Paganini

Billboard chart-topping violinist Rachel Barton Pine traverses Paganinis ground breaking set of 24 Caprices with virtuosic flair and, in equal measure, reverence for the bel canto, or beautiful singing,'' style of the composers generation. Playing on the ex-Bazzini, ex-Soldat Guarneri del Gesù violin from 1742, made by the same Cremona-based maker in the same year as Paganinis own violin, Rachel channels the composers own technical wizardry as well as his love for beautiful melodies. Rachel was first introduced to Paganinis Caprices at the age of six. In her early twenties she gave her first performance of all 24 Caprices in a single concert, a feat she has accomplished several times since including at the National Gallery in Washington D.C. and the Ravinia Festival.

Giampaolo Bandini is considered to be one of the best Italian guitarists on the international music circuit. In 2003, he was nominated as the best Italian guitarist of the year by Guitar magazine readers. He graduated with distinction at the age of 19 and owes his musical education to Maestro Giovanni Puddu.

After the Second Piano Concerto (Alpha 395), Nelson Goerner presents here his first solo Brahms recital with the Sonata op.5, a youthful composition that is ‘impetuous, full of ardour and vitality’, says Goerner, ‘but which requires an interpreter who has reached maturity in his or her development to express all that it contains’.
In fact, the Argentinian pianist has had this sonata in his repertory since the start of his career and has played it extensively in concert. Many composers have taken an interest in Paganini and written variations on his famous theme: Liszt before Brahms, and Rachmaninoff and Lutosławski after him. ‘ Brahms displays exuberant invention in his Variations, which are at once highly virtuosic and very profound, and above all overflowing with imagination. Brahms gives the name “Études” to these variations which, like the études of Chopin and Liszt, go far beyond the superficially off-putting nature of the title’, concludes the pianist. ‘It’s a marvel of inventiveness!’

After the Second Piano Concerto (Alpha 395), Nelson Goerner presents here his first solo Brahms recital with the Sonata op.5, a youthful composition that is ‘impetuous, full of ardour and vitality’, says Goerner, ‘but which requires an interpreter who has reached maturity in his or her development to express all that it contains’.

Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto was composed while he was a student at the Moscow Conservatoire, then fully reworked before he left Russia in 1917 and again in 1919. It is hard to explain why it never achieved a higher level of popularity – it has all of the melodic beauty, passion and brilliance found throughout the composer’s music. The Fourth Piano Concerto was much revised after harsh criticism at its premiere but it occupies a unique place in Rachmaninov’s oeuvre, showing a progression from lush Romanticism towards the muscular transparency of his later works. The electrifying Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a concerto in all but name – the work’s sense of fun and demonic bravura has ensured its place among the most-loved and often performed works for piano and orchestra.

Serge Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto might never have seen the light of day had it not been for hypnosis: before the twenty-seven-year-old composer began work on it, he was on his last legs – financially, artistically and psychologically. Dr Nikolay Dahl hypnotised his patient every day, whispering to him: ‘You will write your concerto. You will work with great fluency. The concerto will be of excellent quality.’ The creative block disappeared, and the concerto’s premiere in Moscow in 1901 was a triumph for Rachmaninov, who played the solo part himself.

Mikhail Pletnev and the newly formed Rachmaninoff International Orchestra (RIO) performed under the baton of Kent Nagano all four Rachmaninoff piano concertos and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in October 2023.

Following her acclaimed DG debut album Beethoven and Beyond, the Spanish violinist María Dueñas has chosen to play Nicolò Paganini’s iconic 24 Caprices for her upcoming second album. She couples the pieces, which are known as one of the hardest works that have ever been written for violin, with a selection of later works inspired by Paganini, presenting music by composers ranging from Berlioz and Kreisler to Gabriela Ortiz.“Paganini’s 24 Caprices are a milestone for every violinist,” explains Dueñas, when asked about her choice of repertoire. “I grew up listening to and performing them, and when we hear the word ‘caprice’ we instantly think of Paganini, but there are so many other caprices, from Saint-Saëns’s Rondo capriccioso to works by contemporary composers like Cervelló, for example. I really wanted to show how a lot of little moments from the musical world all come together.”