My Choice - Paganini/Liszt: La Campanella (The Little Bell)

La campanella (meaning “The Little Bell“) is the nickname given to the third of six Grandes études de Paganini (“Grand Paganini Etudes“), composed by Franz Liszt. The pianist is famous Valentina Lisitsa. This piece is a revision of an earlier version from 1838, the Études d’exécution transcendente d’après Paganini. Its melody comes from the final movement of Niccolò Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, where the tune was reinforced by a little handbell. The etude is played at a brisk pace an