PAGANINI CAPRICES PLUS PROJECT
I started this project with the idea of recording Paganini’s 24 Caprices plus some other Caprices by composers of the time who were influenced by Paganini - hence the plus in the title. However, it has now evolved so the plus factor now also involves:
Tutorial videos where I work through each caprice with suggestions of how to tackle these brilliant and challenging works.
Performance videos of me playing each Caprice. I figured after all the stopping and starting in the tutorials that you might like to also watch me l playing them without constantly stopping and starting!
Blogs: Here I discuss more the wonders and intricacies of each Caprice.
So like I said, the meaning of the word “plus” has kind of evolved, a lot!
Album to come.
When I was a teenager I would’ve loved to have been able to watch tutorial videos. It’s such an advantageous tool now for young players so I hope my tutorial videos are helpful to any ambitious inquisitive young and old and everything in between players out there.
PLAYING PAGANINI CAPRICE
NO. 1
3rd November 2021
This is a seriously challenging Caprice to play - aptly nicknamed “The Arpeggio” - and surely one of the most jaw dropping in it’s technical brilliance and inventiveness. It’s no secret that Paganini was strongly influenced by Locatelli’s 24 Caprices and you’ll notice this has a stark similarity especially to Locatelli’s no.7 which opens in a very similar way. His famous Labyrinth Caprice also must’ve been influential; you can listen to my recording of this on my album “Violin Alone”. Although Paganini’s 1st Caprice is relatively short (most recordings are over 2 mins, mine is 1.49, Perlman being the fastest at 1.41) no matter how good you are it’s the kind of work you’re likely to have to develop in layers over a long period of time to eventually get to the point you can feel sure enough to record or perform it with enough confidence. I was lucky enough to have studied this with legendary violinist Ruggiero Ricci in my student days but no matter how many tips you get from anyone, you’re going to have to earn it for yourself. You do this through some serious practising plus of course already having acquired a high level of playing in general. If your technical level isn’t up to it then no matter how much you practice it’ll probably never be enjoyable to listen to for either you or anyone else! However, even if there is more struggle than a good result it will only help you develop your technique. Such are the demands - you just may need to keep it as a private venture - as many do! In this Caprice you’ve mainly got to be playing in continuous quadruple stop chords in the left hand whilst constantly bouncing the bow across the strings in what’s called ‘arpeggiated flying staccato’ with a few triple stops alternating with single stop spiccato bow strokes thrown in plus some rapid scales in thirds…phew! Bar the final chords everything is marked staccato. As with most of the Caprices I prefer to go for a high level of speed and risk taking. After all this is pure bravura, let’s not be mistaken so in my opinion one should take the risk and go full throttle for maximum virtuosic effect. The speed you choose will determine how high up the bow the flying staccato will be executed; below the middle = slower, above the middle = faster. It’s true that it’s only marked Andante but this is deceptive as one must play 8 demisemiquavers per beat! After retiring to California, Ricci was asked in a Q&A session after one of his masterclasses what kind of bow he’d use to play something as demanding as this Caprice - perhaps something unusual? . His answer didn’t surprise me: “I’d use a good one!” - he said. I’d have to agree.
