DESCRIPTION:
Polymathic and ever-curious British violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved delves into the Library's fascinating Niccolò Paganini collection. Examining posters, playbills, letters, manuscripts and memorabilia collected by Paganini himself, he reveals how the virtuoso created his own mystique as a violinist and musical innovator. From his "Secret Red Book" containing recipes, prescriptions, tour dates, a laundry list and financial notes, to clues about the virtuoso's alleged use of a steel bow, our Paganini Project deciphers some of the myths and mysteries surrounding the 19th-century icon. The Paganini Project will be featured in a lecture/demonstration on Sat. Dec. 15, 2012, at 2 p.m., in the Library's Coolidge Auditorium.

Speaker Biography: Peter Sheppard Skærved is an award-winning and Grammy-nominated British violinist. He is the dedicatee of over two hundred works for solo violin, by composers such as George Rochberg, Judith Weir and Hans Werner Henze. He is the only British violinist to have been invited to play Paganini's violin "il Cannone" more than once (five times in total). He has performed at the Library of Congress' Coolidge Auditorium and is the Viotti Lecturer in Performance Studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

For captions, transcripts, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5626