For the first time, Paganini's First Concerto is recorded in its original tonality of E-flat Major, with the violin tuned up by half a tone, as indicated in Paganini's autograph.
Recording & Production
This album is the first in a three-CD series dedicated to the complete violin concertos of Nicolò Paganini, a significant 19th-century Italian violin composer.
Compositional Technique
Paganini's Concerto No. 2, known as 'La Campanella,' is notable for its use of a bell in F-sharp in the Rondo movement, which was considered a novelty at the time.
Recording & Production
This recording presents Paganini's concertos in their original manuscript versions, which differ significantly from 19th-century printed editions.
Compositional Technique
Paganini's First Concerto originally required the solo violin to be tuned a semitone higher, making it a transposing instrument, while the orchestra played in E-flat Major.
Instruments
The violin concertos on this album are performed using Nicolò Paganini's own violin, a famous 1742 Guarneri del Gesù, which was granted for use by the City of Genoa.
Performer Biography
Massimo Quarta, the soloist and conductor on this album, won the prestigious Paganini International Violin Competition in 1991, becoming the second Italian to achieve this honor.
