Violinist Rachel Barton Pine loves playing challenging music (and apparently, being on Classical Classroom, as this is her third time on the show). So it makes sense that she would want to play the musical equivalent of running a marathon for her latest album: Bel Canto Paganini: 24 Caprices. In this episode, Rachel talks about who Paganini was. As it turns out, he was much more than just a classical music proto-goth with what some thought was a supernatural ability to play the violin.

Music in this episode:

• Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – Nikolai Lugansky, Sakari Oramo City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
• Breaking The Rules: Pagan Annie Richard Greene, Jon Kurnick, Denny Seiwell
• All other music from Bel Canto Paganini by Rachel Barton Pine

Audio production by Todd "Sheriff Harry S. Truman" Hulslander with from Dacia Clay.