http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.8423&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rssWith Nicolo Paganini, the age of the virtuoso truly began. Of course, Mozart was a consummate musician and undeniable virtuoso, but the climates of the Classical and Romantic periods were very different. Whereas Mozart and other composers of his age were servants to clergymen and the nobility, Paganini was considered a giant among men, a true magician, a superstar, and (although highly unlikely,) perhaps a devil-worshiper. That is what the superstitious believed, anyway, for his technique was simply too overwhelming to comprehend. And to this day this enigmatic, thin, lascivious and ostentatious Italian inspires everyone from Jascha Heifetz to Yngwie Malmsteen, his ghost pushing the musician to the outer limits of dazzling technical ability. Not many of his compositions are well-known today, but any aspiring violinist will certainly undertake the daunting task of performing from the <I>Caprices</I>, the hallmark of Paganini's craft. The twenty-fourth caprice, in fact, transfixed other composers as well: Liszt, Schumann, Brahms and Rachmaninoff all wrote piano works based upon it. The Romantic era and Paganini will forever be comfortably married. - Will LernerRomanticen720Thu, 7 Jan 2010 13:19:23 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.8423&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss With Nicolo Paganini, the age of the virtuoso truly began. Of course, Mozart was a consummate musician and undeniable virtuoso, but the climates of the Classical and Romantic periods were very different. Whereas Mozart and other composers of his age were servants to clergymen and the nobility, Paganini was considered a giant among men, a true magician, a superstar, and (although highly unlikely,) perhaps a devil-worshiper. That is what the superstitious believed, anyway, for his technique was simply too overwhelming to comprehend. And to this day this enigmatic, thin, lascivious and ostentatious Italian inspires everyone from Jascha Heifetz to Yngwie Malmsteen, his ghost pushing the musician to the outer limits of dazzling technical ability. Not many of his compositions are well-known today, but any aspiring violinist will certainly undertake the daunting task of performing from the <I>Caprices</I>, the hallmark of Paganini's craft. The twenty-fourth caprice, in fact, transfixed other composers as well: Liszt, Schumann, Brahms and Rachmaninoff all wrote piano works based upon it. The Romantic era and Paganini will forever be comfortably married. - Will Lerner http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22717018&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss Classical Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:52:01 -0800 Playlists Featuring Nicolo Paganini on Rhapsody Online 22717018 ply.22717018 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22717018&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22489625&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss Classical Thu, 1 Oct 2009 11:35:24 -0700 Playlists Featuring Nicolo Paganini on Rhapsody Online 22489625 ply.22489625 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22489625&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.18202925&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss Classical Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:48:50 -0800 Playlists Featuring Nicolo Paganini on Rhapsody Online 18202925 ply.18202925 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.18202925&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14979255&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss Classical Fri, 22 May 2009 17:07:24 -0700 Playlists Featuring Nicolo Paganini on Rhapsody Online 14979255 ply.14979255 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14979255&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14979301&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss Classical Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:50:55 -0800 Playlists Featuring Nicolo Paganini on Rhapsody Online 14979301 ply.14979301 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14979301&variant=play&rws=%2Fnicolo-paganini%2Fplaylists.rss