Lang Lang strikes another award-winning chord

Pianist Lang Lang has added another milestone to his distinguished career, receiving the Opus Klassik award for best-selling album of the year for Piano Book 2.

The honor marks his second consecutive win in the category — following last year's recognition for performing Saint-Saens — and brings his total Opus Klassik tally to a record 15, more than any artist in the history of Germany's leading classical music awards.

Presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in classical music, the Opus Klassik awards are widely regarded as one of Germany's highest honors in the field.

Released globally by Deutsche Grammophon in September 2025, Piano Book 2 quickly became one of the year's most commercially successful classical albums. It reached No 1 on Apple Music Classical's Top 100 Albums chart, building on the success of Lang's original Piano Book, released in 2019, which has amassed more than 1.2 billion streams worldwide and introduced millions of listeners to the piano repertoire.

Rather than focusing solely on the traditional canon, Piano Book 2 embraces a broad musical landscape. Across 32 concise works — described by Lang as "miniature masterpieces" — the album places Bach, Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninoff alongside contemporary composers including Ludovico Einaudi and Joe Hisaishi.

It also ventures into film, animation and video game music, featuring arrangements inspired by Amelie, La La Land, Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy X, and the viral internet phenomenon Rush E. The eclectic programming reflects Lang's long-standing ambition to make classical piano repertoire more accessible to audiences beyond the traditional concert hall.

In April, the pianist expanded the project with the release of Piano Book 2 — Classical Encores, a six-track EP featuring celebrated short works by Rachmaninoff, Burgmueller, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Louis-Claude Daquin. The recording further explores the expressive possibilities of miniature piano pieces, a repertoire that has become central to Lang's recent artistic direction.

Away from the recording studio, the pianist continues to appear at major international cultural events. In December 2025, he inaugurated The Pyramids Echo Festival in Egypt with a performance before the ancient pyramids. In February, he participated in the opening ceremony of the Milan Winter Olympic Games.

Alongside his international assignments, Lang's ongoing China tour has underscored his interest in artistic collaboration. At his concert in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, earlier this month, he reunited with singer Karen Mok for a performance of Love of a Lifetime. He also shared the stage with young pianist Zhang Chenghao for a four-hand performance of Rush E and selections from Piano Book 2. The tour continues through July and August with performances in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, Chongqing, Chongli in Hebei province, Hangzhou and Taizhou in Zhejiang, and Shanghai.

More than two decades into his international career, Lang remains one of classical music's most influential ambassadors. His latest Opus Klassik award recognition reflects not only sustained commercial success but also an enduring commitment to expanding the reach of classical music through imaginative programming, cross-cultural collaboration and performances that resonate with audiences well beyond the traditional concert audience.