Lang Lang’s programme was dominated by Bach’s ‘Goldberg Variations’ © Getty Images

 Lang Lang’s programme was dominated by Bach’s ‘Goldberg Variations’ © Getty Images

The music of Robert Schumann also provided the opener in an earlier solo recital in the same hall. As politicians and lawmakers up the road argued with each other about the newly downed Chinese spy balloon, Chinese pianist Lang Lang seemed to quietly — and not undiplomatically — moot the idea that other things with the power to transcend national boundaries were available, if we cared to listen. After the short but musically rich Arabeske in C major, the rest of his programme was comprised of JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

Lang Lang, whose personal circumstances seem to have engendered a new maturity in his playing — last year he turned 40 and became a father — is still a dazzling and fascinating musician. Some of his more curious interpretive decisions, especially in his tempi, dynamics and rubato, worked; some did not. I had my reservations about the wisdom of performing that particular repertoire, in that space. But the power of Lang Lang’s presence is immense and multi-dimensional; I would argue that it almost doesn’t matter if the particulars of his Quodlibet, for example, were lost on some. (The Kennedy Center concert hall was crawling with very young fans.)

Maybe his encores, both of which came from Disney movies — Stephen Hough’s gorgeous arrangement of “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins, and “Reflection” from Mulan — were enough.