Paganini's Daemon: A Most Enduring Legend

The latest in Christopher Nupen's series of films on musicians and composers focuses on Niccolo Paganini (1782–1840), the greatest violin virtuoso of the 19th century (and perhaps most famous ever). Nupen interweaves chatty narration, artwork montages, and observations—some critical but most tending toward the extravagantly complimentary—from contemporaries who attended Paganini's concerts, as well as footage of master violinist Gidon Kremer and others performing brief snippets from his compositions. The conventional presentation proceeds chronologically from Paganini's childhood, during which he was forced to continually practice by his father, through his celebrated performances across Europe that won him iconic status, and finally to the declining years in which his reputation for rapacity and womanizing sapped his popularity. A recurring motif is the legend that supposedly originated with a vision seen by his mother, in which a demon and an angel hovered over the newborn Paganini—an image seized upon by the artist's detractors to suggest that his extraordinary skill was a result of a Faustian bargain. But Nupen also includes a more down-to-earth analysis of Paganini's technique by a German conductor, cataloging the tricks the violinist employed to flabbergast his audiences. While adding nothing new to the subject's life story, Paganini's Daemon nevertheless provides a solid overview of a man who in many respects was a forerunner of modern celebrity culture. DVD extras include a bonus clip from Nupen's film on Kremer. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)