The Disney Book features star guests including Andrea Bocelli performing ‘You’ll Be in My Heart’ from Tarzan; singer-songwriter and pianist Jon Batiste with ‘It’s All Right’ from his Oscar-winning Soul score; Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastián Yatra with ‘Dos Oruguitas from Encanto as well as guitarist Miloš, Chinese erhu player Guo Gan, Lang Lang’s wife Gina Alice, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Ziegler. Animation sparked my imagination and transported me to other worlds,” Lang Lang explains in regard to his love for Disney films. “The music was a big part of this experience – and led to my life-long love of classical music. Some of the world’s top arrangers, including Sir Stephen Hough, Natalie Tenenbaum and Randy Kerber, created new solo piano and orchestral versions of Disney’s iconic melodies, evoking the soundscapes of Debussy and Chopin, as well as the virtuosity of Liszt and Horowitz. Lang Lang noted, “These new versions are tailor-made for me. I wanted something really artistic and pianistic.”

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The Disney Book is a continuation of Lang Lang’s commitment to music education. Similar to his hugely successful 2019 album Piano Book, a collection of Lang Lang’s favourite pieces as a child which he hoped would motivate young musicians, The Disney Book aims to inspire people of all ages to explore classical music. The recording is a magical gift for all generations and is especially significant for Lang Lang as he recently became a father. He said, “Our son is a year and a half and he loves Disney.” The Disney Book features star guests including Andrea Bocelli, Jon Batiste, Sebastián Yatra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Ziegler. Animated characters, he adds, are not constrained by national boundaries or narrow cultural conventions. Above all, they satisfy every child’s need for fantasy. “Animation is this magical thing to kids. If you’re teaching and tell them about a real person, I think that’s less effective than using animation. It’s like a magnet that takes them into a magical world, which is real but also a fantasy. This is what kids love the most.” Acclaimed pianist Lang Lang launches his new album The Disney Book, filming the music video for his new single ‘Feed the Birds’ at sunrise in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park in California. In addition to the sparkling solo piano music are colourful orchestral works and a host of celebrity guest artists, such as Lang Lang’s wife Gina Alice, who sings ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ (“It’s so beautiful, I really felt like a wish is being granted when I hear it,” says Lang Lang). There are also appearances from singer Andrea Bocelli (‘You’ll Be In My Heart’ from Tarzan, 1999), pianist Jon Batiste (‘It’s All Right’ from Soul, 2020) and guitarist Miloš, who performs ‘Remember Me’ the lullaby from 2017’s Coco. Lang Lang’s new album The Disney Book – which has been released to mark The Walt Disney Company’s centenary – was recorded over multiple sessions in New York, Shanghai, Paris and London, where the pianist joined the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ziegler. “The whole thing was a learning experience for everyone, including me,” reflects Lang Lang. “The orchestra was wonderful – the colours are so strong. We knew that these songs are so important to Disney fans and we wanted to do them justice.”

The inspiration for this album came from Lang Lang’s own personal journey and history with Disney films. Lang Lang shares, “Animation sparked my imagination and transported me to other worlds. The music was a big part of this experience – and led to my life-long love of classical music. There is such a variety of styles in Disney songs; truly, something to inspire everyone. I hope that people of all ages will enjoy this recording and experience the joy that we all felt the first time we saw a Disney film .” The Disney Book’ features joyous new versions of songs from“Pinocchio”and“The Jungle Book”to“Frozen”and“Encanto,” along with several collaborators from across the globe.Andrea Bocelliprovides vocals for “You’ll Be in My Heart” from“Tarzan;” singer-songwriter and pianistJon Batisterevisits his Oscar®-winning“Soul” score with “It’s All Right;” and Colombian singer/songwriterSebastián Yatraperforms the Oscar-nominated song “Dos Oruguitas” from“Encanto.” There are also guest appearances from guitaristMiloš, Chinese erhu playerGuo Gan, and Lang Lang’s wifeGina Alice, plus theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestraand conductorRobert Ziegler. For about a decade Lang Lang has contributed to musical education worldwide. In 2008 he founded the Lang Lang International Music Foundation aimed at cultivating tomorrow’s top pianists, championing music education at the forefront of technology, and building a young audience through live music experiences. In 2013 Lang Lang was designated by the Secretary General of the United Nations as a Messenger of Peace focusing on global education. Celebrating 100 years of Disney, Lang Lang’s new album features iconic melodies from Pinocchio to Encanto, all reimagined for the piano. Collaborators on the album include the operatic tenor, Andrea Bocelli, singer-songwriter and pianist Jon Batiste, and Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastián Yatra.

