Monday, March 21, 2005

Croitoru, Conquering The Caprices

It takes elements of egotism and daredevil fearlessness to play Niccolo Paganini's 24 terrifyingly difficult solo violin Caprices in one sitting. Friday night at the Romanian Embassy, Florin Croitoru proved, above all, it takes technique. After 65 minutes of grueling fiddling, he walked away tired but triumphant.

Paganini's Caprices are a compendium of tricky fingering and bowing techniques (tremolo, triple stops, 32nd-note runs, cross-string arpeggios) pushing the violin to its limits. They're more often talked about than played, especially all in a row. Many great violinists ( Kreisler , Heifetz ) ignored the complete Caprices, and scholars debate how often Paganini himself performed them. This is not "pretty" violin music. Under the weight of Paganini's fiery instructions, Croitoru's instrument screeched and moaned.

By the time Caprice No. 3 arrived, Croitoru was warmed up. He pulled off the trilled octave confidently, his fingers twisting into deformed shapes. In No. 5 his bow skipped saltato across the strings, spraying what sounded like a thousand notes. And in No. 20 he imitated the drone of a bagpipe on a low string, while in the upper register a soothing melody sang sweetly.

Paganini's Caprices are the ultimate endurance test, and along the way one expects missteps. Occasionally, Croitoru's intonation slipped in high runs, and rhythms shifted off kilter in exchange for just getting to the flood of notes.

The young Romanian violinist saved some of his best for last in the famous 24th Caprice -- a jaunty little theme with 11 blistering variations. Here Paganini throws in surprises such as left-handed pizzicato and violent down-bowing, all of which Croitoru played with the panache the music deserves.

Tom Huizenga

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A52569-2005Mar20?language=printer