Montagnana (PD) celebrates Prosciutto Veneto DOP during the month of May Stands of the Prosciuttifici of the Consorzio di Tutela del Prosciutto Veneto Berico-Euganeo DOP will be present with tastings of Prosciutto Veneto DOP An opportunity to taste the best Prosciutto Veneto DOP but also to visit the splendid town of Montagnana one of the most beautiful villages in Italy The 2023 edition of Prosciutto Veneto DOP in Festa in Montagnana (PD) takes place from 10 to 21 May 2023 Event confirmed even in the event of bad weather VISITS TO HAM FACTORIESMaximum 40 people per shift Cost € 1.00 per person.Booking required: Tel 0429 81010 – info@fontaprosciutti.itSaturday 13 and 20 May10.00-10.40 a.m 4.00-4.40 p.m.Sunday 14th and 21st May10 a.m 0429 82155 – info@salumificiobrianza.itSaturday 13 and 20 May10.00-11.00 a.m 3.00-4.00 p.m.Sunday 14 and 21 May10.00-11.00 a.m GOURMET ROOM PROGRAMMEThe Gourmet Room is a 250-seat restaurant area and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 3 p.m and 7 to 11 p.m,which hosts theme evenings and other initiatives The evenings Dinner with… are held in the Gourmet Room and consist of tasting dinners organised by the Consortium’s Prosciuttifici in which PDO Veneto Ham is paired with a dish prepared by chefs from local realities but also from restaurants and associations from all over the Veneto region or with a selection of cheeses All accompanied by a dessert prepared by the Miola pastry shop in Montagnana the Gourmet Room will offer à la carte menus: you can choose from a tasting of Veneto PDO ham a first course prepared by the Hostaria San Benedetto restaurant desserts from the Miola pastry shop in Montagnana and melon.Reservation recommended at weekends compulsory onDinner with…” evenings: T TASTE ISLAND PROGRAMMEThe Taste Island is the largest area of the stand where no reservations are required; it is open throughout the opening hours of the event: Monday to Friday from 7 p.m Every day you will find:Prosciutto Veneto PDO tastingsorganised by the Prosciuttifici del Consorzioaccompanied by Grissini Morato PaneA first course from our kitchen Selection of cheeses from La Casara Roncolato: Monte Veronese DOP ‘whole milk’ Monte Veronese DOP d’allevo aged 12/18 months Monte Veronese DOP d’allevo Slow Food Presidium (malga)Sliced melon in traysSelection of desserts from the Miola pastry shopFor information T Saturday and Sunday from 17.00 to 20.00APERITIF WITH BIRRIFICIO ESTENSE: BEER AND PROSCIUTTO VENETO DOP Piazza Vittorio Emanuele IIAperitif with the Author: Mauro Corona presents his new novel “Le Cinque Porte” (The Five Gates) Saturday 13 May from 9.30 p.m.Concert “The Bluemood” – Blues music.Throughout the evening selection of beers from Birrificio EstensePiazza Vittorio Emanuele II to 7 p.m.HOBBIES MARKETalong the streets of the historic centrefrom 9.30 a.m ROBOTECH: an exciting challenge between the robots of the best teams at national level During the day it will be possible to take part in drone programming workshops program robots and play with those built by the Montagnana 4 Robotics team.Courtyard of Castel San Zeno Sunday 14 May – 11.30 a.m.AIC Veneto presents: AIC Veneto and its projects Celiac disease – ABC and gluten-free diet Faq.Introducer: Gianni Mazzucato President AIC VenetoSpeakers:Federica Fiorenzato AFC Professional of AIC VenetoVenetian Hall of Castel San Zeno Saturday 20 May from 21.30Radio Company “Travel with me” in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II music and entertainment.Throughout the evening selection of beers from the Birrificio Estense breweryPINK NIGHT: Shops open until midnight to 7 p.m.ANTIQUES MARKETalong the streets of the historic centre6.00 p.m.AIC Veneto presents: The false myths of coeliac diseaseIntroduction: Gianni Mazzucato President AIC VenetoSpeakers:Federica Fiorenzato AFC Professional of AIC VenetoVenetian Hall of Castel San Zeno Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 MayESCAPE TOWER: The new episode in the saga ofHabylon saga.Rocca degli AlberiInfo and booking at www.greatescape.it Ceramics workshop with Sara Dall’Antonia An afternoon of Marcadoc – The hills of Venice deals with tourist cultural and food and wine information of the Marca Trevigiana and the Veneto Join us at the Akustika Fair at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre from April 4-6 Meet The Strad team at stand F08 and pick up a free copy of the magazine The Strad Directory Jobs By 2024-10-01T10:12:00+01:00 A rare example of a violin by the noted Venetian maker of cellos it has a two-piece back of irregular figure The Canada Council for the Arts is the country’s public arts funder. Through its programme of grants, services, prizes and payments, it supports and promotes the nation’s arts scene both across Canada and internationally. The Strad Calendar 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of its Musical Instrument Bank by showcasing twelve of the finest instruments in its collection It has been part of the Canada