Paganini Quartets for Strings and Guitar Nos. 11, 6 & 13

Featuring

Mario Hossen
Marta Potulska
Liliana Kehayova
Alexander Swete
Paganini Ensemble Vienna
Niccolò Paganini

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Composition History

Paganini began composing his guitar quartets around 1813, dedicating them to friends and acquaintances in Genoa.

Composition History

While the first six quartets were published in 1820, ten subsequent works remained in manuscript form and were only gradually published after 1972.

Compositional Technique

Quartet No. 11 is in B major, an unusual key for its time, and requires the guitar to use a capotasto on the second fret, raising its tuning by a whole tone.

Critical Reception

Despite being considered the "apex of Paganini's chamber production" by musicologists, his guitar quartets are still not part of the standard repertoire and have few recordings.

Performer Biography

Mario Hossen, the founder of the Paganini Ensemble Vienna, is a Bulgarian-Austrian concert violinist considered a leading interpreter of Paganini's music, and performs on a 1749 Guadagnini violin.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Paganini's quartets were primarily entertainment pieces, often written for private performances among friends, yet he dedicated significant care and effort to their composition.