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Music helps you to experience other worlds,” says Lang Lang, “there is such wonderful variety in Disney songs there is something to inspire everyone. This is my heartfelt gift to all generations everywhere.”Lang Lang’s new album The Disney Book, released on 16 September 2022, traces the history of music in Disney films from the 1920s to the present day. This enchanting musical journey features new versions of songs from Pinocchio and The Jungle Book to Frozen and Aladdin, reimagined for solo piano or piano and full orchestra especially for him by some of the world’s top arrangers. Lang Lang explained, “These new versions were virtually composed into my fingers …I wanted something really artistic and pianistic.” The combination of Lang Lang and Disney demanded and received extravagant musical arrangements. The pianist recalls learning from the experience of making his New York Rhapsody album, in which he often played second fiddle to the recording’s raft of vocalists. “This taught me a huge lesson,” he observes. “Sometimes you make mistakes, especially in a new area which you’ve never explored before. But for The Disney Book, I said to my team, ‘We need to find the best transcribers.’ People like Stephen Hough, Thomas Lauderdale, Natalie Tenenbaum from the Juilliard School of Music, David Hamilton—the best musicians who can make the most amazing arrangements. We built up this army of incredible piano transcribers and then worked really hard to make sure that this album was not going to be like ballroom music.” The album’s first single releasing today is a song beloved by fans and heralded as Walt Disney’s favorite song from“Mary Poppins:” ‘Feed the Birds.’Captured as dawn broke over the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Disneyland Park, the music video captures the magic of Lang Lang’s album and of Walt Disney’s legacy. Watch the magic of that morning unfold and enjoy this beautiful new arrangement of ‘Feed the Birds!’ Justin on World Premiere Release of Ernest Gold’s ‘Tom Horn’&‘Gore Vidal’s Lincoln’ Scores Announced

‘The Disney Book’ Album from Lang Lang launches with Stunning

Similar to his hugely successful 2019 album Piano Book, a collection of Lang Lang’s favourite pieces as a child which he hoped would motivate young musicians, The Disney Book aims to inspire people of all ages to explore classical music.If I had to choose one Disney melody,” says Lang Lang, “it would have to be ‘When You Wish Upon a Star.’ That’s so symbolic. I originally asked Pharrell Williams to sing this. He freaked out! He’s like, ‘You can ask me to do something else. But this song, I’m afraid to sing it. Everybody knows the melody—it’s really hard to sing.’ It seemed like nobody wanted to do it. So, I asked Gina, ‘What do you think?’ She said, ‘Look, I’m a pianist, not a real singer. Let’s do it.’ And she sings it beautifully!” In celebration of 100 years of The Walt Disney Company, internationally acclaimed pianist Lang Lang is releasing brand new arrangements of iconic Disney melodies in his upcoming album, ‘The Disney Book.’ This new collection of songs will transport listeners through a musical journey of some of their favorite Disney songs, reimagined in new versions written especially for Lang Lang by leading arrangers from across the globe. We had a really big success with Piano Book, which reached a lot of people who were new to classical music after it was released in 2019,” Lang recalls. “So, we began thinking, ‘What can we do to help them take the next step?’ Of course, we could have done a Piano Book Two, but that was not going to make a tremendous difference. Then we began thinking about animation because it had played the biggest part of my life as a kid.” The Disney Book traces the history of music in Disney films from the 1920s to the present day and includes new versions of songs from Pinocchio and The Jungle Book to Frozen and Encanto. Lang Lang explained, “Animation sparked my imagination and transported me to other worlds. The music was a big part of this experience – and led to my life-long love of classical music. There is such a variety of styles in Disney songs; truly, something to inspire everyone. I hope that people of all ages will enjoy this recording and experience the joy that we all felt the first time we saw a Disney film.” Watch Lang Lang’s video for ‘Feed the Birds’ If I had to choose one Disney melody,” says Lang Lang, “it would have to be ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’. That’s so symbolic. I originally asked Pharrell Williams to sing this. He freaked out! He’s like, ‘You can ask me to do something else. But this song, I’m afraid to sing it. Everybody knows the melody—it’s really hard to sing.’ It seemed like nobody wanted to do it. So, I asked Gina, ‘What do you think?’ She said, ‘Look, I’m a pianist, not a real singer. Let’s do it.’ And she sings it beautifully!”