Chinese pianist Lang Lang. Photo provided to China Daily

Exclusive interview with Lang Lang and Lars Ulrich

Pathfinder pianist

In 2008, Lang was a first-time Grammy nominee and performed with his idol Herbie Hancock. He says performing at the Grammys is very meaningful for him.

"I usually get carried away when I perform onstage. On that night with Metallica, when the fire came up onstage around us, I felt that this is the coolest thing I've ever done," he says.

The 31-year-old pianist remembers the first time he heard Metallica 10 years ago, he was driving to Madrid, Spain, with a friend after one of his concerts.

"Suddenly this heavy metal song came on, and I thought it was really cool. I was overwhelmed," he says. "That is not simply notes and beats. There is a real orchestra behind it."

Metallica, meanwhile, first knew of the pianist in early 2000 when he performed in the US. "He was such an instant phenomenon. He took America by storm," says Ulrich, 51.

"I felt like we've known each other for a lifetime. That was really magical," Ulrich says of their first rehearsal. "You can sit there and imagine the ideas, wondering how things will work out until the five musicians actually gather there and play together. The first rehearsal was just three days before the show, which was dynamic.

"It was just unbelievably effortless. When we actually performed onstage together. It reached peak during the five and a half minutes. We were so focused on what we were doing. We were completely locked in together."

To fit the band's sartorial style, Lang changed from his usual black-and-white Armani suit into a blue suit.

"I asked them what they are going to wear that night and they said 'definitely not tuxedos'," recalls Lang. "Then I thought maybe I should wear a black T-shirt so that we look like one band."

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