Niccolò Paganini
The remarkable international career of Niccolò Paganini -- regarded in legend as the greatest virtuoso violinist ever -- did not begin until relatively late in life. Born in Genoa in 1782, Paganini received his first musical instruction from his father, a devoted amateur musician. Niccolò's rapid progress on the violin, however, was such that his father (who was in fact a mandolinist, and thus little suited to train his precocious son) was soon compelled to send his son to Giacomo Costa, maestro di capella of the Cathedral at San Lorenzo, for further study. Although he quickly gained some local fame and even embarked on a minor tour of Italy in 1797, it would be many years before Paganini consented to perform outside his native land.
Paganini began composing seriously after his initial tour of Italy in 1797. He performed little during the initial years of the nineteenth century, preferring instead to devote his time to composition and romance (happily combining the two when he met a Florentine noblewoman, to this day anonymous, with a passion for the guitar). In 1805 he resumed his active musical career, accepting the directorship of the orchestra at Lucca, and in 1813 he embarked on a series of concert tours throughout the Italian peninsula.
In 1825, after nearly 30 years of intensive practice and self-scrutiny, Paganini felt he had developed his skills sufficiently to put them on display for all of Europe, and he left Italy for an extensive European tour (Vienna debut 1828, Paris 1831, London 1831). His astounding technical prowess amazed audiences of the day, and many fanciful legends arose to explain his remarkable abilities (one of the more popular held that he was in league with demonic powers, a legend rather supported by his gaunt, pale features). He died in 1840 from cancer of the larynx, having all but ended his concert career in 1834.
Paganini's impact on nineteenth century music cannot be overestimated: he set an entirely new standard of technical virtuosity; he was among the first musicians to champion the music of Berlioz (having commissioned, but never performed, Harold in Italy); and the inspirational effect that his works would have on the young Franz Liszt -- who set out to duplicate Paganini's achievements on the piano -- would alter both the course of music and the life of the young Liszt forever. Paganini's own compositions, including an unidentified number of violin concertos (some six are extant) and numerous chamber works, have more or less been abandoned. The concertos are written in the Italian operatic style of the day, oscillating between lyric charm and ferocious technical display, and are the only works of his which remain in the repertory (though many of the shorter works, by comparison, are gems and deserve to be played more).
© TiVo
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Paganini's Devil's Violin - 30 Must-Have Virtuoso Violin Classics
Clásica - Editado por Full Length el 04-06-2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Zsigmondy Plays Paganini
Denes Zsigmondy, Anneliese Nissen
Clásica - Editado por Tuxedo Music el 01-05-2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Napoli 1810: Italian Romantic Music
Clásica - Editado por Groupe Analekta, Inc el 29-01-2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 7 (Digitally Remastered)
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Yevgeny Svetlanov, Andrei Korsakov
Clásica - Editado por EMG Classical el 28-10-2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Paganini - The Complete Works for Violin/Viola, Cello & Guitar
Nils-Erik Sparf, Andreas Brantelid, David Harenstam
Música de cámara - Editado por Naxos Sweden - Proprius Records el 03-03-2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Romance with Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini, Erich Appel, Igor Oïstrakh, Valter Despalj
Lounge - Editado por PMI Collins Classics el 01-02-2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Salvatore Accardo plays Paganini
Salvatore Accardo, Niccolò Paganini
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 08-08-2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Sonata for Violin and Guitar No. 2 in G Major, Op. 3 (Digitally Remastered)
Clásica - Editado por EMG Classical el 28-10-2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
NSO Principals Series: Cantabile Violin & Guitar
李宜錦, 蘇孟風, Niccolò Paganini, Manuel de Falla, Béla Bartók, Manuel Ponce
Clásica - Editado por Jingo el 12-10-2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini - Zsigmondy Plays Paganini
Niccolò Paganini, Anneliese Nissen, Denes Zsigmondy
Clásica - Editado por Denon el 01-01-1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini Cosy Moments
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 14-11-2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Violine & Gitarre
Clásica - Editado por Ton 4 Records el 24-01-2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: 24 Caprices, Op.1
Clásica - Editado por Naxos Sweden - Nilento el 11-11-2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini - The Complete Works for Violin/Viola, Cello & Guitar
Niccolò Paganini, Nils-Erik Sparf, Andreas Brantelid, David Harenstam
Música de cámara - Editado por Proprius el 03-03-2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Niccolò Paganini. 43 Ghiribizzi per Chitarra
Clásica - Editado por Arsis Aclass el 05-09-2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 (Incomplete) [Digitally Remastered]
Clásica - Editado por EMG Classical el 28-10-2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Niccolò Paganini Essential Recordings
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 26-10-2022
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Paganini: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6 (Digitally Remastered)
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Libor Pešek
Clásica - Editado por EMG Classical el 28-10-2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classics In The Pop Of Treatments. Paganini - The Best
Clásica - Editado por Russian Compact Disc el 09-06-1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cantabile in D Major, Op. 17 (Live)
Clásica - Editado por Cantabel Productions el 05-03-2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo