Until the creation of the Vienna Paganini Ensemble, we were seldom reminded that the greatest violin virtuoso of all time composed many chamber works featuring the guitar. The music of Niccolò Paganini will be fill the programme of this extraordinary chamber evening devoted entirely to his works. Guitar features are one thing, but the lovers of Paganini’s violin virtuosity will not be disappointed as well.

Although the Paganini Ensemble is yet another Viennese chamber group to appear on the Wrocław stage, its lineup is rather unusual. The musicians founded the ensemble with a very specific repertoire in mind: guitar quartets created by the composer of the ever-admired Caprices. In these works, the violin holds the leading part, but its reaches far beyond sheer virtuosity. This enriches both the form and the unique sound of the discussed instrumental combination. The ensemble reminds a mosaic: the universal, classical musical language standardized in Vienna is fused with the sunshine and melodic spirit characteristic of the Italian peninsula.

The programme will open with the classically styled Second Quartet, published in the 1820s, when Paganini was traveling throughout all of Italy. Coming from a later period of the genius violinist’s life is perhaps his most interesting chamber work, the Terzetto concertante, in which viola, cello, and guitar share their roles with greater democracy. The third piece will be the fiery Introduction with Variations for solo violin – Paganini based it on a theme from Giovanni Paisiello’s 1788 opera La Molinara. To conclude the evening, we will listen to the penultimate of the guitar quartets. It is quite clear that this composition has a certain virtuoso flair than the work opening the concert may lack, yet it proves equally well that Paganini knew well how to engage with formal structure.