Council’s collection since 2006 The instrument has a two-piece back of irregular figure The ribs are of matching material while the scroll is plain The top is of two pieces of narrow-grained spruce and the varnish is a rich brown colour over a golden ground Click here to purchase The Strad Calendar 2025 Read more lutherie articles here Read: Copying a Montagnana cello: The Full Monty Read: I gave up a Montagnana for my c.1696 Cappa cello, says Jean-Guihen Queyras From the Archive: a Domenica Montagana violin, 1715 most with actual-size photos depicting every nuance of the instrument Our posters are used by luthiers across the world as models for their own instruments thanks to the detailed outlines and measurements on the back The number one source for a range of books covering making and stringed instruments with commentaries from today’s top instrument experts The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025 This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana Expert and conservator Balthazar Soulier has curated this month’s poster which features an ‘original composite’ violin: the ‘Paderewski made by Montagnana and Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ Here he places this unique instrument in context and highlights complementary information to enable a better understanding of the poster .. One of only eight cellos known to be made by the Turin-based luthier it is named after Canadian cellist Christine Newland  Named for Canadian violinist Pearl Palmason the violin has a back of one piece of maple with broad figure Our May 2025 cover star describes the instrument as the ‘most extraordinary Strad’ he has played on Our April 2025 issue cover artist discusses her bow and instruments Colin Gough and Jim Woodhouse share their memories of the well-regarded British luthier and acoustician Site powered by Webvision Cloud CET Cincinnati Public Television's arts and culture series Showcase with Barbara Kellar recently featured Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Principal Cellist and CCM faculty member Ilya Finkelshteyn Finkelshteyn discusses the newly obtained Montagnana Cello and gives a solo performance The cello was crafted in 1730 by master luthier Domenico Montagnana in Venice and the CSO has traced it's journey throughout the years It was played by famous Italian cellist Carlo Alfredo Piatti (1822-1901) and by renowned British cellist May Mukle (1880-1963) Finkelshteyn has a postcard of Mukle with the cello and there are other photos of her playing the instrument all over the world The cello then traveled to the New York Philharmonic and the Minnesota Orchestra before making its way to Finkelshteyn and the CSO Learn more about the Montagnana cello and enjoy a solo performance by Finkelshteyn in the latest episode of Showcase with Barbara Kellar The study of violoncello at CCM is strongly performance based The cornerstone of all degree programs is private lessons with faculty who serve as mentors for students and direct their individual musical The curriculum emphasizes the development of the well-rounded holistic musician by providing a solid background in music history and theory as well as areas specific to each musical medium Undergraduate students enjoy a close collaboration with the University of Cincinnati through a general education core that supplements their education with academic course work while graduate students specialize more precisely in their chosen field Featured image at the top: Ilya Finkelshteyn and Barbara Kellar during the "Showcase" episoide on CET An article by the BBC takes the reader back to the late 18th and 19th centuries when US prosperity was defined by the industrial revolution a time with little regard for the pollutants that came with industrial expansion University of Cincinnati | 2600 Clifton Ave Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article Montagnana, town, Veneto regione, northern Italy, located about 45 miles (72 km) north of Bologna and about 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Padua Manufacturing provides the economic base for the modern town an institution in the Veneto off-road scene is being renovated and becomes Kawasaki Dirt ArenaThe new name which underlines the collaboration with the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer aims to further enhance the plant and make it even more accessible to enthusiasts the Montagnana track has seen a generation of riders grow up and now it is further relaunched as a point of reference for athletes from all over the world which offers a360 degree off-road experience makes available to enthusiasts a motocross track and an enduro track with the possibility of training both day and night At the Kawasaki Dirt Arena it is also possible rent off-road models from the Kawasaki KX range Available to off-road enthusiasts on two wheels are the minicross KX65 the KX450 and the enduro bike triptych KX250X KX300X e KX450XRental rates start at 30 euros for one hour