Ning Feng – Paganini: 24 Caprices + 1 (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Paganini’s success as a violin virtuoso was naturally only partly based on the fantastical, mysterious and demonic atmosphere that surrounded him. What his professional admirers captivated most of all was his unparalleled playing technique. The best impression of his musical and technical accomplishment can be gained from his most talkedabout work, the 24 Caprices opus 1 (1817), which were modelled on the similarly named pieces by Pietro Locatelli (1733). To this day the 24 Caprices are still considered the bible of violin technique. Ning Feng, First Prize winner at the 2006 International Violin Competition Premio Paganini, gives us a fresh take on his 2017 Samuel Zygmuntowicz violin, and concludes the program with the remarkable Caprice d’Adieu.

On one hand, it’s a testament to the modern tuition of violin technique that Paganini’s 24 Caprices are widely played. In his time, they were outlandish enough to inspire various demonic legends recounted in the booklet of this Channel Classics release, including the delightful tale that Paganini strangled his wife and used her intestines to make one of his violin strings, the one that produced the sweetest tone. On the other hand, there are still differences among the available performances. They are not exercises producing a monolithic group. The more arcane details of the caprices may emerge with greater or lesser clarity, and the expressive dimension of the caprices may vary. Violinist Ning Feng, a Paganini specialist who has been at it for some years now, has every detail in place. It would be irrational to try to list every one but listen to the Caprice No. 3 in E minor and its delicately weighted little octave trills. Feng has sometimes been charged with mechanical playing, but it’s not really true. Balancing the fantastically difficult elements in these pieces requires musicality, which Feng provides. However, he could deliver more warmth and charisma in the purely melodic passages, such as the aria-like amoroso opening of the Caprice No. 21 in A major; these were an important part of Paganini’s appeal, and it’s impossible to believe he didn’t ham them up a bit. Still, for violinists especially, there is much to learn here. Channel Classics deploys various high-tech devices in the engineering, but none of it can make up for the fact that the church ambiance robs the music of intimacy and bears little resemblance to the places where it was played by Paganini.

Tracklist:
01. Ning Feng – No. 1 in E Major: Andante (01:46)
02. Ning Feng – No. 2 in B Minor: Moderato (03:03)
03. Ning Feng – No. 3 in E Minor: Sostenuto – Presto – Sostenuto (03:00)
04. Ning Feng – No. 4 in C Minor: Maestoso (06:09)
05. Ning Feng – No. 5 in A Minor: Agitato (02:43)
06. Ning Feng – No. 6 in G Minor: Agitato (04:31)
07. Ning Feng – No. 7 in A Minor: Posato (03:46)
08. Ning Feng – No. 8 in E-Flat Major: Maestoso (02:52)
09. Ning Feng – No. 9 in E Major: Allegretto (03:02)
10. Ning Feng – No. 10 in G Minor: Vivace (02:31)
11. Ning Feng – No. 11 in C Major: Andante – Presto – Andante (04:06)
12. Ning Feng – No. 12 in A-Flat Major: Allegro (02:59)
13. Ning Feng – No. 13 in B-Flat Major: Allegro (02:19)
14. Ning Feng – No. 14 in E-Flat Major: Moderato (02:09)
15. Ning Feng – No. 15 in E Minor: Posato (03:07)
16. Ning Feng – No. 16 in G Minor: Presto (01:35)
17. Ning Feng – No. 17 in E-Flat Major: Sostenuto – Andante (03:45)
18. Ning Feng – No. 18 in C Major: Corrente – Allegro (02:43)
19. Ning Feng – No. 19 in E-Flat Major: Lento – Allegro assai (02:38)
20. Ning Feng – No. 20 in D Major: Allegretto (03:15)
21. Ning Feng – No. 21 in A Major: Amoroso – Presto (03:20)
22. Ning Feng – No. 22 in F major: Marcato (02:57)
23. Ning Feng – No. 23 in E-Flat Major: Posato – Minore – Posato (03:46)
24. Ning Feng – No. 24 in A Minor: Tema quasi presto – Variazioni – Finale (04:48)
25. Ning Feng – Caprice d’Adieu in E Major: Allegro moderato (02:28)