The Paganini Genoa Festival is the most ambitious and important celebration of the greatest violinist of all time
Created in 2017 offering a wide range of events of notable value, variety and of quality: concerts and conferences, workshops, violin master classes, guided tours, venues dedicated to study and research, events for children and young people.
Many compositions by Paganini have been performed: some famous ones, along with others that are less known or truly rare. Every year, a comprehensive and representative overview of Paganini’s entire creative range is presented. Among the venues for these initiatives, we mainly find places associated with Paganini’s life: churches, palaces, theaters that bear witness to significant moments of a legendary career, as well as extraordinary architectural monuments of artistic and historical importance.
But the ultimate goal of the Festival is to make known the inexhaustible and fascinating facets of a character who had no equal in his time, who captivated audiences throughout Europe, and who, thanks to exceptional entrepreneurial talent, revolutionized the way music was performed and organized. The depth of his humanity – attested to by those who knew him and by his own letters – and at the same time his great physical vulnerability, compensated by an incredibly strong character in pursuing artistic goals, the amalgamation of talents and flaws, make Paganini a modern artist, close to the sensibilities of our time. He is one of the greatest assets that Genoa can showcase on the stage of international visibility it strongly aspires to, and deserves, in the name of its universally admired son.
Paganini’s music in the Festival,
from 2017 to today.
Paganini embarked on his career as a virtuoso performer, but soon his unique execution style and developed technique took on such a personal dimension that it called for pieces specifically composed to highlight his visionary instrumental conception and musical imagination shaped around his instrument and technique. From the early 1830s onwards, he performed almost exclusively his own compositions, at least in public appearances.Today, Paganini’s stature as a composer has been greatly reassessed, and critics have highlighted the far-from-superficial or modest value of his music, which was occasionally dismissed in the past as compositionally “weak”.
The extraordinary quantity of his composed works and their enduring success with the public, as well as the esteem of the greatest musicians, testify that his role as a composer was not a mere supplement to his performing activities, but rather the result of a creative necessity and a mind that thinks “as a composer”.
The Paganini Genova Festival, in properly recognizing and fully appreciating this aspect, has brought to the public an unprecedented quantity and variety of music composed by Paganini.
Discover the music of Paganini at the Festival.
The festival through images.
All editions of the PGF
For the first time, the Amici di Paganini Association, together with the Municipality of Genoa, Teatro Carlo Felice, Fondazione Hruby, and Conservatorio Paganini, is organizing an international festival. The event will be held annually with the aim of involving the entire city and raising awareness about the importance of this exceptional musician in the history of music and as a brand with extraordinary potential. In addition to musical and cultural institutions, a wide range of operators in the economic, tourism, and educational sectors are also involved, each contributing their expertise to rediscover the figure of Paganini and fully embrace the themes that constitute his legacy, which still hold great value.
From October 2nd to 28th, the second edition of the Paganini Genova Festival offers 44 events - concerts, conferences, screenings, workshops, guided tours, and study sessions - dedicated to the world's most renowned Genoese musician.
Watch the video of this edition: Video 2018 | Showreeli 2018
For the third year, the city of Genoa is collaborating with the Paganini Genova Festival to create an internationally renowned program: 35 events - concerts, conferences, screenings, workshops, guided tours, and study sessions, along with a rich array of events organized by local businesses - dedicated to the world's most renowned Genoese musician.
Despite the difficulties of the current moment, including the pandemic and the need for social distancing, the Paganini Genova Festival returns for the fourth consecutive year. The live entertainment sector, as we know, has been among the hardest hit, and unfortunately, many organizations are at risk. The organizing committee (Amici di Paganini, Regione Liguria, Municipality of Genoa, Fondazione Teatro Carlo Felice, Fondazione Hruby, Conservatorio "N. Paganini") wanted to maintain the event, ensuring continuity despite the necessary program and audience limitations. The program has been revised and modified, and there have been some changes in terms of international artists. However, a high level has been maintained with internationally renowned performers and young talents who represent a guarantee for today and tomorrow.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Festival returns to offer significant events in the violin world. Among these, in addition to a calendar of noteworthy concerts, there will be an international research conference, a violin masterclass, and educational initiatives, with a focus on even the youngest participants. Furthermore, there will be a preview event in a location along the Genoese Riviera.