Why Lang Lang is missing on The Piano – everything we know
He will be replaced with a fellow acclaimed musician in the new season.
As The Piano returns for a third season on Channel 4 with Claudia Winkleman and Mika, viewers may notice a familiar face is missing.
It’s that time of year again when Britain’s most talented amateur pianist show off their musical genius in the nation’s busiest train stations.
All with the chance of reaching the final and performing to thousands in a concert hall.
As usual, The Traitors star will be back to guide our skilled instrumentalists through the highs and lows of making their dreams come true while Mika will resume dispense wisdom and advice to the contestants in his position as mentor.
After two hugely successful seasons, however, the internationally acclaimed pianist Lang Lang will not be joining the Grace Kelly hitmaker.
So where is Lang Lang and who will be taking over in his absence… read on to find out.
Lang Lang’s final episode aired over Christmas (Picture: Channel 4) Why is Lang Lang not in The Piano season three?In June last year, it was announced that Lang Lang would be stepping down due to international concert commitments clashing with the filming schedule for The Piano.
His last appearance was during The Piano Christmas special.
In a statement at the time, he said: ‘Being a mentor on The Piano and spending time with the talented pianists has been a true joy. The level of talent I have witnessed has been phenomenal, and it has been a privilege to see the love for playing the piano across the UK.
He added that he would miss Claudia and Mika ‘terribly’.
In an interview with Metro, Mika shared his sadness at Lang Lang’s departure.
‘‘For me, Lang Lang going away was destabilising,’ he said, before adding: ‘Sometimes I had to explain to Lang Lang what ABBA was which in itself was so glorious because he was so pure. He knows all the classical music very well.’
Claudia and Mika had nothing but glowing words for their former co-star (Picture: Nic Serpell-Rand)And Claudia echoed: ‘[Lang Lang] is adorable. Once you’re part of The Piano, you’re always part of The Piano. That’s what we say to our pianists as well. People from series one still message going: “what are you doing?”
‘Or I speak to Lucy’s [season one winner] mum so that’s a lovely thing. Lang Lang will forever be with us. There was no goodbye, because that would be too difficult.’
As for whether the piano virtuoso would ever return to the show, Claudia said she had no idea but he would ‘always be welcome’ while Mika joked that they have been keeping him abreast of the journey through texts.
As for Lang Lang, his upcoming tour commences in April. It starts in London before travelling across cities in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the US.
Of course, Channel 4 has lined up an epic replacement.
Who is replacing Lang Lang in The Piano season three?
