Paganini: 24 Caprices in Bloomington, MN

There are plenty of recordings of
Paganini
's
24 Caprices for solo violin, Op. 1
. Some have even been made by players at ripe young ages;
María Dueñas
was just 22 when this album appeared on the
Deutsche Grammophon
label in 2025. However, from that smaller group, those who have devised novel readings of the
Caprices
are a much shorter list. The narrative that usually goes with
has him as a concert idol, a predecessor of
Liszt
in that respect, but
Dueñas
goes in the opposite direction, seeking expression along with the technical fireworks. Not that she is lacking for the latter; she hits the top notes precisely and takes the listener into a strange world when she does so. Sample the
fifth Caprice
as one among many. She is not particularly quick in tempo overall, and she can take a bit of space to bring out the kind of detail that
might have tried to give to his audiences. The
, as a whole, are absorbing performances indeed.
lets some of the energy run over into a group of 19th century display pieces whose presence she justifies by saying that they were descendants of
's work. This is true in a general sense, but the collection holds together only loosely and were recorded at different times and places. Regardless, the
are well worth one's time, coming from a young player who would seem to have a great future ahead. This album made classical best-seller lists in early 2025. ~ James Manheim