By Jonathan Blumhofer

The story of this album is that violinist María Dueñas enters as a star but emerges as a brilliant and preternaturally thoughtful artist.

Great violin music doesn’t always make for great music, even when it’s by Niccolò Paganini. But when it’s played by a master of the instrument with a distinctive point of view and a thoroughgoing command of the necessary interpretive elements, even the flashiest virtuosity can take on new dimensions.

That’s exactly what happens on María Dueñas’s  new album celebrating the capriccio, which is anchored by an astonishingly well-conceived traversal of Paganini’s epochal 24 Caprices. Unsurprisingly, none of its parade of challenges — No. 3’s octaves, No. 5’s demoniacal runs, No. 14’s triple stops, No. 20’s pedal points among them — throw the Spanish virtuoso for a loop.

Instead, they draw out her considerable musicianship. All sorts of thoughtful surprises ensue, from the little embellishments on the repeats in No. 3 to the engaging plays of character in No. 9, exceptional voice-leading in No. 11’s outer parts, and the beguiling colors in No. 19. Though nobody’s likely to mistake this collection for J.S. Bach’s unaccompanied sonatas and partitas, Dueñas’s approach to No. 2’s dancing figurations suggests an unexpected connection between the Baroque master and the Romantic icon.

In No. 24, the violinist channels Paganini’s operatic contemporaries like Donizetti and Rossini and treats its famous theme and variations like a miniature drama. She takes her time — the movement comes in three minutes or so over the average — but the results are gripping: stratospherically soulful (Var. 4), tempestuous (Var. 5), playful (Var. 9), heroic (Var. 11). Though one comes away from the experience appreciating that, in all likelihood, not every violinist should approach this section as Dueñas does, she accomplishes the feat magnificently.

Ultimately, there’s no end of freshness or discovery to the entire performance: each movement is its own little world and, together, the two-dozen add up to a violinistic cosmos. Dueñas knows exactly how she wants this music to go and everything in her arsenal is put to achieving those ends; the clear sense of purpose and confidence that guides her playing demonstrates an artistic maturity that goes far beyond the fiddler’s 22 years.

Most of the time, the 24 Caprices prove more than enough for one album. This one, though, is generous, clocking in at a Mission: Impossible-worthy 172 minutes, and keeps the caprice theme going with further selections by Pablo de Sarasate, Fritz Kreisler, Jordi Cervelló, Henryk Wieniawski, Gabriella Ortiz, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Hector Berlioz.

Among the highlights are Ortiz’s De cuerda y madera (which features the excellent pianist Alexander Malofeev) — by turns iridescent, nervous, and energetic, but always dancing —and Kreisler’s Caprice viennois. The latter, played in an arrangement with guitar accompaniment, pairs Dueñas with Raphaël Feuillâtre; together they conjure a charming Old World picture, replete with hints of The Third Man’s zither soundtrack.

Also captivating are the disc’s performances of Berlioz’s rarely heard Rêverie et caprice and two Saint-Saëns numbers: Caprice andalous and the Introduction et Rondo capriccioso. The former is carefree and songful, while the latter’s rhythms snap tautly. Saint-Saëns knew his Paganini — as Dueñas reminds us, with some wild runs up the G string at the end.

Mihhail Gerts draws well-balanced accompaniments from the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin in all three works; balances and dynamics in the Caprice andalous are particularly refined and responsive. The story of this album, though, is Dueñas, who enters as a star but emerges as a brilliant and preternaturally thoughtful artist.

Jonathan Blumhofer is a composer and violist who has been active in the greater Boston area since 2004. His music has received numerous awards and been performed by various ensembles, including the American Composers Orchestra, Kiev Philharmonic, Camerata Chicago, Xanthos Ensemble, and Juventas New Music Group. Since receiving his doctorate from Boston University in 2010, Jon has taught at Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and online for the University of Phoenix, in addition to writing music criticism for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.