Description
SKU/Barcode: 710357250521
Paganini's 24 Caprices, Op. 1, were composed for solo violin. John Williams transcribed the last caprice of the set, a taut little tarantella with variations and a finale, for guitar, and that transcription inspired guitarist Eliot Fisk to attempt the whole set of 24. It's a tall order. Violinist Ruggiero Ricci, blurbing the disc, claims that "even Paganini wouldn't have believed that it could be played on the guitar," and that's not hyperbole. The issue is that the transcription involves a massive readjustment to the ebb and flow of tension in the music, for what's difficult on a violin (extended passages of double and triple stops) is not necessarily at all difficult on a guitar, whereas Paganini's brilliant violin passagework is a grinding ordeal for the guitarist. What's needed is not just mastery of the notes, difficult as that in itself may be, but in many respects a rethinking of the music. Part of a justification for this difficult project is found in the long relationship between the violin and the guitar in Paganini's creative life, attested to by numerous if often contradictory statements. But the real justification is that these caprices represent something of a planetary ultimate in virtuosity, not in terms of fancy tracks but in those of pure technique. So a guitarist might wish to play them simply because they're there. And indeed, Fisk does an impressive job of remaking the caprices into guitar works. There are, of course, sections that work less well, and the final tarantella is one of them; Fisk's transcription doesn't really reproduce the slashing rhythms the piece has on the violin. But he transfers the sentiment of the slower caprices beautifully to the guitar, and he has the chops to rivet the listener's attention in the rapid runs. Guitarists from the classical field or beyond it should get to know this demonstration of just what is possible to play on six strings, and this beautifully recorded disc, originally released in 1990, made a fine choice for reissue.
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