Last weekend, the Richmond Symphony’s season opened with concerts led by Marin Alsop. The program, perhaps one of the most memorable of my career in the RSO, included a performance of Paganini’s First Violin Concerto by the young Korean violinist, Inmo Yang.
Yang, who was awarded First Prize at the 2015 Paganini Competition, brought more than stunning technique and poise. The Concerto was infused with the elegance and bel canto warmth of Italian opera. Currently, Inmo Yang plays the “Joachim-Ma” Stradivari of 1714, the same violin on which Joseph Joachim premiered the Brahms Violin Concerto. The instrument is on loan from New England Conservatory of Music where Yang studies with Miriam Fried through the school’s Artist Diploma program.
Here are five excerpts from Inmo Yang’s 2018 recording of Niccolò Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, written between 1802 and 1817. The performance was recorded live at Seoul’s Kumho Art Hall.
Caprice No. 9 suggests the sound of hunting horns:
Caprice No. 13, with its sultry, descending chromatic line and sunny melody:
A conversation between contrasting musical “characters” unfolds in Caprice No. 19:
More operatic characters come to life in Caprice No. 22:
The famous 24th Caprice which inspired many later composers:
Recordings
- Paganini: 24 Caprices for Violin, Op. 1, Inmo Yang Amazon