Laurent Korcia - Mister Paganini on CD

Description

Stretching across the centuries and transcending styles, the transcriptions written by Ysaÿe and Kreisler in homage to Paganini, their forebear, forge a link among these three illustrious violinist/composers. The transcription genre originated with Paganini, who borrowed themes from Mozart and Rossini operas as starting points for extraordinarily virtuosic variations on the violin. 'Di tanti palpiti', based on an aria from 'Tancredi' of the same name, is part of a group of works that feature dizzyingly acrobatic variations on highly fashionable themes. It should therefore come as no surprise that Paganini s own themes have also been subjected to the same treatment! Laurent Korcia recounts that as a child it was exactly this sort of musical bonbon that made him fall in love with the violin. In fact, at the age of 18 he won the Paganini competition which he played on one of Paganini s violins, the Canone Guarnerus. Today, this generous, free violinist has embarked on a journey to discover the magical Kreisler, scaling the dizzying heights that lead to Paganini and to some of the most bewitching spells that a violin can weave. Review The end of Ysaye s Paganini s Variations, the kind of work that suites the flare and character of Laurent Korcia to a T. --BBC Radio 3 5 Stars 'This is a virtuoso album par excellence.' --The Guardian 'Take three of the all-time great violinist-composers, bring to the boil, stir and leave to simmer and the result is pure musical dynamite ... Finest of all is a gripping performance of Ysäye s 15 wrist-crippling variations on Paganini s famous Caprice No. 24, a cornucopia of fiendish technical ingenuity that Korcia throws off with scintillating flair and passion.' --BBC Music Magazine ...the bristling talent of Laurent Korcia, one of the most individual players of the day, and a man who never shirks risks' --MusicWeb International