with the KX65 or KX85 up to 120 euros for four hours with any model between the KX250 You have to be connected to post a comment Contacts and Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Policy - Privacy settings Copyright © Motorionline Srl - Company data - VAT number IT07580890965 Newspaper registered at the Court of Milan on 20/01/2012 at number 35 Scott Yoo digs into the stages of growth for classical musicians in Now Hear This Season 5 revisiting his relationship with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma to explore the transition from virtuoso to maestro Ahead of his appearance in Now Hear This “Old Friends,” learn about Yo-Yo Ma’s artistic journey with the following facts Yo-Yo Ma started cello at the age of four and played his first high-profile performance just three years later to Presidents John F He went on to study at Juilliard under Leonard Rose before receiving his bachelor’s degree from Harvard Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in an effort to promote cross-cultural artistic collaboration inspired by the Eurasian Silk Road trade routes He served as Artistic Director from the organization’s 1998 inception through 2020 Watch him perform with Silkroad Ensemble:  Yo-Yo Ma’s career-spanning accolades include the Avery Fisher Prize He received the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom having joined the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities under the Obama Administration Yo-Yo Ma’s primary instruments include the 1712 Davidov Stradivarius and a 1773 Montagnana was almost lost when Ma forgot the cello in a cab trunk after performing at Carnegie Hall The pair was luckily reunited four hours later Listen to Petunia’s namesake from Appalachia Waltz:  Yo-Yo Ma’s appearance in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was hardly his first acting foray He can be seen in notable episodes of Sesame Street along with animated visits to Arthur and The Simpsons © 2025 WNET PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization it has a two-piece back of irregular figure the attendees of the annual Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop have set themselves increasingly challenging group projects Robin Aitchison explains how 30 luthiers collaborated on their latest task: to copy a Montagnana cello with pinpoint accuracy The violinist has been appointed artistic director of Clarion Concerts which provides chamber music concerts and experiences in New York’s Hudson Valley There is a piece of Montagnana that ended up in Rotterdam: it is a drawing depicting the Castle of San Zeno a thirteenth-century fortress built by Ezzelino III da Romano (its keep remodeled over the centuries but still with a layout and appearance that today is not too dissimilar from what it must have looked like at the time Today it is home to cultural institutions: the "Antonio Giacomelli" Civic Museum the Civic Library and the Castles Study Center are located there but in the early 16th century it still fully performed its defensive functions who depicted it precisely between 1501 and 1502 (or so one might think) and who has lately become a sort of genius loci of this village in the province of Padua: much research (by distinguished scholars such as Enrico Maria Dal Pozzolo Lionello Puppi and others) has tried to establish whether and how much the great father of Venetian tonalism painted here who became a priest of Montagnana Cathedral in 1497 and a collector of Giorgione there are a David and a Judith discovered in 1930 as part of some restoration work on the walls of the cathedral: they re-emerged from the plaster that had concealed them for who knows how long and for decades an interesting attribution debate arose around these extraordinary figures they could be by Giorgione himself: but we have no evidence to say for sure not least because the only "document" (if we want to call it that) that can attest to the painter's presence in Montagnana is that very Dutch sheet And we do not know why there are no written traces left of his eventual stay in the village Vicissitudes hidden in the folds of history, but which resurface through the images that the traveler can find in this fortified town, which appears almost as a surprise among the Veneto countryside, past Legnago, as the landscape prepares to change when the first offshoots of the Euganean Hills are glimpsed a short distance away The walls that surround it have been preserved in their entirety: this is a rather rare case; very few cities with medieval walls have kept them intact since the mid-14th century a time when the Carraresi of Padua did their best to strengthen this city a very important outpost of their territory on the border with the Scaliger lands (Legnago was already under Verona) Montagnana almost totally lost its strategic role helps to explain why the walls have been so well preserved once significant control and defense posts and then becoming granaries and storehouses when