On May 31st, the Italian Cultural Institute of Helsinki organised the concert ‘Homage to Paganini‘, which was performed by an Italian-Finnish quartet made up of internationally renowned musicians: Luigi Attademo (guitar), Simone Gramaglia (viola), Massimo Quarta (viola) and Martti Rousi (cello).
The programme compares two different and almost opposite figures, both in their life stories and their ways of interpreting music and the musical tradition for which they were ambassadors. Nevertheless, we know that Paganini would join other musicians and loved to play Beethoven‘s quartets when he was tired of solo activity or alternatively he gladly accompanied other violinists on the guitar.
However, chamber music for guitar and strings took up almost all of Paganini‘s life. Although intended for private ‘use’, this music represents Paganini’s evolution as a composer well, with his chamber music writing developing over a span of approximately 35 years. Paganini was mainly inspired by late eighteenth-century French models (Viotti, Cambini, Rode etc.), but he gradually proved sensitive to the influences of Viennese chamber music and although his music remained distant from that type of construction, some formal elements became progressively clearer, such as greater dialogue between themes and a more romantic character.
For more information, visit iichelsinki.esteri.it.
