Customer Reviews: not many people could play all these well!May 30, 2006 dan the fan(england,uk) 3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Everything you need to know about the sounds a violin can make is contained in these 24 caprices.Paganini played the violin so well that people thought he was possessed by the Devil.
But in modern parlance I would say that these pieces are not so much evil as "wicked!" You even get to hear the theme tune to the tv arts programme "The South Bank Show."
Wonderful!April 1, 2006 Mr. D. Middleton(Oxfordshire, England) 3 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is by far the best recording of Paganini's Caprices. Perlman has great control over the pizzicato of the 24th Caprice. A great buy to all those who love classical music!
GreatJanuary 5, 2006 Prof Harvey Crichton(Gloucester, Oxford, London, England) 5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a blinder. One of the best violinists in recording history doing a version of perhaps the greatest violinist of all time`s most difficult work to play. Fantastic quality from EMI and great playing indeed! This cd reeks of energy pathos and really wakes me up in the mornings better than anything else I know. This is a real treasure and a secret connisseurs version in my view. Highly recommended. Seriously good music and well interpreted by Perlman.If there is a better version of this available I`m yet to know what it is. A treasure and a total non regret buy and at a very good price as well. Go for it I say. You will NOT be disapointed. There really is something sublime in this rendition and in the music itself. Top marks. A real great discovery for me. A minor treasure in the collection. One that always surprises me when I play it just how good it really is.This music never loses it edge for me. It`s as sharp and clear and exciting as when I first played it. That`s a rare thing in music even classical music.
Wonderful CD, and quite uniqueMarch 14, 2004 Observer(England) 18 out of 19 found this review helpful
Firstly i must make it clear that i'm not a Violinist. So i will not be commenting on the technical side of things in regard to this recording. Just from my joy of this unique and exciting work. Niccolo Paganini had a reputation in his time for scaring people with his frantic and outstanding playing. The man dressed in black, with aquiline features and hunched shoulders displayed a level of skill with the Violin that made many people convinced that he was in league with the Devil to produce such astounding ability. It is said that Paganini,rather than putting a stop to this myth, kept it going as he understood publicity very well and it's usefulness. Clever man. These 24 caprices (technical exercises of improvisation) are indeed magical and do indeed startle you as if they're coming from madness itself.
Apparently,they are considered the "Gauntlet" for violin virtuosos,as they are so difficult to play. Anyone who can play this,has to be pretty damn good basically. From the moment you press play, to the moment it stops. You are astounded by the skill level on display here, even if (like me) you dont play the Violin. It just sounds like pure genius and mastery of the Violin. The Violinist on this CD is Itzhak Perlman,and he does a superb job in my opinion. Each Caprice is unique and uses a different part of the Violin to produce bizzare structures. What we "dont" have here,is a soft sunday afternoon Violin Concerto with the cat sleeping on your lap. What we have here,is exciting mania and the cat leaping around wandering what on earth is going on. Hence, you have to be in the right mood to play this.
The pieces are sometimes full of sheer beauty, and other times full of speedy,tense,and wrenching terror. I highly reccomend this CD,if you are interested in hearing a solo violin outside of the usual concerto's where it's full capacity is not explored at all. The Violin certainly is a fantastic instrument. If you like that romantic story surrounding Paganini,then also check out the DVD on Amazon uk called "The Red Violin". The character of an 18th century English Lord and Violin Virtuoso in the film called Frederick Pope, is almost certainly modelled on Paganini's myth. Pope's erotic inspired music is certainly linked to these pieces in thier display of genius madness and passion. Give this CD a go, and you wont be dissapointed.
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