Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini remains the most extraordinary violinist in the history of music. Legendary is his performing and expressive ability, brilliant and innovative is his composition, immense is his talent. Called the “devil's violinist,” far from handsome (thin, lanky), he always dresses in black and wears glasses with blue lenses. When he plays, he writhes and contorts, bringing to life a music that ends up “possessing” those fortunate enough to witness one of his performances. He ranges from the deepest sensitivity to extreme violence that makes him break all the strings of his violin, a Guarneri del Gesù – to remain with the last one, the G string, on which he continues to improvise.
A true star of his time. He fascinates illustrious women – from Elisa and Paolina Bonaparte, Napoleon's sisters, to Mary Shelley – but also enthusiastically convinces the great musicians of the era (Rossini, Berlioz, Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, Schubert).
“I have cried only twice in my life: when a turkey stuffed with truffles fell into the water and when I heard Paganini play,” said Rossini.
“Paganini does not repeat”: the artist pronounces this phrase only once in his life, in the presence of King Charles of Savoy who had asked him for an encore. The uniqueness and irreproducibility of his performances were due to the fact that most of the time Paganini improvised.
Several historical evidences show that Paganini can count on a mobility of his joints that is quite extraordinary: those who see him play write that his long hands can easily cover three octaves and his thumb can bend to touch the back of his hand. In later times, this characteristic, as well as his “thin and lanky” physique, have been attributed to exceptional ligamentous laxity.
In the show In fila per 6 col resto di 2 you listened to Niccolò Paganini - Caprice No. 24 for violin, here arranged for string quintet.
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Perhaps not everyone knows that District 6 hosts as many as 42 streets and squares named after great musicians, composers, and Italian conductors, giving rise to a very particular toponymic context.
If we really want to proceed with a non-discriminatory project towards great musicians, we need to take a few more steps towards the center until we reach Via Giuseppe Verdi and Via Gioacchino Rossini... being stars of international opera, we risk seriously offending them.
In these years we will discover together the 44 great musicians who bring to life a special neighborhood in Turin, they are all neighbors!
Let's start with Antonio Vivaldi, Amilcare Ponchielli, Niccolò Paganini, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Alessandro Scarlatti, Giacomo Puccini.
The project is realized thanks to the City of Turin.