Paganini's 24 Caprices, Op.1 for solo violin are the most demanding in the repertoire. Each caprice highlights a particular violin technique, such as cross-string arpeggios in the first and whirlwind scales and arpeggios in the fifth caprice. The three selections in this transcription adapt extremely well to the marimba and, in turn, showcase many of the virtuosic four-mallet techniques found in contemporary marimba literature, such as close-interval sticking and arpeggios/scales involving all four mallets. You can hear a recording of the Caprices on Nathan Daughtrey's CD, "Spiral Passages" (also available from C. Alan).