Montagnana no longer held any military function the walls are one of the main reasons why people visit the town One usually enters from the Rocca degli Alberi This was the way Montagnana welcomed those who arrived Montagnana is a little less austere: past the red brick of the Rocca degli Alberi under the two wings of porticoes that escort travelers to the central Piazza Comunale Or "Piazza Maggiore," or simply "the square," as they say in these parts: it's the hub of the whole village paved with listòn as befits every Veneto town Don't be misled by the shapes of the mighty Palazzo della Cassa di Risparmio which might make us think of Gothic architecture: it is a splendid building from the 1920s with a medieval flavor as it was going in the early twentieth century which immediately intrigues us because it is without a bell tower (bells ring from the turrets on the facade) the marble portal that tradition assigns to Jacopo Sansovino the Renaissance interior: this is where the two frescoes attributed to Giorgione are found starting with a Transfiguration by Veronese and some panels by Marescalco an underrated artist from Montecchio Maggiore who lived between the 15th and 16th centuries One will be surprised to see that a few steps away is a building attributed to Michele Sammicheli the architect who built half of Verona in the early 16th century and who built the Fort of St Andrew in Venice: it is the city's Town Hall the construction of which began in about 1537 (although in 1593 although in forms that still manifested debts to Sammicheli) one comes across the soaring bell tower of the church of San Francesco visible even from a long distance: the church is 14th-century but perhaps earlier since Romanesque elements are also found there the elegant facade of Palazzo Magnavin-Foratti) testify to how the city was prosperous for long ages porticoed streets that retain their ancient layout and overlooked by houses of all colors a small handbook of Veneto art of the 15th 5th and 17th centuries (but not only) with pages to leaf through in the churches and the city's civic museum A magic ring that enchants anyone who sees it coming after crossing the countryside: but if you think that everything ended inside these walls a well-balanced Renaissance building designed by an architect named Andrea Palladio Because Montagnana did not want to miss anything It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Delores Stevens on March 7 Pianist Delores Stevens studied with the noted Bach authority Jan Chiapusso at the University of Kansas and upon graduation took a position teaching piano at the Punahou School in Honolulu She continued to study privately at the Music Academy of the West with Ernst von Dohnányi and Joanna Graudan and achieved early success by winning the coveted Coleman Chamber Music Competition in Pasadena Throughout her life she was recognized as a leading soloist and toured throughout the world to Argentina and as part of the famed Montagnana Trio with cellist Caroline Worthington and clarinetist John Gates she recorded 28 pieces of commissioned music and played a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York she gave premieres of Poul Ruders’ “Sonata No 2,” Arne Nordheim “Listen,” and Norgard’s “Turn.” In Los Angeles Her consistent support of contemporary composers including numerous commissions for the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society and Chamber Music Palisades led to a prestigious award from the National Association of Composers the Presidential Award of Merit from the International Music Fraternity of Mu Phi Epsilon and the prestigious Living Legends Award from the Young Musicians Foundation presented to her by the legendary composer John Williams She served six terms as director and trustee of the Recording Academy (the Grammys) and was a founder of Grammys in the Schools “Pilgrimage,” appeared on the Dominguez Digital label and a DVD 5.1 Surround Sound recording of the Shostakovich “Piano Quintet” on AIX Records The celebration of her 90th birthday in 2020 included letters of congratulations and appreciation from California Gov and members of the California State Senate and Assembly as well as from the Recording Academy and the Disney Channel She co-founded the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society in 1971 with Caroline Worthington and continued as the sole artistic director from 2002 until 2019 The list of musicians from all over the country and the world who played in the series over the years is enormous and in addition to bringing these stellar players to the Island she also commissioned new works to be premiered as part of the series The composers who created works premiered on the Island include Ned Rorem In 1986 the Chamber Music Society began an afterschool strings program which has continued to expand into the Island schools system including two scholarship funds: one for private lessons for students and another to honor the outstanding musician of the