Friday 29 May 2020

Paganini Technique Postcards lead up to the final weekend of the Virtual Benedetti Sessions



Every day this week as part of its Virtual Sessions, violinist Nicola Benedetti's Benedetti Foundation has been featuring a pair of violinists talking about one of the variations from Paganini's Caprice No. 24. So far, the episodes of these Paganini Technique Postcards have included Nancy Zhou and Elena Urioste, Alina Ibragimova and Ilya Gringolts, Timothy Chooi and Augustin Hadelich, Philippe Quint and Pekka Kuusisto [All the postcards are on a playlist on Nicola Benedetti's YouTube channel].

On Saturday 30 May 2020, as part of the final weekend of the Virtual Sessions, there will be a complete performance of Paganini's Caprice No. 24 played by this incredible group of virtuosos, Nancy Zhou, Alina Ibragimova, Yume Fujise, Timothy Chooi, Augustin Hadelich, Ilya Gringolts, Philippe Quint, Andrés Cardenes, Tessa Lark, Pekka Kusisto, Elena Urioste, and Nicola Benedetti.

In the first two weeks of the Virtual Sessions, the foundation has has published over 200 videos, delivered 46 live Zoom sectionals to approx. 1,700 string players weekly, 300 instrumental teachers and delivered 25 live sessions, with 7,157 people signed up for the Virtual Sessions in five days, and YouTube content has been viewed over 400,000 times.

The whole weekend (30 & 31 May) is full of on-line goodies as a celebration of the culmination of the first Virtual Benedetti Sessions. There will be interviews with Nicola Benedetti and her sister Stephanie about their musical childhood, panel discussions on performance anxiety and other topics, Facebook Live sessions with foundation tutors and a final celebration concert  featuring the four pieces that have been worked on over the last three weeks: Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, an abridged version of RVW’s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis & a special arrangement of Paganini’s Caprice 24 by the Ayoub Sisters  (Sun 31 May, 16.00/YouTube & Facebook)

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