Violin Quintet I Mariusz Patyra

Mariusz Patyra is the first Polish violinist to win the International Niccolò Paganini Violin Competition in Genoa. As part of the 2001 edition, Patyra also received a special award for the best interpretation of Paganini's ‘Caprices’ and a copy of the grand master's violin – Il Cannone.

From that moment on, his artistic career gained unprecedented momentum. It covered tours worldwide, including many European countries, Japan, the United States and Mexico. He has played with such outstanding orchestras as Tokyo Royal Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, Orchestra di Roma, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra "Amadeus", National Philharmonic Orchestra and Sinfonia Varsovia.

His record output includes albums with the greatest works of violin literature by Vivaldi, Paganini, Saint-Saëns and Wieniawski.

Performed by Mariusz Patyra Quintet, we will hear extraordinary music material from the album ‘No. 24’. Of course, the album's title refers to the most famous and difficult piece for solo violin in the history of music – Paganini's ‘Caprice’ No. 24, Op. 1. The best violinist in the world has composed a series of complicated pieces to improve his technique and show off his performance skills. Tales quickly emerged about the composer's mother selling his soul to the devil to provide him with an incredible career.

Well, let's remember that there is a grain of truth in every rumour! Imagine a tall, slim, pale violinist with long black hair and piercing eyes, who plays pieces of unprecedented difficulty. Besides, he is the first to perform concerts from memory, which allows him to move freely around the stage and establish contact with the audience. Paganini himself proclaimed that he could not only play devilishly but also possessed the secret of immortality (which resulted in a long-term ban on burying his body in the sacred ground).

However, we meet not to read legends, but to listen to exquisite interpretations and arrangements performed by our world-famous soloist. On the other hand, as noted, if all the stories about musicians' pacts with the devil were true, it would turn out that he also has great musical taste!