high school graduating class This program has remained an important contribution to music education and the future of music over 34 years In addition to co-founding and serving as artistic director for the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society for 48 years she was co-founder and co-artistic director of Chamber Music Palisades with flutist Susan Greenberg in Los Angeles She taught young classical artists for more than 30 years in her role as director of chamber music for the Young Musicians Foundation in Los Angeles 29 years as head of piano studies at CSU-Dominguez Hills chair of piano performance at California Institute of the Arts and 33 years as head of piano studies at Mount St she was awarded a six-year Touring Solo Artist Grant by the California Arts Council Delores is survived by her husband of 72 years In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor may be made to the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, online at mvcms.org The MV Times comment policy requires first and last name for all comments NPR's Morning Edition takes listeners around the country and the world with two hours of multi-faceted stories and commentaries that inform Morning Edition is the most listened-to news radio program in the country The world-renowned cellist came to WHYY to be interviewed by Terry Gross The short story and opera is both beautiful and a problem Opera Philadelphia designed a puppet to help it avoid orientalism The free WHYY News Daily newsletter delivers the most important local stories to your inbox WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today. The renowned Philadelphia writer and spouse of “Fresh Air” radio host Terry Gross died April 14 at the age of 78 The host of WHYY’s “Fresh Air with Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley” has a long and friendly relationship with Philadelphia Orchestra's Yannick Nézet-Séguin The former host of NPR’s “Here and Now” has joined the “Fresh Air” team Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal local news and information and world-class entertainment to everyone in our community WHYY offers a voice to those not heard, a platform to share everyone’s stories, a foundation to empower early and lifelong learners and a trusted space for unbiased news. Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY Violinist Nick Eanet announced Tuesday that he will leave the Juilliard String Quartet due to a chronic acute digestive ailment that makes touring very difficult The Juilliard Quartet; Nick Eanet is second from right "It is with a heavy heart that I must give up my position with the Juilliard String Quartet," he said in a press release from The Juilliard School "It has been a privilege to make music and work with such wonderful people and musicians my health will not allow me to continue but I will remember my time with the quartet as a high point in my musical career." He had been playing first violin with the quartet since September http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/first-violinist-resigns-from-the-juilliarding-quartet/ Violinist and conductor Jaime Laredo bought a Domenico Montagnana violin for £630,000 last week from Brompton's – a record price for that maker, according to this article in Gramophone UK The fiddle was well-preserved and retaining its original label it was owned until 1962 by violinist Joseph Roisman first violinist of the Budapest String Quartet Now that the fiddle is in the news, here's a nice review from April had the lucky task of taking the “Vieuxtemps” Guarneri – the fiddle that's got a price tag of $18 million – for a ride playing Ralph Vaughan Williams' “The Lark Ascending” in her debut with the Chicago Symphony She had it on loan from the Stradivari Society here is a line from the review: “Urioste’s barely audible fade into the distance could not have been more sensitively rendered the young soloist winnowing her tone to a barely audible filagree.” Nick Eanet is second from right; that's Ronald Copes on the left  I just wanted to say how glad I am that you resurrected the News column This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments Violinist.com is made possible by.. Shar Music Pirastro Strings Juilliard 2025 Starling-DeLay Violin Symposium Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Colburn Chamber Music Intensive Find a Summer Music Program Violinist.com Shopping Guide Larsen Strings Los Angeles Philharmonic Peter Infeld Strings JR Judd Violins Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases ARIA Academy Bobelock Cases Violin Lab Barenreiter Bay Fine Strings Violin Shop FiddlerShop Fiddlerman.com Johnson String Instrument/Carriage House Violins Southwest Strings Metzler Violin Shop Los Angeles Violin Shop Violin-strings.com Nazareth Gevorkian Violins Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine La Festa della Donna si celebra l'8 marzo di ogni anno Fu riconosciuto dalle Nazioni Unite nel 1977; in Italia è diventato