What makes this release so very special- aside from the brilliant and virtuosic performances- is the fact that three of Paganini’s original instruments have been used for this recording: the great violin Guarneri del Gesu 1742, his six-string guitar by Ory, Paris, 1797, and his wonderful Stradivari cello of 1736, the cello being property of the Nippon Music Foundation and entrusted to Clemens Hagen, cellist of the Hagen Quartet. For the first time since Paganini’s day, all three of these instruments are playing together once again.The musicians who have tackled the task rise to the occasion with their dedication to detail and historical practice. Violinist Giulio Plotino, cellist Clemens Hagen, and guitarist Matteo Mela are each star musicians in their field, and some of the finest Paganini interpreters of our day.