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Not just the greatest showpiece: Paganini’s Fifth Caprice

2026-02-06T10:01:00

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Do we have the wrong impression of Paganini’s famously flashy Fifth Caprice? Violinist Benjamin Shute believes so. He discusses why we should think more carefully about performance practice, especially the infamous ricochet bow

‘Classical’.The extent of the term’s applicability is endlessly debated, but without question our modern ‘classical’ music scene is built on stewardship of an illustrious past. It would also seem that our consciousness of a ‘classical’ profession impacts on our concept of how the music we steward should be delivered. We prioritise integrity – of which I am wholeheartedly in favour – and often disdain the kind of beguiling and attention-grasping that we ‘classicists’ tend to associate with more ‘popular’ musics…

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