molto importante per le donne nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale le donne in Italia iniziarono a lottare per i propri diritti per l’uguaglianza nel lavoro e per la giustizia sociale Il fiore tipico da regalare alle donne è la mimosa che venne scelta nel 1946 da Teresa Mattei e Rita Montagnana come simbolo della festa In Italia molte località propongono diverse offerte per le donne come ad esempio uno sconto su un servizio Molti negozi e ristoranti hanno anche varie cose per celebrare le donne Questo giorno è sempre una festa ma serve anche a far luce sul fatto che esistono ancora discriminazioni e difficoltà per le donne in alcuni lavori e anche in alcuni Paesi Questa festa è una festa importante per tutte le donne del mondo Italy joins the world in celebrating International Women's Day (La Festa della Donna); a day dedicated to recognizing women's social and political achievements while also raising awareness of ongoing struggles for gender equality the holiday is marked by unique traditions and a strong sense of solidarity among women International Women's Day has its roots in the early 20th century with origins linked to women's rights movements worldwide It was officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977 when feminist movements used the day to advocate for women's rights One of the most distinctive features of International Women's Day in Italy is the tradition of gifting mimosa flowers The bright yellow mimosa was chosen as the holiday's symbol in 1946 by two prominent Italian feminists because it blooms in early March and is affordable Men traditionally give mimosa bouquets to the women in their lives – mothers and colleagues – as a sign of appreciation and respect Women also exchange mimosa flowers with each other as a symbol of solidarity Italy celebrates International Women's Day in many ways Feminist organizations and activists take to the streets to demand stronger policies for gender equity and workplace inclusion Museums and cultural institutions often offer free or discounted entry for women on March 8 and local organizations arrange film screenings and performances dedicated to women's contributions to society and businesses create special promotions and events to celebrate women and discounts exclusively for female customers Many women in Italy celebrate by enjoying a night out with friends Some nightclubs and entertainment venues host women-only parties to mark the occasion While International Women's Day is a time for celebration it also serves as a reminder of the challenges women still face in Italy and underrepresentation in leadership roles remain significant concerns International Women's Day is more than just a celebration The tradition of gifting mimosa flowers symbolizes respect and solidarity while public events highlight the importance of ongoing efforts toward gender equality As Italy continues to progress in women's rights March 8 remains a powerful reminder of how far society has come and how much work still needs to be done Italians use this day to honor and empower the women who shape their country Discover all our subscription plans and become a member The French cellist and January 2021 cover star tells Pauline Harding about his cellos and bows Jean-Guihen Queyras © Marco Borggreve ‘Last year I was given a Montagnana cello to try,’ says Queyras ‘My whole life I had dreamed of a Montagnana I was jumping to the roof!’ After some months He played it to his cello class at the Freiburg University of Music and compared it with his c.1696 Gioffredo Cappa cello and somehow it was everywhere in the hall.’ Just a year later the Cappa – on loan from the Mécénat Musical Société Générale since 2005 – won him back Read: ‘It was like the earth moved beneath me’ - violinist Leonidas Kavakos on playing the ’Willemotte’ Stradivari He uses two bows: a heavier one by Thomas Gerbeth in Vienna ‘The Tourte is an amazing bow that I acquired only a year and a half ago and I am very much in love with,’ he says meaning that the hair is not as tight towards the bow’s outer edges – a small detail which he finds has a significant impact on his sound so it’s more supple and progressive when it reaches the string.’ The French cellist on recording Beethoven’s ‘Triple’ Concerto during the pandemic and the value of working with his musical ‘family’. Explore all the articles in this issue. Explore all the articles in this issue A revisiting of a classic brings rewards aplenty Artists sometimes use multiple instruments on an album Violinist Nancy Zhou shares details about the three different bows employed on her upcoming album of solo works What has Hans Christian Aavik been up to since winning the Carl Nielsen Competition in 2022 The Estonian violinist speaks about his new album release of two contrasting concertos which comprised part of his competition victory package 18 duos for violin and viola make up Melia Watras’s latest project Sponsored by 2023-04-14T09:43:00+01:00 The cellist shares his impressions of Luiz Amorim’s unique and expressive contemporary instruments Antonio Meneses with his cello by Luiz Amorim As one of the world’s most celebrated cellists Antonio Meneses has played on some of the finest instruments ever crafted But when he was introduced to a cello made by Luiz Amorim he found himself drawn to its unique character and tonal qualities and knew he had to have an instrument of this quality ‘This Montagnana copy gives me some possibilities that I’ve missed in other instruments,’ says Meneses ‘It’s hard to explain because I just feel it internally while I’m playing Not only does the cello sound very powerful but when I play it I almost forget that I’m playing a modern instrument.’  