Tomás Cotik, Monica Ohuchi - Paganini: Capriccio (2025) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Centaur Records will release Paganini: Capriccio, a new album by violinist Tomás Cotik, on October 24, 2025. The recording presents a personal selection of seventeen of Paganini’s twenty-four Caprices, framed by the lyrical Cantabile and the Moses Fantasy. Pianist Monica Ohuchi joins Cotik for these opening and closing works.

Instead of adhering to the traditional numerical sequence, Cotik has curated the Caprices to highlight their diverse characters and technical challenges. This approach reflects the historical reality that the modern idea of performing all twenty-four Caprices in strict order is a twentieth-century convention, not Paganini’s; composed gradually between 1802 and 1817 in distinct groups, the Caprices were published together in 1820 by Ricordi. Paganini did not perform the Caprices as a complete set in public; they were composed as virtuosic exercises, each focusing on different aspects of violin technique and musical expression.

His concert programs were eclectic, featuring works for different instrumentations and juxtaposing lyrical passages with virtuosic displays. This recording follows that spirit. Each Caprice displays a distinctive character and technical challenge—from the perpetual trills of No. 6 and the ricochet arpeggios of No. 1 to the hunting-horn effects of No. 9, the rarely played, demanding original bow stroke ‘3+1 ricochet’ in No. 5, the devil’s laughter effect in No. 13, and the all-encompassing demands of No. 24. The album underscores Paganini’s close ties to Italian opera, in particular the bel canto style that shaped his coloratura passages, lyricism, and expression.

The Cantabile, one of Paganini’s few original works for violin and piano, displays his song- like writing in a three-part aria with variations. The Moses Fantasy concludes the album with a set of bravura variations on Rossini’s aria Dal tuo stellato soglio, played entirely on the G string. Paganini would allegedly break strings purposefully for showmanship, sometimes concluding a concert with a piece performed on only one string, highlighting his extraordinary virtuosity and dramatic flair. Together, these works illustrate Paganini’s dualidentity as both a virtuoso innovator and a composer deeply influenced by the operatic tradition.

Cotik’s interpretation places Paganini within his historical and musical context, moving past the popular 19th-century legends of the “devil’s violinist.” He presents Paganini instead as the first modern musical superstar—an artist whose extraordinary skill captivated audiences and earned admiration from some of the most esteemed composers, including Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms. Drawing on historical approaches, Cotik incorporates Paganini’s original bowings and treats vibrato as a selective expressive device rather than a constant, reflecting practices documented in Paganini’s own era.

Cotik explains: “To me, Paganini’s music represents an irresistible challenge—a chance to probe deeply into the efficiency and intricacies of my own playing while performing in a language not unlike the human voice: beautiful, moving, and full of character.”

Tracklist:
01. Cantabile, Op. 17, MS 109 (Version for Violin & Piano)
02. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 6 in G Minor The Trill
03. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 20 in D Major
04. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 21 in A Major
05. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 1 in E Major L'arpeggio
06. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 17 in E-Flat Major
07. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 9 in E Major La chasse
08. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 11 in C Major
09. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 16 in G Minor
10. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 2 in B Minor
11. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 13 in B-Flat Major The Devil's Laughter
12. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 14 in E-Flat Major
13. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 23 in E-Flat Major
14. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 22 in F Major
15. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 10 in G Minor
16. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 5 in A Minor
17. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 18 in C Major
18. 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 24 in A Minor
19. Mosè-fantasia, Op. 24, MS 23 (Version for Violin & Piano)


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