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Rhapsodic

George Gershwin composer
Sergei Rachmaninoff composer

Fanya Lin piano
Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin
Theodore Kuchar conductor

Release Date: November 10, 2023
Catalog #: NV6573
Format: Digital & Physical
20th Century
Romantic
Orchestral
Orchestra
Piano

Pianist Fanya Lin’s RHAPSODIC is a masterful exploration of two of the most iconic pieces in piano repertoire. With her deft touch and nuanced interpretation, Lin lends an entirely new dimension to George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Variations.

From the opening notes of Gershwin’s masterpiece, Lin’s playing proves both powerful and sensitive, capturing the complex emotions of the iconic American composer with great vividness. Some musicians might be hard-pressed to switch seamlessly into the mind and heart of the great Russian, but Lin’s virtuosity is on full display as she navigates the intricate variations with vigor and precision, effortlessly enticing the listener into their bittersweet, heady romance.

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Track Listing & Credits

# Title Composer Performer
01 Rhapsody in Blue George Gershwin Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 18:01
02 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Introduction Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:09
03 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation I Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:20
04 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Tema (Theme). L’istesso tempo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:19
05 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation II. L’istesso tempo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:20
06 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation III. L’istesso tempo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:27
07 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation IV. Più Vivo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:34
08 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation V. Tempo precedente Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:32
09 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation VI. L’istesso tempo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 1:05
10 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation VII. Meno mosso, a tempo moderato Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 1:09
11 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation VIII. Tempo I Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:36
12 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation IX. L’istesso tempo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:35
13 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation X. L’istesso tempo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:55
14 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XI. Moderato Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 1:38
15 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XII. Tempo di Minuetto Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 1:14
16 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XIII. Allegro Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:30
17 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XIV. L’istesso tempo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:46
18 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XV. Piu vivo Scherzando Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 1:20
19 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XVI. Allegretto Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 1:34
20 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XVII. Allegretto Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 2:04
21 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XVIII. Andante cantabile Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 2:57
22 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XIX. A tempo vivace Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:35
23 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XX. Un poco più vivo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:40
24 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XXI. Un poco più vivo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 0:29
25 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XXII. Un poco più vivo (Alla breve) Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 1:51
26 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XXIII. L’istesso tempo Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 1:04
27 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XXIV. A tempo, un poco meno mosso Sergei Rachmaninoff Fanya Lin, piano; Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin | Theodore Kuchar, conductor 1:31

Recorded May 24, 2022 at Philharmonic Hall of Lublin, Poland
Recording Session Producer & Engineer Grzegorz Stec
Editing, Mixing, and Mastering Grzegorz Stec

Additional Mastering Melanie Montgomery

Executive Producer Bob Lord

A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Danielle Sullivan

VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette

VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming, Morgan Hauber
Publicity Aidan Curran

Artist Information

Fanya Lin

Pianist

Described as a “striking interpreter” who gives a “committed and heartfelt performance” by Musical America and The New York Times, pianist Fanya Lin has entranced audiences worldwide with her charismatic and fiery performances. Lin’s “mesmerizing performance” of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in the United Kingdom was depicted as “a tornado had touched down through her body and lifted her, feathers fluttering, from the piano stool as she weighed into the keys.” Her orchestral appearances include the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Toruń Symphony, Utah Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic, The Jackson Symphony, Mississippi Valley Orchestra, and New Art Symphony, among others.

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Theodore Kuchar

Theodore Kuchar

conductor

The multiple award-winning conductor Theodore Kuchar is the most recorded conductor of his generation and appears on over 140 compact discs for the Naxos, Brilliant Classics, Ondine, Marco Polo, Toccata Classics, and Centaur labels. He presently serves as the Principal Conductor of the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine and has served as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of two of Europe’s leading orchestras, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra (formerly the Czech Radio Orchestra) while also serving as the Principal Conductor of the Slovak Sinfonietta.

Commencing with the 2023-24 season, Kuchar assumes the title of Principal Conductor of the Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin. In the 2011-12 season he commenced his tenure as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Venezuela and prior to that served as the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra in Brisbane, Australia. In addition to his conducting activities, he has served as the Artistic Director of two of the world’s pre-eminent chamber music festivals, The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (1991-2007) and the Nevada Chamber Music Festival (2003-2018). In September 2021 he commenced duties as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of The Thomas de Hartmann Project, a concert and recording project which BBC Radio 3 described as “arguably the most important recording project by a major, yet relatively unknown, composer of this new decade.” The project will be divided between record labels including Pentatone, Toccata Classics, and Nimbus and including soloists Joshua Bell and Matt Haimovitz.

Kuchar’s longest titled affiliation and relationship is with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, of which he was appointed the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor in 1994. They have appeared together in over 250 performances, in Kyiv and on tour on four continents while their discography totals over 80 compact discs. Most recently, they completed a six-week, 40 concert United States tour through January and February of 2023, including sold-out performances in New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Washington DC’s Kennedy Center.

Notes

George Gershwin had not previously embarked on an official concerto when he composed his virtuosic Rhapsody in Blue for piano and orchestra in 1924 (He would soon do so, however, with his Concerto in F for Piano in Orchestra the following year). At age 25, Gershwin was already an experienced songwriter for the stage, and he employed the day’s prevalent popular song formats throughout the Rhapsody in Blue in presenting his engaging melodies. These iconic themes — framed by the work’s initial clarinet glissando and the colossal conclusion — have made Rhapsody in Blue an instantly recognizable landmark of American music. Rhapsody in Blue exists in multiple orchestrations by composer and arranger Ferde Grofé, including its premiere in 1924 for piano and jazz band and the 1942 scoring for piano and orchestra; the latter appeared five years after Gershwin’s death of a brain tumor in 1937 at age 38.

— Dr. Matthew Mugmon

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, for piano and orchestra, is one of his most beloved works and is sometimes viewed as the composer’s fifth piano concerto. But unlike Rachmaninoff’s four “official” concertos, this work, as a rhapsody, is cast in one movement, instead of the usual three for a concerto. Its episodic structure consists of 24 variations on the melody of the 24th and final piece in 19th-century violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini’s set of Caprices for Solo Violin. In Rachmaninoff’s work, after an introduction, violins and then piano present Paganini’s melody in its clearest form. In the variations that follow, Rachmaninoff treats material from that melody freely and in a variety of ways — including menacing marches (variations 8 and 22); ominous allusions to the Dies Irae of the Catholic funeral mass (variations 7 and 10); and entrancing interludes (variations 11 and the dazzlingly luxuriant 18). In the work’s last variation, the Dies Irae — ever lurking in Rachmaninoff’s oeuvre — again rears its head, but it gives way to a conclusion that is at once triumphant and lighthearted.

— Dr. Matthew Mugmon