One of the world's most famous classical pianist, Lang Lang, discovered his passion for piano

while growing up alongside other musicians in China. His extraordinary talent has led him to perform

with diverse musical legends, from the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra to contemporary icons

like Coldplay and Metallica. Tonight he shares his brief but spectacular take

on loving what you play.

The first few years of study piano,

I would say, it was more like having a little toy in my hand.

So I was two and a half when I started.

The first piece was moving my heart was the neck cracker by Tchaikovsky.

I really loved that...

So I grew up in China Shenyang, which is the northeast region, and it's a very industrial city, big factories.

And every day I hear music from everywhere. It was a very musical neighborhood. It was a dorm of a Chinese traditional orchestra,

which my father was the principal Arhu player,

a Chinese violin with two strings only, like chopsticks.

I was in Beijing at age of nine,

and I got fired by the piano teacher there in the conservatory.

She was kind of very skeptical of my piano style.

And that was very, very difficult for me.

I thought my piano career is over.

So when I was 17 years old, I had this big dream, you know, to play with the biggest orchestra in America. But in the reality, I always play as a sub waiting for somebody get sick.

You have to be ready all the time. And because the opportunity will come in very fast.

And if you catch it in the right way, you are in the game.

...