| 24. Tema. Quasi Presto Variazioni Finale in A minor This performance of one of the most challenging scores in the violin repertory, Paganini's 24 Caprices, played by the internationally celebrated violinist, Alexander Markov, recorded in Reggio Emilia, Italy. It combines intense passion with extraordinary technical ability. Director Bruno Monsaingeon, himself a concert violinist, first heard Markov during a recital in New York entirely devoted to the Caprices and was left utterly dumbfounded. He says of that concert, "the technical difficulties, as if naturally overcome, had been replaced by an incandescent musical imagination which made the Paganini Caprices a thrilling experience, far removed from the school-masterly and cautious approach of most violinists." Sir Yehudi Menuhin says "Alexander Markov will certainly leave his mark on the music-lovers of the world and in the annals of the violin virtuosi of our day. He is without doubt, one of the most brilliant and musical of violinists." Mstislav Rostropovich says: "Once I managed to hear his performance of the 24 Paganini Caprices on TV I am certain that he is one of the most interesting young violinists of his generation in the entire world." |
