Niccolò Paganini, a great 19th century Italian violin virtuoso, one of the most impressive and mysterious artists of his epoch, was capable to instantly take away the breath of and impress the crowds of listeners with his concert appearances. His mystical playing became a role model for other violinists, and also inspired many composers to write music for this instrument. Having mastered the possibilities of the violin to perfection, he employed all techniques of playing with unprecedented boldness, and his innovative works have significantly influenced the development of the instrumental concerto genre. The ‘Demonic Virtuoso’ has composed five violin concerti. The most difficult and least performed of these is the Fifth Concerto in A minor. Composed in 1830, it was called a violin monologue until 1959, because only the violin part was known, and it was speculated where the score disappeared. In 1959, the orchestral parts were reconstructed by Italian musicologist Federico Mompellio. In this large-scale work full of rich melodies and bravura passages, Paganini left an impeccable mark of his own mastery.

The three-movement concerto (arranged by Alexander Strelnikov) features the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and its artistic director and soloist Sergej Krylov.