NICCOLÒ PAGANINI Violin Concertos nos. 1 & 2 THE NETHERLANDS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Jan Willem de Vriend Rudolf Koelman violin 1 NICCOLÒ PAGANINI Violin Concertos nos. 1 & 2 THE NETHERLANDS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Jan Willem de Vriend Rudolf Koelman violin NICCOLÒ PAGANINI (1782-1840) Paganini – the Rossini of the Violin to perform in opera houses, eagerly Violin Concerto no. 1 in D major op. 6 Opera and the Virtuoso Concerto in attending their performances and [1] Allegro maestoso 19:33 the early 19th century commenting on them in his letters. As [2] Adagio 4:48 to Rossini, he was dernier cri, at least [3] Rondo: Allegro spirituoso 9:48 «The perfect imitation of the sound of after the sensational success of his several wind instruments and of the “Tancredi” in 1813. No stage in Italy GIOACCHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868) highest notes attainable only to the or abroad could afford to ignore him. [4] Overture Matilde di Shabran 9:50 singing angels was a mere play for him.» Paganini procured himself of a score Felice Romani, 1827 at least of one Duet from this opera NICCOLÒ PAGANINI and tried to attend as many Rossini- Violin Concerto no. 2 in b minor op. 7 “La campanella” «It is said, that Rossini […] felt some performances as possible. In his own [5] Allegro maestoso 12:53 kind of enthusiasm for him which was concert bills he accompanied singers [6] Adagio 6:04 mingled with fear.» singing Rossini’s arias and enriched [7] Rondo 8:43 Hector Berlioz, 1852 them with spontaneous improvisations. He also improvised, composed, live recorded total time 71:50 Opera played an important role in and performed purely instrumental the life and works of Niccolò Paganini. variations on Rossini’s most popular Opera violinists and composers themes. At least three of these (Francesco Gnecco, Ferdinando Paër) Variations for violin and orchestra, on were among his first teachers. At the themes of “Mosé”, “La Cenerentola” age of 23 Paganini became leader of and “Tancredi”, have come down to us. the opera orchestra of Bonaparte’s They seem to have been written down sister in Lucca. When he finally in 1818/19. But since Paganini rarely decided to espouse the career of a wrote down or mentioned the dates of traveling virtuoso in late 1809 he used his compositions we can never be sure. 4 5 Anyway, they went through a thorough month and a half. Rossini’s biographer Rossini to Naples and improvised combined freely and wildly. Yet the process of improvisation for a long Radiciotti relying on accounts of the on his violin between the scenes selection itself calls to mind authentic time before reaching their final form. swan of Pesaro himself, tells us that of a performance of his “L’inganno programs like that given at La Scala in Paganini «witnessed the composition Felice” at the Teatro del Fondo. Seven Milan on December 16th 1827, where Paganini came to know Rossini and of the score and enjoyed playing the years later he told a journalist, «that Paganini combined the first movement Isabella Colbran, later to become pieces on his violin as soon as they Rossini borrowed many of his melodic of Concerto no. 1 with the much his wife, in 1818 when they formed were penned down on the paper. It is inventions». In Paris in 1830 they met acclaimed rondo finale of Concerto a lifelong and intimate friendship. At unbelievable what he did with those again and celebrated enthusiastically. no. 2 and the Variations on Rossini’s their first meeting, Paganini tells us in sheets whose ink was still wet. He In 1831 a widely circulated lithograph “La Cenerentola”. Completing the his autobiography, they made music nearly always played two or three parts portrait of primadonna Giuditta Pasta program there were a pair of prodigy all night long, improvising «on the at the same time notwithstanding the accompanied in concert by Paganini siblings, 11 and 13 years old, playing harpsichord in the house of Pegnalver». bass line, imitated orchestral effects on violin and Rossini on piano was one piano with four hands. In 1821 they spent all carnival season and improvised variations.» published establishing the image of an together in Rome. They dressed up illustrious trio. Elements of Paganini’s concerto form as blind beggars in women’s gowns – When the Maestro di Cappella of The double bill of Paganini-Rossini Rossini plump and well fed, Paganini the Teatro Apollo suffered a heart The programme offered in this CD opens our ears to Paganini’s operatic «thin like a stick and endowed with a attack Paganini took over his part forms a bridge between the two style of composing and - one might physiognomy that looked like the neck at short notice, playing not only the most popular violin concertos of suggest - improvising