The 24 Caprices for Solo Violin were thought to have been written between 1801 and 1807 and published in 1820. Celeste Williams perform these Caprices from the URTEXT edition on a 1912 Edoardo Marchetti violin with gut strings.

Dedicated “to the Artists” rather than to a specific person, they are among the most complex and difficult works ever written for the instrument, comprising a distillation of nearly all Paganini’s prized techniques in phenomenally difficult settings.

His technical innovations were imitated by later virtuosi, notably Pablo Sarasate and Eugene Ysaye. Paganini also challenged musicians with such compositions as his 12 Sonatas for violin and guitar; 6 Violin concerti; and 6 Quartets for violin, viola, cello, and guitar.

Celeste Williams, Violin