Niccolo Paganini was an Italian violinist and composer. He was born in Genoa in 1782 and he was possibly the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time. Paganini’s 24 Caprices for solo violin was written between 1802 and 1817 and are among the best known of his compositions.
From as far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to play the 24 Caprices by Paganini. It was probably when I first learnt the “Witches Dance” during my Suzuki years that I was intrigued and began to look up some of Paganini’s other works.
My journey into the 24 Caprices only actually began in 2017 when I first learnt Caprice number 9 also known as “La Chase”. As all my teachers encouraged me to play pieces outside our normal repertoire, I decided to dedicate a few minutes each day to learning all the 24 Caprices myself.
Due to the Covid 19 lockdowns and with school shifting to remote learning in 2021, I found I could dedicate more of my time to the 24 Caprices. It is my hope that by learning all the Caprices at 13, I can now contemplate and study each of them in greater detail within the bigger picture. I hope you enjoy my recordings.
I’m Raistlin Chan and this is my pursuit of happiness.
Og Mandino
Otakar Sevcik (1852–1934) was born in Bohemia, Austrian Empire (1804-1967). He was a highly regarded Czech violinist known to have performed with violinist such as Eugène Ysaÿe and was once the concertmaster at the Prague Interim Theatre and Ring Theatre in Vienna.
In addition to performing, Sevcik was famous as a violin teacher. He became head of the violin department at the Prague Conservatory (1892 - 1906) and also taught at the Vienna Music Academy and Imperial Royal Academy of Music in Vienna.
Sevcik's violin studies and violin methods were published in numerous books. They are still referred to and utilised as major teaching tools by teachers the world over.
What better way for me to connect with my new violin than to play through Sevcik's Op.3 40 Variations during my 2022 summer school holidays.
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything."
-Plato-