About the works

The Caprices presented in this recital are a selection of the 24 Caprices for solo violin by Niccolò Paganini, written between 1802 and 1817. Caprices take the form of studies, each exploring different technical skills of the violinist: virtuosity, sound quality, etc.

Caprice No. 5 is written in A minor and has the Agitato character indication, beginning and ending with a section of arpeggios followed by descending ranges and a rapid middle part.

Caprice No. 9, also called “The Hunter”, is written in E major with the characteristic of double strings, imitating flutes on A and E strings and horns on D and G strings.

Caprice No. 19 is written in E major. It is marked by an introductory section of four measures, followed by portions of technical agility designed to highlight the performer.

Caprice 20 in D major is famous for its use of the re string as a pedal, alongside the A and E strings, to mimic a bagpipe, followed by virtuoso passages in sixteenths and volant staccato.

Caprice 24 is the last in the Caprice series and is a famous theme with variations that highlights the performer with techniques such as: rapid, double and triple string scales and arpeggios, left hand pizzicatto, parallel octaves and decims, string passes, etcetera.

The Preghiera Sonata or Moses Fantasy is one of his most famous and frequently performed virtuoso compositions. It is a theme with variations taken from Rossini’s opera Moses in Egypt. The entire work has elements of virtuosity as it’s written to be played on a single string: the G string.

Sonata in A major, op. posth. It is a theme with variations that was published after Paganini’s death.

Biography

Leonard-Antonio Agigheoleanu is a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Music and Theatre of the West University of Timisoara. His research under the guidance of Prof. univ. dr. habil. Marius Manyov is focused on the violin repertoire of sacred music.

He attended, in parallel, his bachelor’s and master’s studies with the specialization of violin and the stylistics of musical interpretation at the Faculty of Music and Theater in Timișoara as well as bachelor’s studies in pastoral theology at the Faculty of Greek-Catholic Theology Babeş-Bolyai in Oradea. He often performed with members of the orchestra of the Faculty of Music and Theatre on the stage of the Romanian National Opera in Timișoara and the Banatul Philharmonic in Timișoara. He studied with professors and musicians such as: assoc. prof. dr. Cristina Mălăncioiu, member of the contemporary music band ATEM, assoc. prof. dr. Alexandru Tomescu, Romanian violinist soloist, Melinda Dumitrescu, soloist and former student of the famous violinist professor Zakhar Bron, Elfride Mora, student of the famous Romanian violinist Modest Iftinchi, assist. Ph.D. Vlad Popescu, head of the Deutsche Kammerorchester Berlin and Ensemble Ruhr and Bernhard Forck, concertmaster at the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.