Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22: III. Presto

The finale of Saint-Saëns's Second Concerto arrives like a tarantella unleashed — a Presto of relentless forward momentum that showcases Lang Lang at his most electrifying. The driving 6/8 pulse propels the music through a series of brilliant exchanges between soloist and orchestra, the piano cascading through rapid scales and arpeggios with a kind of joyful ferocity. Lang Lang's physicality is audible in the recording — the thrust and attack, the sudden pianissimos that create breathtaking dynamic contrasts. The movement has a distinctly Mediterranean fire to it, rhythmically infectious and harmonically bright, the G minor opening concerto resolving into something almost triumphant in its energy. It rewards repeated listening, revealing intricate textural details beneath the surface excitement — a movement that rewards the body as much as the mind.