Julia Fischer is one of biggest stars in classical music. Certainly she is one of the most famous soloists in the virtuosic landscape of contemporary violinists.
Much of Fischer’s appeal stems from her technical prowess, and many of her past recorderings have been an intense, even extreme, display of sheer skill. But Paganini: 24 Caprices Op. 1 shows off Fischer’s abilities and style in a refrshing new way.
Faced with some of the most challenging and exacting works in the violin repertoire, Fischer is extremely poised and confidently asserts her own subtle phrasing, tempos and dynamics as she moves through the challenges of the different Caprices.
Though she is generally known for interpretations that are hyper-literal and conform exactly to a composer’s instructions, Fischer approaches this recording with an exciting fluidity and elasticity.
“For the first time . . . I was only looking at the musical background of this piece and completely forgetting the technical challenge,” Fischer said in an interview for Decca about the album. There were certainly artistic challenges associated with tackling the works and developing a unique interpretation.
The 24 Caprices are not frequently recorded, yet Fischer’s contribution comes on the heels of the American violinist James Ehnes’s Caprice album which debuted last January. The unusual proximity of these releases begs comparison, and it is easy to see some differences right away.
Where Ehnes is contemplative, Fischer is exuberant. Where he offers deftness, she brings romanticism. They are equally masterful, but emotionally different.
Convention might favor the Ehnes recording, but Fischer’s passion is equally obvious and available to the listener. Her treatment of each Caprice, from the familiar number 24 to the less straightforward number 17 (the first Caprice she learned at the age of 10) is meticulous and breathes with intuitive phrasing.
Like many soloists, Fischer often selects one of the Caprices to play as an encore in concerts, but putting all of them in context as a coherent work speaks to her engagement with the pieces.
“The most difficult thing a violinist can play are the 24 Caprices so the moment I started learning them that will be when I really start being a violinist,” she said, describing her impression of the pieces as a young child.
The album’s only disappointing element is also an endearing one. Fischer wears her heart on her sleeve, displaying her devotion to the project and Paganini’s work endlessly and repeatedly. Her enthusiasm is clearly genuine, but is sometimes overwhelming.
“We really forget that most of the music of the 19th century we would not have without Niccolò Paganini.”
