For his debut solo album, the Leader of the London Symphony Orchestra showcases his virtuosity and innate musicality, navigating the technical and artistic challenges of Paganini’s 24 Caprices for solo violin. Staples of the violinist’s impressive repertoire, as a budding musician Simovic would practice these works daily in place of scales, and has gone on to delight audiences with performances across the globe.
While Paganini’s Caprices were intended to improve and strengthen technique, they are more commonly used to determine the wheat from the chaff, their demanding, high speed passages pushing players to their limits. With its fast scales and arpeggios, double and triple stops, and left-hand pizzicato, the final caprice is widely considered one of the most technically challenging violin pieces ever written.
