True to the Passionate Spirit of Paganini's Caprices !!!
Gypsy Guitars | Kula, UpCountry Maui, Hawaii | 09/12/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Eliot Fisk really took on one of the ultimate challenges of classical guitar in interpreting these dynamic masterpieces of the violin... Eliot succeeded in producing an amazing recording of Paganini's Caprices that captures that gypsy-esque "wild abandon" in the interpretation that is necessary for such flamboyant music... there are passages that are abit sloppy &/or rushed in Fisk's recording BUT even Perlman does this in his wonder-full renditions of these Caprices... to me, it is the passionate spirit of the interpretation that allows me to overlook whatever minor technical flaws in Fisk's playing in this recording... Fisk's understanding of the "feel" of these pieces keeps this fierce music from being boring & pedantic as i have heard in other interpretations of various Caprices... truly exciting listening & unique instrumentation !!! one of my alltime favorite acoustic guitar recordings !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Ahh It's Ok I guess
Shaolinguitarmonk | McKinney, TX USA | 06/18/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"It's cool to have a recording of all 24 of these together but yes I will have to agree with a lot of the negative reviews of this in that it's very sloppy. It seems like he spent very little time on his tone and rhythmic accuracy. I have heard Eliot FIsk play much better. All in all it's still cool to have these all for guitar. There are a few better recordings of some of these out there. No. 11,5,and 24 on a cd of Paganini guitar music on the Naxos label are played by a former pupil of Fisk Marco Tamayo I think is his name he doesn't play quite as fast but cleaner. Chinese guitarist Xuefei Yang on her hard to find cd plays my absolute favourite recording of the 24th Caprice. It's just as fast and played much more precise and beautifully. Numbers 17, and 5 are on the album "Guitar Works" by German guitarist Tilman Hoppstock. He plays them faster than Eliot Fisk for all you speed lovers but he also plays them alot cleaner. Out of all those notes hammered out so fast none of them sound bad like many in this Fisk recording. That's goes more so for his credit to not only play fast but also rhythmically precise and with good tone. So all in all this ok to listen to for study of these 24 caprices for guitar adaptation but there are much better efforts out there."
Brilliant and beautiful
dm | rochester, ny | 10/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of those rare instances where technical genius and artistry meet to create a work of art that is both brilliant and beautiful.
Fisk's playing is stellar, and the recording is crisp and clear. He plays all 24 caprices wonderfully, I am especially impressed with #5...I think I played it three times in a row.
Why is this no longer in print? Luckily I found it used for only $6, what a steal! Hopefully you can find it in the library and burn a copy...hey, if no label is going to publish this masterpiece..."
This CD is incredible!
dm | 09/10/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first got this CD when it came out in 1992, but lost it when my CD player was stolen from my office about a year later. I've been searching for another copy since then, and am buying one from Amazon today. I can't think of enough superlatives to describe this CD, but will say that it's thrilling, beautiful, and excellent. I have several others by Eliot Fisk, and enjoy them all; but this is my favorite."