LDV77

Can these sonatas be compared to Paganini’s Caprices, at least from the point of view of virtuosity? Paganini was an extraordinary violinist, with long hyperlax fingers. The virtuosity he developed in his works is a natural extension of his exceptional and unique abilities. Practising Paganini a lot doesn’t necessarily give one easier access to the rest of the repertory by composers such as Beethoven, Schumann or Schubert, to remain within Paganini’s own period. Most of the great violinists play little or no Paganini (in concert). It is often said that he revolutionised violin style and fundamentally changed the paradigm of the performer. That’s true, in a sense, but it takes special physical abilities that are far from being universal if one wants to play him without damage. On the other hand, if you practise using Ysaÿe and then play the Brahms or Sibelius concertos, you feel ‘at home’. Ysaÿe’s technique, in keeping with the teaching he received from Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps, serves the music as much as the instrument: it is universal and fits in harmoniously with the violin and the rest of the repertory. 26 YSAŸE ∙ SIX SONATAS FOR SOLO VIOLIN OP.27