain-raiser, big
Chopin sonata, and
Schumann Kinderszenen, with the
Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C sharp minor as an encore on an enclosed second disc. (The "Memory" referred to in the title is that of having played these pieces as a child.) The arrangement of the
Liszt is by
Vladimir Horowitz, of whom
Lang Lang seems to be seeking to become a kind of avatar.