Niccolò Paganini
(1782-1840)
String Quartet #1 in D minor
String Quartet #2 in E Flat Major
String Quartet #3 in A minor
Quartetto d'archi Paganini
Dynamic CDS134 64:55
These string quartets would be perfect candidates for "stump the listener" contests. They don't sound like what you'd expect to hear from Paganini. These pieces are not show pieces for violin with strange effects like bird trills, harmonics, left-hand pizzicato, and various spectacular fingering and bowing effects that are found in other works of Paganini. Instead, these quartets, dedicated to King Vittorio Emanuele I (c. 1815) could be mistaken for lost early Haydn quartets. They are charming, delicate, and would be perfect for the amusement of amateur chamber musicians and informal audiences. They are performed beautifully by the Quartetto d'archi Paganini (Bruno Pignata, violin; Gian Luca Allocco, violin; Ernest Braucher, viola; Dario De Stefano, cello.) The sound quality is excellent. (Also available as part of a 10CD set of "Complete Chamber Music" - Dynamic CDS553/1-10. You will also find guitar quartets, violin and cello duets, and even three duets for violin and bassoon in the ten-disc boxed set.)
