Track by Track: Lang Lang on Piano Book Highlights

Track by Track is a dynamic way for an artist to guide you through one of their albums. Exclusive audio commentary features personal insights and invaluable context, bringing you closer than ever to the music. Lang Lang, arguably the most famous pianist in the world, has devoted much of his career to inspiring the next generation of pianists through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, his Piano Academy series of music tutorials, and the two volumes of his Piano Book, released in 2019 and 2025. The original Piano Book, an album of piano pieces, all performed by the pianist himself, was designed to inspire beginners in their quest to discover exciting repertoire. 2025’s Piano Book 2 built on its success, with pieces designed to take students to the next level. “With the first Piano Book, I wanted to encourage beginners and show that even the simplest pieces can have beauty,” Lang Lang tells Apple Music Classical. “This time, I wanted to take a step further with pieces that are still accessible, but that challenge young pianists to grow. It’s about the next stage of discovery, when you start to realize how much color and character you can bring out of the piano.” Now we have Piano Book Highlights, released in February 2026, combining the very best tracks from both albums. Here, in this exclusive Track by Track, Lang Lang takes us through each piece in Chinese, giving us unparalleled access to his thoughts on the music in this special compilation album and his expert advice on how each musical gem should be played.