Film director Bernard Rose, of Immortal Beloved fame, has made another movie about the life of a great 19th century musician: Niccoló Paganini, the famous violin virtuoso. German violinist David Garrett, in his acting debut, portrays the Italian fiddler who was rumored to have made a deal with the devil to gain his fabulous ability.
The Devil's Violinist was released on October 31 in Germany. There is no word yet on when the movie will be released more widely. But we at Classicalite were delighted to discover an English-language trailer for the film, which hints at a possible release in the U.K. or U.S.
David Garrett first gained fame as a classical artist. He attracted even more enthusiastic fans by branching out into rock, pop and his own compositions. As you can see, he plays Paganini as the superstar of his day. The parallels, then, are obvious. But does Garrett have the acting chops necessary for the role?
The Devil's Violinist is set in 1830, when Paganini was at the height of his career. The movie was filmed throughout Europe and focuses particularly on London, where the virtuoso has not yet performed. Paganini's reputation as a notorious womanizer precedes him, and there are whisperings about his supposed pact with the devil. All this sets the stage for his triumphant debut in the English capitol. But Paganini's manager, Urbani, is displeased to see the violinist falling in love with the daughter of London impresario John Watson. Urbani hatches a plan to ensure Paganini remains under his control.
Garrett's violin playing is featured throughout the movie, including scenes of him playing Paganini's own compositions. Garrett has said that he greatly admires Paganini's music, having recorded an album of Paganini Caprices back in 1997, when he was just 16.
Garrett's Legacy recently reached No. 1 on the U.K. classical chart. The album also went platinum in Germany on the pop chart, making it the first classical instrumental recording to do so. His most recent album, Music, was released in 2013.
