Album: Lang Lang, The Chopin Album (Sony Music Classical)

The Lang Lang brand is now so pervasive, and the live performances so geared to the gallery, that we only meet the real pianist on CD.

This album reflects his lifelong love for Chopin, and shows how fresh and individual his take can be. He can't match the refined artistry of the younger Daniil Trifonov, but he delivers an exhilarating blend of poetry and power. The accompanying DVD is surprisingly amateurish, but reminds us of the god-given talent he was born with.