Luigi Legnani - 36 Caprices opus 20

Luigi Legnani - 36 Caprices opus 20

Revision and fingering Sylvain Cinquini

Luigi Legnani's 36 Caprices Op 20, written in all major and minor keys and no doubt inspired by Paganini's 24 Caprices Paganini, have long been overshadowed by studies by Sor, Giuliani or Carcassi. The extreme virtuosity required, the necessary rendering can only be achieved by strict adherence to the required tempo, and the choice of keys that are difficult to handle and rarely used on our instrument, may explain this lack of curiosity. Yet these Caprices, sometimes lyrical, other times melancholy or sparkling with mischievous and humor, deserve our full attention, as they offer so many possibilities for exploiting and exploring our instrument. They offer a wide range of arpeggios, scales, chords, slurs and harmonics, all at the service of magnificent melodies.