Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

Brief AI Commentary

Rachmaninoff creates the rhapsody’s most beloved melody by inverting Paganini’s theme and moving it into a radiant major key. What sounds like an entirely new inspiration is therefore a hidden transformation of material already heard.

Trifonov allows the melody to unfold with suppleness and restraint. As a separate three-minute selection, the variation offers listeners the emotional summit of the larger work without disguising its origin within it.