Time & Perspective Quote by Ruggiero Ricci

Ricci’s remark lands like a quiet rebuke to the violin world’s favorite distraction: the cult of “hard stuff.” He isn’t dazzled by Paganini fireworks or the athletic bragging rights of a clean run-through. He’s pointing to the unglamorous fundamentals that make virtuosity real, and he does it with the plainspoken authority of someone who spent a lifetime hearing what audiences cheer versus what actually holds up under a microphone.

Intonation first, always, because the violin offers nowhere to hide. Unlike a piano, the instrument doesn’t come pre-tuned to a fixed grid; every note is negotiated in real time, against harmony, room acoustics, fatigue, and nerves. Ricci’s “of course” is doing work here: he’s reminding you that this isn’t a niche concern for conservatory juries, it’s the basic contract between player and listener. When pitch wobbles, the ear stops trusting.

Then rhythm, which he names second in a way that subtly challenges the stereotype of the violinist as a soloist floating above time. Rhythm is social; it’s how you prove you can play with others, not just at them. It’s also the thing that collapses fastest under pressure, when adrenaline turns subdivisions into mush.

The kicker is his definition of “high level”: in tune, in time, with a good sound. That’s not modest; it’s ruthless. He’s arguing that the ceiling isn’t spectacle, it’s control - the kind that makes a phrase feel inevitable rather than merely impressive. In Ricci’s era of larger halls and sharper recording standards, that triad became the difference between being famous and being credible.