Notes and Editorial Reviews
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
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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 Rodgers (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, and Stefan Malzew’s Eliza in Ascot, a full-blown and brilliant set of variations on a theme from My Fair Lady. 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.
– David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
"After listening to the CD, one cannot help but wear a smile and tingle with goose bumps. Uplifting and effervescent." – Christie Grimstad, ConcertoNet
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“Get Happy,” Jenny Lin’s new recital told me. “Come on,” I said back. “Make me”. Then it did. ? ?Yes: “Get Happy” gets me happy. I’ve tried it on several occasions, even almost medicinally once in a very bad mood. It works. Doctors should prescribe it. The medicine is not at all mysterious: take classic Broadway show-tunes like “Blue Skies”, “Begin the Beguine”, “Blue Moon” and “My Favorite Things” mix in a few other delicious morsels from musicals and movies. Then pare them down for the piano and dress them up in glittering costumes designed by performers who live and breathe jazz. Finally hand the whole thing over to Jenny Lin, one of the best new pianists of the century so far. How could it fail to make me happy? ? ?Here’s Earl Wild’s high-octane, sporty rewrite of “I Got Rhythm”; here’s jazz legend Dick Hyman riffing on Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek”; here’s Stephen Hough’s frankly fantastic transcription of the Carousel Waltz. Jenny Lin asked a few of her friends to contribute, too, and they provided still more riches. Stephen Prutsman is tasked with “Get Happy”, of which Lin says in the booklet, “One has to feel like Liberace when playing this!” Marc-André Hamelin supplies a wonderfully introspective Meditation on the main theme from Otto Preminger’s classic film Laura. This is not the same side of Hamelin which one hears in his finger-shredding études; instead of giving pianists nightmares this short work should steal into their dreams. ? ?In Jenny Lin’s hands, the hour passes like a gift from the gods of happy. She’s got it all: a voracious appetite for lesser-known music, total technical command of even the most difficult music, a keen emotional ear, and a spirit of adventure and good cheer. She sounds completely at ease in this idiom, her fingers unbroken by the cascades of notes which composers like Earl Wild poured all over the page. More importantly, she has a great sense of fun, wit, and, oh, what’s the word? Happiness. That’s the word. ? ?Borrowing the Sono Luminus label’s studio, the Steinway recording engineers have brought a flattering sound to their piano. Listen: I can’t promise that this album is a medically viable substitute for, say, antidepressants or a loving companion, but it really is an outright joy. It’s something every piano collection should have. For sixty-four minutes, you’ll really believe it’s nothing but blue skies from now on.
-- Brian Reinhart - MusicWeb International
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Works on This Recording
1.
Betsy: Blue Skies by Irving Berlin
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1927; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 1 Minutes 21 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Dick Hyman
2.
Virtuoso Etudes (7) after Gershwin: no 1, I got rhythm by Earl Wild
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1950/1976; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 2 Minutes 18 Secs.
3.
My Fair Lady: Ascot Gavotte by Frederick Loewe
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1956; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 4 Minutes 59 Secs.
Notes: Arranged by Stefan Malzew as "Eliza in Ascot."
4.
Love Me Tonight: Lover by Richard Rodgers
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1932
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 3 Minutes 24 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Alexis Weissenberg
5.
Jubilee: Begin the beguine by Cole Porter
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1935; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 3 Minutes 56 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Cy Walter
6.
Sweeney Todd: Johanna by Stephen Sondheim
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1979; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 2 Minutes 28 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Christopher O'Riley
7.
Carousel: Waltz by Richard Rodgers
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 6 Minutes 18 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Stephen Hough
8.
The King and I: March of the Siamese Children by Richard Rodgers
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1951; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 3 Minutes 57 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Stephen Hough
9.
Manhattan Melodrama: Blue Moon by Richard Rodgers
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1934; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 2 Minutes 16 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: André Previn
10.
Top Hat: Cheek to Cheek by Irving Berlin
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1935; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 2 Minutes 8 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Dick Hyman
11.
Virtuoso Etudes (7) after Gershwin: no 4, Embraceable you by Earl Wild
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1950/1976; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 3 Minutes 13 Secs.
12.
Laura by David Raksin
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 5 Minutes 21 Secs.
13.
Porgy and Bess: Bess, you is my woman now by George Gershwin
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1935; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 5 Minutes 52 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: David Saperton
14.
Virtuoso Etudes (7) after Gershwin: no 6, Fascinatin' rhythm by Earl Wild
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1950/1976; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 1 Minutes 33 Secs.
15.
Kiss Me, Kate: So in Love by Cole Porter
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1948; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 4 Minutes 30 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Greg Anderson
16.
The Sound of Music: My favorite things by Richard Rodgers
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1959; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 3 Minutes 15 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Stephen Hough
17.
The King and I: Hello, young lovers by Richard Rodgers
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1951; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 2 Minutes 27 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Stephen Hough
18.
9:15 Revue: Get Happy by Harold Arlen
Performer:
Jenny Lin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1930; USA
Date of Recording: 5/31 - 6/2, 2012
Venue: Studio A, Sono Luminus, Boyce, Virginia
Length: 4 Minutes 54 Secs.
Notes: Arrangement: Stephen Prutsman
Featured Sound Samples
Blue Skies (Berlin, arr. Hyman): (from Betsy)
Eliza in Ascot (Loewe, arr. Malzew): (from My Fair Lady)
Johanna (Sondheim, arr. O'Riley): (from Sweeney Todd)
Carousel Waltz (Rodgers, arr. Hough): (from Carousel)
Blue Moon (Rodgers, arr. Previn): (from Manhattan Melodrama)
Cheek to Cheek (Berlin, arr. Hyman): (from Top Hat)
Virtuoso Etudes after Gershwin (Wild): No 6: Fascinatin' Rhythm
Get Happy (Arlen, arr. Prutsman): (from The Nine-Fifteen Revue)
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 15 Customer Reviews )
Impressive and Enjoyable Piano Songbook January 29, 2013
By Sour Persimmons See All My Reviews
"Jenny Lin's "Get Happy" is a brilliantly-played virtuosic tribute to the great American songbook. After a subdued take on "Blue Skies," the album quickly becomes rather impressionistic ("I Got Rhythm," "Lover," "Laura") though many of the other tracks ("Carousel Waltz," "Cheek to Cheek," etc.) maintain a more easily-recognized grounding in the original material. Lin's performances offer a full range of color and expression, and she successfully bridges the gap between the intense technical classical demands of the arrangements (which generally sound like elaborate improvisations) and the popular idiom from which they derive. The recorded piano sound is excellent, with an ideal perspective on the instrument. In short, this is a fantastic jazz/classical piano album for those interested in sophisticated takes on classic show tunes."
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A fine recording January 24, 2013
By Kent Blackwell (Virginia Beach, VA) See All My Reviews
"The tunes are catchy and the recorded sound is marvelous. The piano never sounds too forward or too distant. As a hardcore audiophile I often listen to music in the dark. When I turned off the lights in my listening room it sounded as if the piano was in the room."
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Starting the day....happy. January 8, 2013
By M. Alvarez (Berkeley, CA) See All My Reviews
"She is very good indeed! Jenny Lin would get your day happy if you hear this cd in the morning. Very good selection of titles, good sound, very good technique, and a sense of joy transmitted through the music!!! I'd recommend it!"
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