Notes and Editorial Reviews
Put on this 1954 all-Paganini recital from the Library of Congress and you'll be awestruck at the sheer musicality, proportion, and taste behind Zino Francescatti's staggering technical command of his violin. His intense vibrato never veers off the correct intonational mark, and even the fleetest scales, runs, and roulades are purposefully articulated, never sketchy. Then there's his amazing palette of bow strokes and slides, effortless double-stops, skips, and arpeggios. In the D major concerto's third movement, for example, as you listen to the double-stop harmonics you sense that Francescatti knew exactly how they would sound before he played them. Although the violinist follows the now-antiquated practice of adding piano accompaniments
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to both the concerto and the selection of Caprices, Artur Balsam's full-bodied, bedrock support proves much more than mere accompanying. In short, Paganini's music seldom has been so lovingly and intelligently served, and the archival recording boasts ample bloom and presence for its time and place. An absolute must for violin fans.--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Violin no 1 in D major, Op. 6 by Niccolò Paganini
Performer:
Zino Francescatti (Violin),
Artur Balsam (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: ?1817
Date of Recording: 1954
Venue: Library of Congress
Length: 26 Minutes 10 Secs.
Notes: Arranged: Zino Francescatti
4.
Caprices (24) for Violin solo, Op. 1: no 13 in B flat major by Niccolò Paganini
Performer:
Zino Francescatti (Violin),
Artur Balsam (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: circa 1805; Italy
Date of Recording: 1954
Venue: Library of Congress
Length: 2 Minutes 34 Secs.
Notes: Arranged: Zino Francescatti
5.
Caprices (24) for Violin solo, Op. 1: no 15 in E minor by Niccolò Paganini
Performer:
Zino Francescatti (Violin),
Artur Balsam (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: circa 1805; Italy
Date of Recording: 1954
Venue: Library of Congress
Length: 2 Minutes 50 Secs.
Notes: Arranged: Mario Pilati
6.
Caprices (24) for Violin solo, Op. 1: no 17 in E flat major by Niccolò Paganini
Performer:
Zino Francescatti (Violin),
Artur Balsam (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: circa 1805; Italy
Date of Recording: 1954
Venue: Library of Congress
Length: 3 Minutes 9 Secs.
Notes: Arranged: Zino Francescatti
7.
Caprices (24) for Violin solo, Op. 1: no 21 in A major by Niccolò Paganini
Performer:
Zino Francescatti (Violin),
Artur Balsam (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: circa 1805; Italy
Date of Recording: 1954
Venue: Library of Congress
Length: 3 Minutes 17 Secs.
Notes: Arranged: Mario Pilati
8.
Caprices (24) for Violin solo, Op. 1: no 24 in A minor by Niccolò Paganini
Performer:
Zino Francescatti (Violin),
Artur Balsam (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: circa 1805; Italy
Date of Recording: 1954
Venue: Library of Congress
Length: 6 Minutes 10 Secs.
Notes: Arranged: Zino Francescatti
Sound Samples
Concerto in D major, Op. 6: I. Allegro maestoso
Concerto in D major, Op. 6: II. Adagio
Concerto in D major, Op. 6: III. Rondo - Allegro spiritoso
Six Caprices - No. 13 in B flat major
Six Caprices - No. 15 in E minor
Six Caprices - No. 21 in A major
Six Caprices - No. 9 in E major
Six Caprices - No. 17 in E flat major
Six Caprices - No. 24 in A minor
Caprice No. 20, in D major
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