Search - Giuseppe Tartini, Nathan Milstein, Josef [Composer] Suk :: Paganini's Violin

Paganini's Violin
Giuseppe Tartini, Nathan Milstein, Josef [Composer] Suk
Paganini's Violin
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Special Interest, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (18) - Disc #1


     
?

Larger Image

CD Details

 

CD Reviews

From the Ottawa Citizen
Record Collector | Mons, Belgium | 12/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

""It is hardly surprising that Paganini gradually acquired a flotilla of sensational instruments including enough Stradivariuses to kit out a quartet. His purchase of the viola generated a celebrated commission, Hector Berlioz's 1834 concerto 'Harold in Italy'. The composition was not gaudy enough to flatter the artist's Olympian conceit and so while he paid the piper, he never played the tune. A s to violins, it is interesting that, while Paganini owned priceless Apollonian Strads, his regular preference was for a more Dionysian Guarnieri del Jesu of 1742. In the 'Music of Man' series, Yehudi Menuhin expressed an identical opinion about the relative merits of these Cremona luthiers.



"Paganini's will contains a special codicil dealing with the disposition of the beloved Guarnieri. It was left to the Ligurian capitol of Genoa, his birthplace. The bequest clearly instructs city fathers to maintain the instrument in playing condition and loan it to visiting virtuosi with impeccable credentials. The violin now lives in a bullet-proof glass case inside the Sala Rosa, basking in controlled temperature and humidity. It is ceremoniously presented to each winner of the Paganini Competition, and occasionally, someone is allowed to play it.



"So what? Well, let's face it, this is no ordinary hunk of varnished wood. The greatest fiddler of all time considered it the greatest fiddle ever made. In current discography only two performers, both Italians, have been given a shot at it and they produced superb but dramatically different recordings.



"The first, Paganini's 24 Capricci, Opus One performed by Ruggiero Ricci (on Biddulph Records), was produced by Vatican Radio in 1989 inside the Sala Rosa. The piece was over in two takes and has the granular persuasion of live performance, a hard call in modern recording.



"The second recording is a collection of miniatures by various composers from Tartini to Szymanowki, fantastically played by Salvatore Accardo on Dynamic Records. The varied music on this album showcases the remarkable voices locked inside the Guarnieri."



"