Fanya Lin: Rhapsodic: Gershwin & Rachmaninoff
Navona Records
Accompanied by the Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin under Theodore Kuchar's assured direction, pianist Fanya Lin tackles two engaging staples of the piano repertoire, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43. Multiple recordings of both are available, but Lin stakes her rightful place among them with performances that are vibrant and committed. The challenge confronting her is clear: to deliver the works with performances of integrity whilst also imposing her stamp upon them. She accomplishes both by personalizing her treatments with a dramatic flair that's never so extreme it becomes outlandish. The enthusiasm with which the material's executed by both soloist and orchestra makes these renditions, captured May 24, 2022 at the Philharmonic Hall of Lublin, feel invigorated and alive. Performances by Lin, who's currently Associate Professor of Practice in Piano at the University of Arizona, have been called fiery and charismatic, and both apply to those here. She's as compelling delivering the American composer's iconic single-movement setting as she is the Russian's twenty-six-part opus. While the pieces are obviously different, each encompasses a complex panorama of moods.
Completed when Gershwin was but twenty-five, Rhapsody in Blue is no less thrilling today than when it premiered on February 12, 1924, and its arresting clarinet glissando has become one of the most instantly recognizable intros in music. Dashed off in weeks before the New York premiere (he began writing it on January 7th during a train trip to Boston), Gershwin envisioned it as “a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America—of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness.” Kaleidoscopic it definitely is, from its bluesy beginnings to its triumphant end. Tempos and dynamics are handled carefully by pianist and orchestra alike, as the two demonstrate admirable synergy in their vivacious treatment. Lin meets the work's technical demands adroitly, and her partners match her in that regard with playing that's spirited and attentive. She delivers the unaccompanied passages with authority and a confident command of pacing, touch, and rhythm. As the work enters its final third with a rousing expression of romantic sweep and advances to its dynamic conclusion, we're reminded of how spectacular the work can be when interpreters of exceptional calibre are involved.
Rachmaninoff's episodic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini presents twenty-four variations on a melody from the final piece in Niccolò Paganini's set of Caprices for Solo Violin. Structurally, the first variation's framed by an introduction and thematic statement, after which the remaining variations appear with blink-and-you'll-miss-it dispatch. Only two push past the two-minute mark, and the greater number are under a minute apiece. Boredom is hardly an issue when the scenery changes so rapidly, and just as you've started to absorb one variation, Lin and accompany are on to the next. The playing by soloist and orchestra is as inspired here as it is in the opening work, and the instrumentalists impress for how expertly they navigate the many twists and turns.
The breathless pace with which it begins slows for a dignified seventh variation before quickly picking up steam for the march-animated eighth, brisk ninth, and blustery tenth. A welcome pause before the hushed eleventh allows for a catch of breath, as does the alluring serenity of the twelfth. With the thirteenth variation, the energized pace returns, setting the stage for Lin's bravura pyrotechnics in the “Piu vivo Scherzando” fifteenth. An impish sixteenth and somewhat foreboding seventeenth segue into the romantic splendour of the “Andante cantabile” eighteenth, the expressive latter a standout for its lyrical tone. There's poetry but devilry too, as attested to by the cheeky nineteenth, sardonic twenty-second, and bombastic twenty-third. The work's a roller-coaster of sorts that's never less than stimulating, and as familiar as both pieces are, they're brought vividly to life in these beguiling performances.March 2024