"When I was nine-year old, and then I went to Beijing to study (at) Central Conservatory of Music. Certainly the education in China for kids, it is... I mean, whether it is really great, but it's good, you know, because the teachers are very focused into your early on training with your fingers. So (...) you will see the Chinese pianist(s) come in (to America), you know there is no problem with fingers. But there is something lack. They didn’t have a really great education for how to play the style of this piece or how to understand this piece. At school, we don't really focus into how phrase should be, how, you know, how the style compare with other composers. I think still there is a distance between (the two) education(s). So, and obviously that's why I came to America. "
"当我九岁时，我去北京中央音乐学院学习。当然，中国的孩子们的（音乐）教育，这是...我的意思是，是否真正很好的？但它是不错的，因为老师们都非常注重你早期的训练，你的手指（功夫）。因此，（...），你会看到的中国钢琴家来（美国），手指（功夫）是没有问题的。但是，（他们）有缺陷。在如何根据作品的风格演奏，或如何理解作品方面，他们没有受到很好的训练。在（中国）学校里，我们不在意到（音乐的）句法应该如何演奏，也不在意作曲家的风格之间比较与区别。我认为（这两种）教育之间还是有距离的。所以，很明显，这就是为什么我来到美国。"
Passerby’s note:
The above monologue was dictated from a DVD, Barenboim on Beethoven Masterclasses (EMI Classics 50999-5-04890-9-1). Lang Lang was one of the young pianists who took lessons from Barenboim. The monologue was inserted in the middle of the of Lang Lang’s session. It was in English. I believe it took place in Chicago.
With my limited dictating skill, I tried to keep it as accurate as possible. However, if I felt my alternation might make it more understanble, I put them into parentheses. Also, if there are words I could not figure out, I put them into (…).
The Chinese translation was translated by Google Translator. I did alter many places. The goal of my editing was only to make it understandable, nothing beyond. I also took out L.L.’s mantra, such as “You know”.