techniques as of a violin» (Massimo d’Azeglio) – and first violin part but conducting the Paganini and the operas of Rossini. well. The individual movements remind parodied the most recent musical new opera as well, which lasted for The bill could almost be arranged us of virtuosic or lyrical opera arias smash hits of the stage. During these four hours. As if that wasn’t enough, by Paganini himself, allowing for each with the solo violin replacing weeks they were inseparable. Paganini the solo horn player too fell ill and the fact that in Paganini’s own time the human voice. Melody, melodic took part in the hectic genesis of Paganini played the horn solos on a violin concertos were rarely played invention and virtuosity are the main Rossini’s most recent opera “Matilde viola. After the series of performances as a whole in concert. Generally only elements. The orchestra contributes di Shabran” which was written in a ended at Lent, Paganini followed the highlights were selected and inventive introductions, intermezzos 6 7 and codas, but when the soloist Violin Concerto no. 1 Paris in the last third of the 18th century orchestra merely plays a sustaining appears it is restricted to sustaining, It is not clear, when the Violin Concerto by virtuoso-composers like Giovanni part. The nature of the thematic underlining and punctuating his or her no. 1 was composed. Dating varies Battista Viotti, Rodolphe Kreutzer and material, a main theme alla marcia and part. Sometimes it adds some color from 1815/16 to 1819. Anyway its Pierre Rode and adopted by Mozart a second lyrical theme, reminds us as to the scoring as for example with the composition falls into the restless and Beethoven as well. It’s structure well as the very cursoric development famous obbligato bell-ringing in the period of Paganini’s Italian concert goes as follows: in the tutti-introduction of Rossini’s rondo finale of the second Concerto. tours. Where and when it was overture-style. And there is a witty A wide range of extensively employed premiered isn’t known either – as is 1st movement: sonata-concerto-form surprise in that the lyrical second embellishments similar to those used also the case with the Concerto no. 2. 2nd movement: romance theme soon turns out to be the main by Rossini in his arias, are employed Both concertos were published 3rd movement: rondo. thematic material of the movement, to show off the virtuoso’s virtuosity posthumously in 1851. From the manifesting considerable flexibility. often forcing notes as high as possible orchestral parts in e flat we see that Before Paganini wrote his own six to regions, where there is virtually no in the 1st concerto Paganini tuned concertos for use in his concerts, the Of the two solo-episodes the first space to place the playing fingers his violin half a tone higher than the 61 concertos of the above mentioned one is shorter (104 bars) then the between bow and bridge. Paganini also orchestra to give it more brilliance, composers were part of his standard second (134 bars). Both of them are uses ornamentation, as does Rossini, tightening the tension of the strings repertoire. symmetrically built. There are sections, to enhance the expressive quality of by 10%. In order to accommodate to where the thematic material is shown music in a direct bodily way, which is this tuning, the orchestra played half a In spite of their romantic instrumental off in constantly changing variations difficult explain verbally. The physical tone higher but, with 10% less tension colours and eccentric virtuosity, the and sections, where there are barely act of tone production is the effect on their strings, sounded subdued in movements are classically structured. any connections with thematic material itself. The sequencing reiteration of comparison to the soloist. The first movement of the D-major- but merely a show off of virtuosic musical figures ad infinitum correlates concerto is clearly divided into passagework: sequencing, leaps with the need to express oneself. So Both of the concertos follow the five sections. Three tutti-sections over up to three octaves, chromatic with Paganini as with Rossini there classical three-movement virtuoso- (introduction, intermezzo, coda) frame and diatonic runs, arpeggios, double is no empty virtuoso tinkling. concerto-form that was established in two vast solo-episodes, where the stops up to a tenth (Paganini had long 8 9 fingers!), chordal playing, playing on The second movement consists of a Violin Concerto no. 2 and wrote a Grande Fantasie on «La three strings and plenty of notes of the two-part lyrical song for the violin in the The Violin Concerto no. 2 was campanella» as well as introducing a highest register up till g’’’’. The first parallel minor key to D-major (b-minor) composed in Naples in 1826.