Background
Two years ago, I assigned one of Bartolomeo Campagnoli's 41
Caprices for Viola, Op. 22 to a student of mine. At our lesson the following
week, she told me she had searched for a recording online but couldn't find
one. Listening to assigned pieces is a regular exercise for her (as for many of
my students), and the fact that she couldn't find a recording hindered her
progress that week. I went home that evening and began searching online for
recordings of the caprices, and found they were sadly lacking. Campagnoli's
Caprices for Viola are as difficult and musical as Paganini's 24 Caprices for
Violin, yet as scarce as Paganini's are popular in representation. That's when
I realized someone needed to change that. In fact, I could change it. I thought
up a far-fetched dream to record all forty-one caprices.
After practicing some of my favorite caprices and realizing
their true difficulty, I got discouraged and put the thought away for a while.
I resurrected it while toying with the idea of recording an historically
accurate version of them on a period viola with gut strings, which proved too
difficult to keep in tune, and perhaps too inaccessible for a broad audience.
And then there was the question of getting the right videographer/sound engineer, and space for the job. I started the project in a low-tech way by recording in my apartment. Then, after recording with the talented recording engineer Stuart Breczinski, I realized the project could be brought to a whole different level with him on board. Thankfully, he agreed! Riverside Church has provided the perfect space, on the 9th floor of the beautiful bell tower. And this perfect combination provides the magic you see in my more recent recordings.
The Concept
Why video? There are two reasons. First, it's always easier
to learn by sound and sight. Secondly, I believe that there is an unhealthy
expectation that classical recordings should always achieve the highest level
of perfection. However, we all know that is not reality. I hope to break down
the barrier and unrealistic expectations that come with highly edited,
"perfect" recordings, and give my listeners an unadulterated, live
performance experience.
These videos will be an instructional tool, following in the
nature of the works themselves. Each caprice is accompanied by my written
thoughts on the technical aspects of the piece, how I worked on specific
passages, the specific challenges I faced, and questions of artistry: for they
are caprices (short, artistic pieces), not etudes (method works).
Finally, I simply love these pieces. I fell in love with
Caprice No. 17 when my teacher assigned it to me in middle school. That is why
I've gone out of order to post No. 17 first. I've taken the book with me on my
many moves over the years since, reading through selections when I had the
chance, in between degree recitals and orchestra auditions. This project
finally gives me gives me an excuse to delve into every caprice in the kind of
detail that I've always wanted to. I hope that this project will give you
inspiration to do the same.
The Music
Today's classical player must obtain much more diversity in
her playing than a string player from the last century, as contemporary music
and period baroque music have become a staple of the classical genre. These
styles demand a high level of position work and bow technique, as these
caprices, in their original publication were intended to develop. I highly
suggest that you use the original version (available for free) should you
decide to work on these yourself. There are a few mistakes, which are agreed
upon by music scholars, and I point them out in my write-ups.
Note: you can no longer purchase a bound copy of the
original engravings. There is a copy of the second publication available
through Fuzeau. Having referenced both, I still prefer the original version,
since the second publication has different mistakes of its own.
I have chosen to use the original engravings, published in
1827 by Bretikopf and Härtel and available on IMSLP. The version in wide use today
(Peters Edition, edited by Carl Herrmann, ca. 1900) contains bowings and
fingerings that are vastly different from the original edition. The edits are
adapted for 20th-century playing: they favor slurs and high positions over more
advanced bow technique and string crossing.