Paganini: 24 Caprices

Featuring

Roman Simovic
Niccolò Paganini

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Compositional Technique

Paganini had his violin fitted with a flatter bridge than usual to make it easier to play on three or four strings simultaneously.

Critical Reception

For about a century after Paganini's death, his Caprices were often misunderstood, with many violinists and composers adding piano accompaniments or making radical changes to them.

Compositional Technique

The Caprices incorporate numerous technical challenges for the violin, such as double, triple, and quadruple stops, various staccato techniques, double trills, and wide interval stretches.

Cultural Impact

The 24th Caprice, a set of 11 variations, is the most famous and has been borrowed by many other composers, including Brahms, Rachmaninov, Blacher, and Lutosławski.

Composition History

Paganini's 24 Caprices were influenced by Pietro Locatelli's L'arte del violino, which also included 24 solo Capricci, and Paganini even quoted Locatelli's Seventh Caprice in his First Caprice.

Compositional Technique

Paganini's Caprices are more than études; while études typically address a single problem, Paganini often incorporates three or four challenges into each Caprice.

Composition History

Paganini was secretive about his music-making and compositions, guarding his scores from prying eyes, so little is known about the background of his 24 Caprices.