Alfred Schnittke's homage A Paganini for solo violin (1982) is loosely based upon the famous theme from Paganini's Caprice Op. 1, No. 24. While this work is not quite a theme and variations composition, it is suggestive of subtle links between certain passages from Paganini's Caprices and the violinistic reflections of the composer. The performer is called upon to execute, somewhat arbitrarily, the stock virtuosic devices of Paganini, and to weave them into a "poly-stylistic" collage of musical moments courtesy of Schnittke's far-ranging musical mentality. This work is suggestive of a reverential, if somewhat eccentric, glance back to the era of the Romantic violin virtuoso, where catchy themes coupled with dazzling technical feats provided great entertainment for the bourgeois concert-goer. Schnittke, in his A Paganini, weaves these light-hearted themes and techniques into a frenzied expression of post-modern instrumental angst.

© Edward Moore, Rovi