Pianistic Innovation in Liszt’s Paganini Etudes: Transforming and Transcending Violin Virtuosity

Franz Liszt

Grandes Études de Paganini, S. 141

Étude No. 1 in G minor

Étude No. 2 in E-flat major

Étude No. 3 in G-sharp minor

Étude No. 4 in E major

Étude No. 5 in E major

Étude No. 6 in A minor

Program

O lieb so lang du lieben kannst, S. 298/2

Blume und Duft, S. 324

Oh! quand je dors, S. 282/2

Abigail Liebegott, soprano

Huiping Cai, piano

Il m'aimait tant, S. 271

Die Macht der Musik, S. 302

Emily Evans, soprano

Huiping Cai, piano

INTERMISSION

Es muss ein Wunderbares sein, S. 314

Im Rhein, im schönen Strome, S. 272/2

Hohe Liebe, S. 307

Gestorben war ich, S. 308

Tre Sonetti di Petrarca, S. 270

I. Pace non trovo

II. Benedetto sia il giorno

III. I’ vidi in terra angelici costume

Xuyue Qing, tenor

Huiping Cai, piano

Performers

Lydia Newton, violin

Huiping Cai, piano

Program

Lili Boulanger

D’un matin de printemps

Karol Szymanowski

Mythes, Op. 30

I. La Fontaine d'Arethuse

II. Narcisse

Ernest Chausson

Poème, Op. 25

Gabriel Fauré

Sonata No. 1, Op. 13

I. Allegro molto

II. Andante

III. Scherzo: Allegro vivo

IV. Finale: Allegro quasi presto

Eastman Community Orchestra Project - under the baton of Hannah Moreno - features a vibrant program including Ernest Bloch’s Concerto Grosso No. 1, Maurice Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin, and Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain.

Bringing together students from the Eastman School of Music, the Eastman Community Music School, and the University of Rochester, the Community Orchestra Project celebrates collaboration across the greater Eastman community in Rochester.

Béla Bartók

Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, Sz. 110, BB 115

I. Assai lento – Allegro molto

II. Lento, ma non troppo

III. Allegro non troppo

Ailun Zheng & Huiping Cai, pianos

Ben Landon & Izaiah Gonzales, percussion

2026 David Hochstein Recital Competition

The Recital Competition is open to advanced students in grades 10-12 in the nine-county region surrounding Rochester. In order to compete, musicians are required to prepare challenging music in varied styles and perform before juries of noted professional artists. The winners are presented in recital in the Hochstein Performance Hall and recorded for future broadcast on WXXI-FM Classical 91.5.

The David Hochstein Recital Competition is made possible by The Nasipak Family.

Piano Jury Members: Huiping Cai, Kevin Nitsch, Joe Rackers

César Franck

Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano (arr. for flute & piano)

I. Allegretto ben moderato

II. Allegro

III. Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia

IV. Allegretto poco mosso

Katherine Marx, flute

Huiping Cai, piano

Program

Sergei Rachmaninoff

“Lilacs” Op. 21, No. 5

Huiping Cai, piano

Louise Farrenc

Scherzo in B-flat major, Op. 47

Huiping Cai, piano

Franz Liszt

Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141: No. 3 “La Campanella”

Huiping Cai, piano

arr. Mimi Rabson

Deck the Halls

Greensleeves

Lazuli String Quartet

Robert Schumann

Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44

I. Allegro brillante

II. In modo d’una marcia. Un poco largamente

III. Scherzo: Molto vivace

IV. Allegro ma non troppo

Kellen Mikesell, violin I

Claire Chien, violin II

Vivienne Lucier, viola

Ariun-Enerel Gantumur, cello

Huiping Cai, piano

Louise Farrenc

Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op.44

I. Andante - Allegro moderato

II. Adagio

III. Minuetto: Allegro

IV. Allegro

Elise Bonhivert, clarinet

Joëlla Becker-Harrow, cello

Huiping Cai, piano

Louise Farrenc

Impromptu in B minor

Scherzo in B-flat major, Op. 47

Faculty Spotlight Concert

Program

Niccolò Paganini 

Cantabile in D Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 17

Aika Ito, violin

Huiping Cai, piano

Franz Liszt

Grandes étues de Paganini No. 3 in G-sharp minor, S. 141

Huiping Cai, piano

Paganini/Arr. Fritz Kreisler for Violin and Piano

La Campanella, Op. 7

Aika Ito, violin

Huiping Cai, piano

Niccolò Paganini 

Caprice No. 24 in A minor

Aika Ito, violin

Franz Liszt

Grandes étues de Paganini No. 6 in A minor, S. 141

Huiping Cai, piano

Karol Szymanowski

Caprices de Paganini for Violin and Piano, Op. 40 No. 3

Aika Ito, violin

Huiping Cai, piano

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Selections from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Theme

