He is a pianist both maddening and marvelous. And so he was on this occasion. Lang Lang, the young phenom from China, played a recital in Carnegie Hall two nights ago. And he began with Mozart.

Well, sort of Mozart. Lang Lang “reimagined” the Sonata in B flat, K. 333. He took liberties with accents, phrasing, dynamics, rhythm, ornamentation. And he did more than take liberties: He was nearly eccentric. He played as though terrified to be bored. At the same time, he made some remarkably beautiful sounds, as he usually does.

And you may be interested to know this: This amazing virtuoso missed a few notes in his Mozart, just as Horowitz used to do in his Clementi.

Lang Lang then played Schumann’s Fantasy in C, Op. 17. Here, the fullness of his virtuosity came forth, and so did the fullness of his imagination. He and Schumann were kindred spirits. Lang Lang imparted wizardry, charisma, and no end of colors.

The second movement of the Fantasy had due pomp and glory. Lang Lang made a big sound without banging or slapping. (He is sometimes guilty of the latter.) The music was overpedaled, but just a little. And the third movement was positively spellbinding: slow and sustained. The music was governed by some internal clock, one that never erred.

Really, this was Golden Age piano playing. I believe Schumann would have loved it, and Clara, his virtuoso wife, would have been impressed, too.

After intermission, Lang Lang played five Chinese pieces, announced from the stage. These are traditional pieces, or songs, transcribed for the piano. Lang Lang has championed them all over the world, including on disc. And he played them with charm, affection, and lots of musicality. These pieces are outlets for his pianism as well as his national pride.

And then he went Spanish, playing an excerpt from Granados’s “Goyescas”: “Los requiebros.” Here, he was untidy, muddy. But his attention to “Goyescas” is to be appreciated, and we should hope that he goes on to play the whole work. With Alicia de Larrocha retired, someone has to.

Lang Lang’s printed program ended with two pieces of Liszt — first, the “Liebestod,” meaning Liszt’s transcription of Wagner’s immortal song. Lang Lang played it with all the beauty it can possibly have. He also gave it maximum dignity. (Some of us think this transcription, with its tremolos and shakes, on the trashy side.)

And then he gave us Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D flat. It was a circus act, and a wonderful circus act. Lang Lang was spontaneous and joyful. And you could forget how hard this piece is, technically. For Lang Lang, it was a mere bagatelle.

After he was finished, women flocked to the stage, to hand him flowers. Liszt would have understood.

You could say that the second half was all encores. So what did Lang Lang play for an encore? He turned to one of his usuals: Chopin’s Etude in E, Op. 10, No. 3. It was an extremist mess. But the young phenom had put on a good show.