Lang Lang Aims to Prove That Classical Music Is in Disney's 'DNA' Through 'The Disney Book'

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For Lang Lang, reimagining music that has already been made to perfection wasn't easy — but it was a challenge he took on willingly.

On Friday, Lang Lang will release his latest studio album, The Disney Book. Comprised by all of the pianist's favorite Disney songs, he had a mission in mind: to encourage the exploration of classical music.

"I want to show that classical music has no limit," Lang Lang, 40, tells PEOPLE. "And this is something that I really believed from the very beginning of my career. I want to share with our audience, no matter where they come from, whatever age, that classical pianists can explain Disney music in a very fresh and spectacular way."

Like many other musicians, he started this project during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — and it's a direct result of hours in the studio and working with artists he admires deeply.

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"We got Andrea Bocelli to sing Tarzan in Italian. It's very interesting. This is the first time I think the theme song is recorded only for Italians," he says of his "dear friend" Bocelli.

He continues, "But then we [got] my new great friend Jon Batiste to play New Orleans-style jazz on top of my classical and jazz style [in 'It's All Right.'] So we try to have this mix with classical jazz and New Orleans jazz."

Perhaps the most notable collaboration of the album, however, is with his wife and musician Gina Alice on "Wish Upon a Star."

"We wanted to do this piece particularly for our son," he says of his 20-month-old baby boy. "So for the baby, we want to give him some smooth music to hug him, kiss him."

Aside from enjoying some of your Disney favorites in a new way, Lang Lang hopes fans will walk away with a newfound perspective on the genre.

"It's not only in the magic journey. They can do that already with any Disney movies. I really want them to feel classical pianists, classical music, it's so interesting to listen to. I really hope this will open some new door for our new audience, which is to feel that classical music is part of Disney's DNA."

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He continues, "I really want the kids today to also feel that we also have something to say, and let's have some fun together. We are not that serious."

This album is also coming full circle for Lang Lang, as he became a Disney fan after the first time he visited the amusement park, when he won the Tchaikovsky young musician competition.

"My first Disney memory is going to Tokyo when I was 13 years old, in 1995," he recalls. "After I won the competition in Japan. Because that time in China, they have no Disneyland. So that was my first time in Disneyland, which was in Tokyo."

He continues, "It was like the happiest day in my life. And it's amazing that in 2015, when Disneyland opened in Shanghai, I played the opening. Because it was like, 'I had to do this. This is so exciting.'"

The Disney Book — which also comes in a 28-track deluxe edition — is out Friday