Avie 2374
Through the years, a variety of artists have performed Paganini’s 24 Caprices for solo violin Op. 1 and notable recordings of the complete cycle include Ruggiero Ricci, Salvatore Accardo, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Rabin and Leonidas Kavakos. In her latest release, Rachel Barton Pine provides a no-nonsense approach to Paganini’s sophisticated showpieces, infusing each with interpretative seriousness and personal conviction that brings out the best of this music.
Several other of Paganini’s tour de force miniatures are also included plus her own virtuosic composition Introduction, Theme and Variations on ‘God Defend New Zealand’ - which she premiered during an inaugural concert tour of the country in 2000.
American violinist extraordinaire Pine is no stranger to challenging repertoire, having recorded Bach’s complete partitas and sonatas for solo violin and Mozart’s complete violin concertos (Avie Records) in addition to being a prize winner of prestigious competitions such as the Paganini and Fritz Kreisler. She and her 1742 Joseph Guarneri del Gesu ex-Bazzini, ex-Soldat have also encountered some unusual situations in transit, such as last year’s refusal of American Airlines to accommodate her and del Gesu on a flight, even suggesting a valet-check for the priceless instrument.
While Introduction and Variations in G Op. 38, Duo merveille ‘Duet for One’ Op. 6 and Caprice d’adieu Op. 68 highlight Pine’s bel canto sound, fearless fingerboard mastery, crystalline intonation and palette of tonal shadings, her performance of the Caprices provides a lasting achievement both musically and technically. Front and center is Pine’s gutsy command of every conceivable complexity and expression such as double stops, flying staccato passagework, earth-toned sonority of No. 4, energized perpetual motion of No. 5 and dexterous bowing in No. 12.
The hurdy-gurdy tremolo effect she produces in No. 6 combined with a rich Caffe Mocha sounding del Gesu (cheers Starbucks and Peet’s) create an otherworldly effect. Franz Liszt emulated Paganini’s qualities on the piano in some of his Grandes etudes de Paganini (1851), which offers a fascinating comparison to No. 1, played with bristling vitality, No. 9 delivered with finessed bravura and No. 17 where scale patterns move in overdrive.
Her playing also contains plenty of delicacies such as oodles of mellifluous tapered phrasing in No’s. 20 and 21, soulful resonance in No. 15, incisive rhythmic punch of No. 14 and the stylish way she spins the familiar No. 24 with its endless bag of pyrotechnical tricks. The bottom line: Wow!