帕格尼尼的小提琴, 傳奇的名琴(加農砲 il Cannone), 是由義大利製琴大師朱賽佩.瓜奈里(Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu)製作於1743年, 是西方音樂歷史上最重要的樂器之一. 帕格尼尼是他那時代最偉大的演奏高手, 聲名不但享譽全歐洲而且是像他一樣的演奏家和作曲家的靈感來源. 在他過世時, 將(加農砲)遺留給他居住的熱內亞市, 從此它被永久安置在市政大廳的高度安全保護之下.

它只曾經少數幾次被錄在唱片中才聽得到. 義大利小提琴家法蘭倩絲卡‧黛戈(曾經在2008年帕格尼尼大賽入圍決賽)在2019年10月受邀在日內亞市卡洛.費利切劇院(Teatro Carlo Felice)的帕格尼尼慶祝音樂會中表演帕格尼尼第一號小提琴協奏曲, 在使用這支小提琴首演成功後獲得殊榮使用此琴錄製唱片. 她說: "在度過幾個迷人的日子中, 用這支無價的小提琴錄音是令人難以忘懷的. 當我第一次接觸到此樂器的時候令我情緒激動, 它曾經碰觸過舒曼, 舒伯特, 歌德, 羅西尼, 貝里尼, 白遼士, 蕭邦, 海涅和許多名人的耳朵. 我記得在我還是個年輕女孩時, 站在存放此琴的房中, 沉醉注目於在玻璃後的歷史, 想像著碰到它時手指的感覺.突然間, 我現在握著帕格尼尼的小提琴. 我感到很榮幸能夠在新專輯中分享(加農砲)的靈魂. 我努力構想完美的節目和選擇一系列的作品來向帕格尼尼致敬. (加農砲)幾乎只被用來錄帕格尼尼的作品, 因此以它聞名的音色和歷史上以這位義大利大師當作偶像的作曲家們的作品搭配的主意是真正讓我興奮的事".

Paganini`s violin, the legendary `il Cannone`, made by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu in 1743, is one of the most important musical instruments in the history of Western music. Paganini was the greatest virtuoso of his time, acclaimed throughout Europe and an inspiration to performers and composers alike. On his death, he bequeathed `il Cannone` to his home city of Genoa, where it is permanently housed under high security in the Town Hall.

It has been heard on record just a handful of times. Francesca Dego was given the honour of recording with it after the success of her first performance on the instrument, in October 2019, when she was invited to play Paganini`s First Violin Concerto at the Paganini Celebratory Concert at Teatro Carlo Felice, in Genoa. Francesca Dego comments: `Spending a few enchanted days recording with this priceless treasure was unforgettable. I was overwhelmed when I was first handed the instrument that had caressed the ears of Schumann, Schubert, Goethe, Rossini, Bellini, Berlioz, Chopin, Heine, and so many more. I remember standing in that very room as a young girl, hypnotised, staring at history behind glass, fingers tingling at the thought of touching it. And suddenly there I was, holding Paganini`s violin. I feel so privileged to be able to share the soul of `il Cannone` in a new recording. I remember thinking long and hard about the ideal programme and carefully selecting a series of works paying homage to Paganini. The `Cannon` has pretty much only ever been used to record music by Paganini, so the idea of its celebrated tone teaming up with composers who idolised the Italian virtuoso throughout history is really exciting to me!`