Accardo Paganini

Concertos Nos. 3 and 4 are not only formidably demanding from a technical standpoint, but also are extremely difficult to interpret musically. Rózsa has all the violinistic equipment necessary to tackle these fiendish scores, as he impressively shows in the first movement cadenza of the E minor work. For comparison, I turned to Salvatore Accardo's account on Deutsche Grammophon with Charles Dutoit and the London Philharmonic. Accardo is rightly regarded as a Paganini specialist, but he is neither as subtle in his phrasing and inflection nor so stylish and polished in bravura passages as Rózsa.

Salvatore Accardo, born in Turin in 1941, brings an Italianate warmth and intensity to the music he plays – not just to fellow countrymen such as Vivaldi, Tartini and Paganini, but also to Austrian and German composers. By the age of thirteen he had performed Paganini’s Caprices in recital, and he was an international competition winner before he even had left his teen years. His career as a soloist quickly blossomed. Nevertheless, he did not neglect chamber music – in 1992, he founded a string quartet that bears his name – and he also has led chamber orchestras, including the renowned I Musici. He recorded extensively for Philips and for Deutsche Grammophon.

Dynamic, the independent Italian record label, based close to Paganini’s birthplace in Genoa, has compiled this ten disc set of their previously issued Paganini recordings. It seems that several of these recordings were receiving their first recording. Although this box includes the complete edition of Paganini’s fifteen quartets for strings and guitar; the three string quartets and a number of other chamber works there is certainly much of Paganini’s chamber music not included here.

The collection "The Arches of the Palazzo Comunale " of Cremona has been enriched by a third violin made by Antonio Stradivari ,one of the most valuable pieces of violin making World : " The Vesuvius in 1727 ". Purchased by a British governor which also took him to India , the Vesuvius came into possession of the violinist Jan Hambourg , who kept it until his death (1947 ) giving rise to a popular trio with his brothers Mark ( pianist ) and Boris ( cellist ) .

After establishing his name with THE complete Paganini violin concertos on DG in the early 1970s Accardo migrated freely between record companies. His Collins coupling of the Elgar and Walton concertos remains a highlight for me and is now reissued on the budget Regis label. The sojourn with Philips also bore healthy fruit.

Salvatore Accardo is an outstanding Italian violin virtuoso, best known as a master of the works of Niccolò Paganini, but equally accomplished across a wide variety of repertory for the instrument. His playing is characterized by a taut, visceral tone and a disciplined musical approach that avoids self-indulgence. Having also established himself as a successful conductor, chamber musician, and teacher, Accardo may be considered one of the most accomplished and influential musicians of his generation.