From humble origins as the gifted but unrecognized fiddler  in the court of Napoleon Bonaparte's sister in Lucca, Paganini conquered  the world, leaping to glory on stage in the grand concert halls of  Vienna, Paris, and beyond almost overnight. His music -- exciting,  innovative, and breathtakingly new -- came from the darkness, whispered  in his ear by the succubus who visited him at night, torturing him with  ecstasy and sad reminders of the past. And the price was high. He was  possessed of a self-destructiveness that knew no bounds, diseased and  addicted to vice, ravenous for sexual conquest, and unable to know love.  Yet even as his shattered soul spiraled towards the Pit, a spark of  light shined down on him through the love of his son. Sadly, it appeared  to come too late, as the Devil returned to Niccolo's very deathbed to  collect her due, his immortal soul.