Every few decades the stuffy classical music world is jolted awake by an exciting new face appearing out of nowhere. In the late ’50s it was a long, tall Texan named Van Cliburn, who became an American hero at a piano competition in Soviet Russia. More recently, it was a young Chinese man named Lang Lang (the world soon learned to pronounce it Long Long).

This remarkable teenager didn’t just play the piano; he attacked it.

Concert audiences everywhere went nuts. In China, literally millions of children started taking piano lessons, and a generation of “mini-Lang Langs” emerged. He became an international phenomenon, with huge record sales and sold-out performances. Critics were astonished by his virtuosity and his charm. They loved him. Until they didn’t. They started carping at his onstage mannerisms: He stared dreamily at the ceiling. He leaned back dramatically. His playing was mannered. The price of celebrity.

“It’s OK for me,” he said matter-of-factly. “Overall, I was prepared to be criticized.”

In a phone call from Naples, Florida, Lang Lang sounded quite jovial as he reflected on life at 43. His days as a teen sensation are behind him now. He’s a married man, and the father of a 5-year-old son. And he’s weathering the storm of international attention just fine as he tours the country — including two stops in Colorado.

On Saturday, he’ll appear at Boettcher Hall with Peter Oundjian and the Colorado Symphony, followed by a jaunt to Beaver Creek for a recital in the Vilar Center on Tuesday.

Lang Lang is very aware of who he is and where he’s going.

“You have to have a strong heart,” he said. “You have to stay in your comfort zone. You grow up as a human being. You improve yourself.”

That brought up the piece he’ll play with the Colorado Symphony. It’s not the usual finger-busting showpiece by Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninoff. This time it’s Beethoven’s youthful First Concerto. Is he making a statement, revealing a new anti-virtuoso persona? Hardly.

“Not at all,” he countered. “I haven’t played the First for 10 years. A while back, I did all five (Beethoven Concertos) with Peter in Toronto, and he helped me (in learning them) a lot. I plan to record all five next year, since it’s a big Beethoven year.”

Indeed, 2027 marks the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death. Referring to the First Concerto, Lang Lang promised a surprise for his audience.

“I’ll be playing a cadenza (a show-off solo) that Beethoven wrote that is very long and difficult, but you never hear it performed,” he said.

Plus an encore or two, of course.

It’s welcoming, hearing him talk about music, instead of his life as a controversial superstar. As for those big crowd-pleasing concertos that once brought his fans to their feet night after night, he still includes them in his touring repertory.

“They were great when you’re 16 or 17, but you have to play other works or you risk burning out. You always have to learn a lot of new works,” he said. “The Vienna Philharmonic recently asked me for the Bartok Number Three (Concerto). I never played it, so I had to go and learn it for them.”

Responsibility. That word popped up a few times in his conversation. In passing, he mentioned his Lang Lang Foundation, based in the U.S., Europe and China, with a stated goal that “all children should have access 
to music and music education, regardless of their background or circumstances.” In reference to his ongoing community work, he pointed out that this part of his life has grown in recent years.

“I’ve discovered that what’s good for me is good for the kids, ” he said. He laughed when I reminded him of all those “mini-Lang Langs.”

Another responsibility has become a sticky point for his critics in recent years — his lengthy relationship with his record label, Deutsche Grammophon. Each new release features him in cringe-worthy, artsy romantic poses on the jacket, sniffing flowers and such, matched by a glossy marketing campaign.

“They’re just album covers,” he insisted. “Nobody remembers them. It’s the music inside that matters. I understand that marketing is important. I prefer to stay focused on the music.”

And now comes the greatest responsibility of all — a family. In 2019, Lang Lang and the German-Korean pianist Gina Alice Redlinger married. The couple now has a 5-year-old named Winston. Another musician in the family? Lang Lang can only chuckle.

“He likes the piano and fools around on it. He thinks he’s a pianist. He used to like the cello, but now he loves the drums. He’s very creative.”

Mom and dad have recorded a couple of keyboard duets for YouTube, but it doesn’t look like a serious piano team is in the works. Gina Alice stays at home with Winston when Dad is touring overseas, but the two will travel with Lang Lang in America. In addition to keeping her little drummer boy company, “she is busy with her song-writing,” dad reported.

Quite a family. For all his commitments, the rehearsals, the recordings, the foundation work, interviews and the endless traveling, Lang Lang now has his family. And himself.

“I’m a pianist,” he said. “But I’m also a human being.”