The popularity of pianist Lang Lang is a phenomenon. He is the most powerful draw in classical music, with irresistible stage presence and stunning technical prowess. And while many classical music devotees have strong reservations about his interpretations, there is no doubt he attracts many people who are otherwise diffident about attending concerts.

Most often heard performing concerti with orchestras, the young Chinese pianist might be most effective when he's alone onstage in recital, such as the one he played Tuesday night at Heinz Hall, Downtown.

Lang Lang's interpretations are highly individualized. He revels in the opportunity to conjure dreamy moods, even when doing so requires wider latitude in pacing within a movement than anyone else dares. To so dwell in the moment risks losing the expressive power of structure. When playing with an orchestra, his performances can feel overly sectionalized.

His first Pittsburgh recital began with Franz Schubert's lengthy Piano Sonata in A major, one of this composer's many amazing compositions that were completed shortly before his death at 31.

The drama of the bold opening of the sonata was underplayed in comparison with German and Viennese pianists. Schubert was profoundly influenced by Ludwig van Beethoven, but there was none of that in Lang Lang's approach. Apart from variety of articulation, this was soft-edged Schubert. It was episodic, a series of appealing moments. The second movement, at a good Andantino tempo, was more successful, but the Scherzo was too fast for the music's character to blossom.

Throughout the concert, Lang Lang created some of the most beautifully sculpted sounds yet heard from the Heinz Hall Steinway grand piano on which he played. The precision and variety of his touch is remarkable, capable of creating layers of sound at different volumes, or perfectly balancing single notes that are octaves apart.

Rhythmic excitement more than beauty carried his performance of Bela Bartok's Piano Sonata. The piano keys popped as he raced through the outer movements, yet for all the force there never was any ugliness of sound.

Seven of Claude Debussy Preludes provided other expressive opportunities for Lang Lang. The mysterious grandeur of "La cathedrale engloutie" (The Sunken Cathedral), for example, was conjured with well-controlled power and precise tints.

Frederic Chopin's "Heroic" Polonaise in A flat major was the least successful of the recital performances. Excessive speed was the problem, despite the pianist's staggering ability to play torrents of notes at high velocity.

Lang Lang was received rapturously and played one encore. He introduced it saying it was a Chinese piece called "Spring Dance" that he likes to call "Chinese Tango." The arrangement sounded Western rather than Asian, but it provided an exciting conclusion.

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