Variation I

variation II

variation VIII

variation X

variation XI

variation XII

variation XIII

variation XVI

variation XVII

variation XVIII

Aika Ito, violin I

Marcos Kreutzer, violin II

Michelle Walker, viola

Rachel Mills, cello

Huiping Cai, piano

Program

Sergei Rachmaninoff

“Lilacs” Op. 21, No. 5

Joseph Haydn

Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:48

I. Andante con espressione

II. Rondo: Presto

Olga Kern

Status Animae (State of Soul)

I. Meditation

II. Rhythm Obsession

Franz Liszt

Sonata in B minor, S. 178

Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra

Kenneth Hsieh, conductor
Huiping Cai, piano

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

Program

Johannes Brahms

Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in G Major, Op. 78

I. Vivace ma non troppo

II. Adagio

III. Allegro molto moderato

Chihiro Kakishima, violin

Huiping Cai, piano

Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano in A Major, Op. 100

I. Allegro amabile

II. Andante tranquillo—Vivace

III. Allegretto grazioso (quasi Andante)

Rumeng Liao, violin

Huiping Cai, piano

INTERMISSION

Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano in D Minor, Op. 108

I. Allegro

II. Adagio

III. Un poco presto e con sentimento

IV. Presto agitato

Chihiro Kakishima, violin

Huiping Cai, piano

Performers

Rumeng Liao, violin

Huiping Cai, piano

Program

Johann Sebastian Bach

Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

I. Adagio

II. Fuga

III. Siciliana

IV. Presto

Ludwig van Beethoven 

Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 7 in C minor “Eroica”, Op. 30 No. 2

I. Allegro con brio

II. Adagio cantabile

III. Scherzo. Allegro - Trio

IV. Finale. Allegro

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst

The Last Rose of Summer

Performers

Fei Tong, violin

Huiping Cai, piano

Program

Ludwig van Beethoven

Violin Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23

I. Presto

II. Andante scherzoso, più allegretto

III. Allegro molto

Igor Stravinsky - Suite Italienne for Violin and Piano

I. Introduzione

II. Serenata

III. Tarantella

IV. Gavotta con due variazioni

V. Scherzino

VI. Minuetto e Finale

INTERMISSION

Dong He, ChaoRan Li - "Li" Folk Fiesta (Li)

Feng Gao (b.1974) - The Love Song of Yimeng (Han)

SongHua Hu (b.1931) - Song of Praise (Mongolian)

arr. ChengQian Xue

Feng Gao (b.1974) - The Fantasy of the Yao Tribe (Yao)

Gang Chen (b.1935) - Morning of Miao Mountain (Miao)

YaoXian Ma, ZhongHua Li - The Spring of Xinjiang (Uyghur)

Grand Finale Showcase Concert

Presented by Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival 2024

Live in-studio performance and interview in Florida’s classical music station WSMR 89.1

Radio host - Russell Gant

Performers

Nyla Thomas, soprano

Huiping Cai, piano

Program

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

African Romances, Op. 17

I. An African Love Song

II. A Prayer

III. Starry Night

IV. Dawn

V. Ballad

VI. Over the Hills

VII. How Shall I Woo Thee?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Voi avete un cor fedele, K. 217

Claude Debussy

Quatre chansons de jeunesse

I. Pantomime

II. Clair de lune

III. Pierrot

IV. Apparition

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Zdes’ khorosho from 12 Romances, Op. 21

Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne from 6 Romances, Op. 4

Son from 6 Romances, Op. 38

Florence Price

The Poet and His Song

Dreamin’ Town (1934)

What’s the Use? (1937)

Performers

Clara Smallwood, viola

Huiping Cai, piano

Program

Henri Vieuxtemps

Sonata for Viola and Piano in B-flat Major, Op. 36

I. Maestoso – Allegro

II. Barcarolla. Andante con moto

III. Finale scherzando. Allegretto

Rebecca Clarke

Sonata for Viola and Piano

I. Impetuoso

II. Vivace

III. Adagio