María Dueñas: Paganini: 24 Caprices — Caprices by Berlioz, Cervelló, Kreisler, Ortiz, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Wieniawski 2CD

María Dueñas finds the perfect balance between artistry and technique as she tackles an icon of the repertoire for her second Deutsche Grammophon album. Having earned rave reviews and a 2024 OPUS KLASSIK Young Talent of the Year award for her DG debut, Beethoven and Beyond, the Spanish violinist now turns to Paganini’s legendary 24 Caprices. She couples these with a selection of later works inspired by Paganini, presenting music by composers ranging from Berlioz to Gabriela Ortiz. Dueñas is joined in chamber pieces by Boris Kuschnir, pianists Itamar Golan and Alexander Malofeev and guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre, and in orchestral caprices by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by Mihhail Gerts.

Tracklist:

CD 1

NICOLÒ PAGANINI (1782–1840)

24 Caprices for Violin Solo op. 1

1. Caprice No. 1 in E major. Andante
2. Caprice No. 2 in B minor. Moderato
3. Caprice No. 3 in E minor. Sostenuto – Presto – Sostenuto
4. Caprice No. 4 in C minor. Maestoso
5. Caprice No. 5 in A minor. Agitato
6. Caprice No. 6 in G minor. Lento
7. Caprice No. 7 in A minor. Posato
8. Caprice No. 8 in E flat major. Maestoso
9. Caprice No. 9 in E major. Allegretto
10. Caprice No. 10 in G minor. Vivace
11. Caprice No. 11 in C major. Andante – Presto – Tempo I
12. Caprice No. 12 in A flat major. Allegro
13. Caprice No. 13 in B flat major. Allegro
14. Caprice No. 14 in E flat major. Moderato
15. Caprice No. 15 in E minor. Posato
16. Caprice No. 16 in G minor. Presto
17. Caprice No. 17 in E flat major. Sostenuto – Andante
18. Caprice No. 18 in C major. Corrente
19. Caprice No. 19 in E flat major. Lento – Allegro assai
20. Caprice No. 20 in D major. Allegretto

CD 2

1. Caprice No. 21 in A major. Amoroso
2. Caprice No. 22 in F major. Marcato
3. Caprice No. 23 in E flat major. Posato
4. Caprice No. 24 in A minor. Tema. Quasi Presto – Variazioni – Finale

PABLO DE SARASATE (1844–1908)

5. Caprice basque op. 24 (for violin and piano)

JORDI CERVELLÓ (1935–2022)

6. Milstein Caprice (for violin solo)

HENRYK WIENIAWSKI (1835–1880)

7. Étude-Caprice in E flat major op. 18/2 (for 2 violins)

GABRIELA ORTIZ (*1964)

8. De cuerda y madera – capriccio for violin and piano (world premiere recording)

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835–1921)

9. Caprice andalous op. 122 (for violin and orchestra)

HECTOR BERLIOZ (1803–1869)

10. Rêverie & Caprice op. 8 (for violin and orchestra)

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS

11. Introduction & Rondo capriccioso op. 28 (for violin and orchestra)