First published in 1815, Pierre Rode’s 24 Caprices are pillars of violin pedagogy. Fortunately, strong musical interest complements the work’s comprehensive didactic agenda. For this recording Elizabeth Wallfisch uses a period instrument and bow, producing a thin, raspy tone and scraping note attacks at times. However, the violinist’s intonation is far more centered in comparison to her earlier Kreutzer etudes for CPO, and she takes Rode’s phrasing and articulation markings to heart. But if you want richer tonal resources, greater fluidity, and more vibrant, vocal-like projection, Axel Strauss’ slightly faster tempos allow all 24 Caprices to fit on a single CD at less cost than CPO’s two-CD asking price. Better still, try to hunt down a short-lived release issued by The Strad featuring the late, great Oscar Shumsky.
