On Friday, 20 October, the musical event titled “Paganini in Vienna: A Musical Journey in 1828”, organised by the Permanent Mission of Italy to the OSCE, took place at Palais Metternich (premises of the Italian Embassy in Austria).
As a way of recreating the atmosphere of 1828 Vienna (i.e. when Nicolò Paganini spent four intense months in the imperial capital), the Permanent Representative of Italy to the OSCE Amb. Stefano Baldi and the Quartet Paganini Ensemble Wien staged an original production of a concert featuring both music and anecdotes, which provided a better understanding of why Vienna why so important to the celebrated musician.
The first performance of this project consisted of alternating episodes from the musician’s life — evoked and narrated by Stefano Baldi — with particularly significant musical pieces performed by the Quartet, which is composed of Mario Hossen on violin, Marta Potulska on viola, Liliana Kehayova on cello and Alexander Swete on guitar. The Paganini Ensemble Wien is among the most prestigious international interpreters of Paganini’s chamber music.
During the evening, among the pieces performed were “La Campanella” and “Capriccio No. 24”, both in an original arrangement for quartet.
The project “Paganini in Vienna” includes a website with numerous insights into the artist’s life and work as well as various illustrations of his time.
