Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

Brief AI Commentary

Twenty-four variations turn Paganini’s compact caprice into a continuous drama. Wit and menace surround the recurring Dies irae, while the famous eighteenth variation briefly opens a lyrical world before the music resumes its brilliant contest.

Fedorova maintains a clear line through the work’s rapid changes of character. Her performance shows that the Rhapsody is not simply a chain of variations but a tightly paced concerto in one uninterrupted span.