jaw-dropping performance

The piano-playing showman Lang Lang gave a jaw-dropping performance as soloist in Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto. The Chinese pianist is the king of gala performances at this time of year, having opened symphonic seasons in Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Nashville just this week, all with different concertos. His performance in Tennessee meant that he arrived in the early morning and had only one rehearsal. It was therefore hardly surprising that the sense of ensemble between orchestra and soloist did not always jell, but the daring pianism on display in this most daunting of concertos was breathtaking.