The second concerto is in B minor. The commencement of the first piece is broad and impassioned; the harmony often interesting in its successions; the instrumentation intelligent and rich in effects. The tutti are weak in development, and serve only to connect together the various solo parts. The phrase of the commencement of the first solo is very grand, and largely developed, followed by a modulation in D, where much boldness is displayed in a novel passage of double notes. The melody which follows is somewhat poor--the four first bars being repeated without any change--which is a fault; but the passage which follows is particularly effective. Paganini in this has evinced much daring in the combination of difficulties, both for the bow and the left hand. He has introduced a double shake, descending in thirds--in the execution of which he was incomparable, both in brilliancy and the irreproachable perfection of his intonation. The second tutti, which recalls the subject of the first, is rather short, but interesting; it modulates in E minor, and terminates with an unusual form of suspension. The subject of the second solo differs totally from the first; the melody is expressive and combines effects of staccato, to which Paganini imparted a character quite peculiar. The passage which follows this subject, all in double notes, is very effective: its combinations present immense difficulties, which to the great artist were but mere trifles. The second solo ends in B major, finishes with the passage of the first, transposed into this new key, and consequently rendered much more difficult. Throughout this first piece, the double-note passages and jumping bowing are quite novel, and depart entirely from the ordinary form of the concerto. Two things are equally remarkable in the manner Paganini played them. The first was his perfect intonation of the double notes in this shoal of difficulties, particularly in the excessive rapidity in the passages; the second was the marvellous skill with which he managed the bow, however great the distances of the intervals. There was in this part alone of the artist’s talent an evident predestination, and the study of an entire life. It is impossible to give any idea of all the combinations which are met in the fingering of the chords strewn among these immensely difficult passages; they embrace occasionally such extraordinary intervals, that violinists are at a loss to discover the artifices by which the hand reaches them. Besides, in this labyrinth of unheard-of difficulties, neither a doubtful note nor uncertain intonation ever occurred.