Nicolo Paganini - Violin Concerto in D major (1817) - III. Allegro spirituoso (Salvatore Accardo)

Well, I managed to listen to all six of Paganini's violin concertos, and, though one can find considerable pleasure in these virtuoso works, my feelings, to be honest, are a bit conflicted. It is impossible not to admire the obvious skill of Paganini as both the soloist and the composer of the pieces but at times I found myself actually feeling a bit bored, in particular, by the repetitiveness of the rather overstretched opening movements (the shortest of which lasts about fifteen minutes) and by the formality of the central adagio passages. Some very attractive themes in the other movements (especially in the first and the second concertos) notwithstanding, the concertos are truly best represented by their final rondos/allegros which, in many cases, feature charming musical ideas (such as the "La campanella" rondo with a delightful bell effect) or, at the very least, are very much exciting and plain fun to listen to (the polonaise of the sixth concerto being a particularly clear example and one that I hope post as soon as possible). But the first piece I wanted to upload is the absolutely jubilant allegro of the most famous concerto, No. 1, in fact.

Like many of his other works, the first concerto takes inspiration from the musical language of the belcanto school which was very much popular at the time (an especially obvious example is the opening allegro which features an orchestral prelude that almost seems to be a chorus before the entrance of the soloist). Paganini originally composed the concerto in the unusual key of E-flat major, in order to achieve a more brilliant tone for the violin but, as pitches are higher today that they were in Paganini's time, the concert is usually transposed to D major. By modern standards (though, considering the overall quality of playing, it is a very relative comparison), the technical demands of the concerto are moderate but in Paganini's time they were considered tremendous, and many contemporaries branded the piece "unplayable": the work is, indeed, a catalog of such flashy techniques as extended arpeggios, left-hand pizzicati, rapid runs in thirds, fifths and even harmonics. Paganini's aura of mystery was amplified by his refusal to allow his works to be published during his lifetime, making it impossible for his rivals to study and master his techniques. The present movement, marked allegro spirituoso, is truly spirited, combining a remarkably comic and appealing main theme that appears as a omnipresent force throughout and a large amount of delightful musical effects (such as the extended sustained movement, punctuated by the horn and a particularly notable orchestral background, at 5:21 - 6:57). In simple terms, the piece is very much winning for both the players and the audience to whom an option of fantasizing about the image the allegro is painting is given. In my case, the rondo immediately reminded me of the background image I am using, that of a busy train station, combining large hurried crowds of people, scenes of tenderness and a general excitement of the situation.

Salvatore Accardo, supported by London Philharmonic Orchestra (under Charles Dutoit), is, perhaps, just as close as one can get to what excitement Paganini generated during his concerts. Hope you'll enjoy :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Paganini
• classical
• romantic
• belcanto
• orchestral
• rondo
• Violin
• Concerto
• No.
• #1
• number
• one

[knightgeded]

paganini is no human ¡impresionant!.

[italianpolka69]

@geletmote hey dude devil sold his soul just to see paganini. and god sold his soul just to lick dirt from boots of paganini

[SipeskClassics]

This performance is out of this world. So beautiful, i have listened to it thousands of times and it plays again.

Can't get enough of it.

[cameltooth1]

The only thing better would b hearing Niccolo play it himself. That would b the best. Think about hearing Chopin or Bach, etc. in person or on recording somehow.

[amourkayanyan]

I am in love with this piece =]

i must play the music at least three times a day!!

[knightgeded]

@GOCookingShow its only an expression.

[GOCookingShow]

@knightgeded he practiced 12 hours a day to acheive this, how is that not human????

[TheBlueguitar333]

has anyone tried playing his music backwards? 0.0? i wonder if it sounds scary lol

[LEOLIDES]

UN TROZO DE VIRTUOSISMO DE LA MAJESTUOSA ARTE MUSICAL. PAGANINI SU FORMA TECNICA PARA TOCAR EL VIOLIN UNA DE LAS MAS COMPLEJAS. UFF LO MAXIMO

[chopinidolatry]

Absolutamente, genial!, Lástima que NO PODEMOS COMPARTIRLA por Facebook; debería quitarle los candados para que los que compartimos piezas como esta y la demás gente conozca las diversas maravillas musicales.

[angus24402870451]

Maestro Accardo always make a clear interpretation! Bravo!