Two world-class virtuosos, Rainer Kussmaul, on a Stradivarius from 1724, together with guitarist Sonja Prunnbauer, perform a sensational selection of great virtuosic duos by Niccolo Paganini and Mauro Giuliani.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Paganini and Giuliani both sought their fortune in Vienna, a city that later consecrated them as great virtuosos and founders of the Italian violin and guitar school. Paganini, AKA the "devil's violinist", was an uncanny idol and heartthrob to countless fans who also had a masterful command of the guitar. Giuliani was the premiere guitarist of his day and also had a great understanding of the violin. His nickname, "the Paganini of the guitar" helped intensify the bond between the two and further sealed their friendship and mutual esteem.
Paganini's gently flowing "Sonata concertata" is a dialogue between equals, with each instrument serving up themes for the other. The heart of the work is romantically elegiac with broad melodic lines full of harmonic elaboration. His "Grand Sonata a chitarra so/a" is brilliant in its technique and full of scintillating musical ideas. It begins with an extremely difficult passage in the highest range, followed by a sentimental romanza with a grand sweeping melody and concludes with a light, bubbling melodic theme with a series of bravura variations.
Theme and variations was an extremely popular form in Vienna at the time and Giuliani was also fond of it. He had a remarkable ability to weave a melody into a passage with musical effect while remaining true to the idiom of the instrument. Giuliani pushed the boundaries of what had previously been possible on the guitar and fascinated his contemporaries with a diverse range of compositional techniques.
