Jenny Lin is one of those pianists who deserves a major career for the sheer intelligence and musicality of everything that she does. This collection of show tunes arranged by virtuoso pianists offers the perfect combination of the familiar (the melodies) and the new (the arrangements). The result is a tribute not just to Lin’s clever programming and impeccable pianism, but also to the many arrangers she has chosen (or commissioned) for this project, including some very major colleagues such as André Previn, Stephen Hough, and Marc-André Hamelin.
The program, 18 numbers in all, is organized principally around the work of Stephen Hough (Carousel Waltz, March of the Siamese Children, My Favorite Things, and Hello, Young Lovers) and, naturally, Earl Wild (all Gershwin—I Got Rhythm, Embraceable You, and Fascinatin’ Rhythm); but who knew that Alexis Weissenberg transcribed Richard Rogers (Lover)? Dick Hyman’s two Irving Berlin arrangements, Blue Skies and Cheek to Cheek, are delicious, while Stephen Prutsman (Get Happy) and Greg Anderson (So In Love) offered their contributions especially for this collection.
Some of the arrangements, aside from their virtuoso demeanor, are relatively straight transcriptions of the originals, but others are independent works conceived on a grander scale. These include Marc-André Hamelin’s Meditation on “Laura”, not strictly a show tune, but taken from David Raksin’s classic film score (note, please that it’s not “Raskin”, as spelled in the booklet), and Stefan Malzew’s Eliza in Ascot, a full-blown and brilliant set of variations on a theme from My Fair Lady. As you can hear from the sound sample, Lin plays this music “con amore”, with warmth, a generous tone, and a real romantic lilt that never turns tasteless; and she’s got virtuosity to burn.
Steinway’s sonics are magnificently natural, a tribute to their pianos, to the glorious legacy of the American musical theater, to a galaxy of great pianist/composers, but most of all to Jenny Lin for putting it all together and presenting it so stylishly. I’ve played this disc several times already in just a few days, and I have no doubt that you will too.