What really sets Amorim’s instruments apart is the feeling he gets when he plays them: ‘The deep sound of the instrument’s bass notes is truly unique,’ he says ‘They remind me of some of the great cellos I’ve tried in my life including those of Stradivari and Montagnana It has so many qualities that you’d expect from an instrument 300 years old or more This fascinated me from the moment that I started trying Luiz Amorim’s cellos.’ Meneses also appreciates how Amorim is always looking for ways to improve his instruments and is prepared to work with musicians to find the sound they want so the instrument’s sound is constantly developing,’ he says ‘I think this is one of the great things about Luiz: that he wants to help you find your own sound with your instrument.’ For Meneses the cello has to feel like an extension of himself and Amorim’s instruments meet that criterion Meneses isn’t the only one who has been impressed by Amorim’s work He has recommended Amorim’s instruments to several of his students and they have felt the same connection to the instruments that he has ‘They have such a wonderful sound that you fall in love with it right away,’ he says but he says that Amorim’s cellos are truly special Amorim is one of the great violin and cello makers of our time and his instruments deserve to be played by musicians who want to express themselves fully seeking a unique and expressive instrument Antonio Meneses visits Amorim Fine Violins in Cremona and speaks about his Luiz Amorim cello based on the 1733 Domenico Montagnana ’ex-Eisenberg’ model: planning ahead and prioritising phrasing in every line are key to cellist Antonio Meneses’s interpretation of the fourth movement In this article from The Strad’s March 2017 issue the Brazilian cellist talks about playing the piano Cellist Antonio Meneses featured as the cover artist for The Strad’s August 2012 issue Despite an uncompromising introduction to the instrument the Brazilian cellist went on to excel in Classical and Romantic repertoire He explained to Nick Shave why he then began exploring lesser-known works The Astatine Trio and Novo Quartet join the scheme from 2025–2027 Ten ensembles will compete for the chance to win the top prize package at this year’s competition from 25 to 31 August The Harrell Dungey Cello Loan Competition aims to seek a deserving young cellist to play Harrell’s 2008 Christopher Dungey Montagnana copy The Lynn Harrell Foundation has launched a new competition to ensure the legendary cellist’s instrument continues to be played and bring joy to the wider musical community which would have been Harrell’s 78th birthday the foundation announced the Harrell Dungey Cello Loan Competition The winner of the competition will be a young cellist who will be granted use of the instrument for a two-year period his family noted in his absence a quiet in his house that had known the daily practice and music that Harrell brought ’His family realised that the cello was his voice and personality Read: Obituary: Lynn Harrell (1944–2020) Read: Life Lessons: Lynn Harrell The instrument was made by luthier Christopher Dungey in 2008 commissioned by Harrell after meeting Dungey in 2006 and trying one of his instruments at the Grand Tetons Music Festival Harrell wanted a dimensional copy of the 1720 Montagnana cello that he was currently playing and chose the cuts of wood with Dungey - departing from a two-piece maple back saying it reminded him of ’a Turner landscape painting from the 1800s’ Upon playing the instrument for the first time and it eventually became his primary touring and performing instrument until his death Applications are now open and will close on 1 April 2022. More information can be found here The foundation is also accepting donations for maintaining the programme beyond the first recipient.  Read: Sentimental work: Lynn Harrell on Bloch’s Schelomo Read: Cellist Lynn Harrell on the art of playing up high The future of string playing in Ireland has received an investment boost of more than €1 million The American cellist looks back at the beginnings of his life as a musician in this article from 2019 The late cellist shared his musical insights in our August 2011 issue Following the publication of the article on the ‘Paderewski Wendling’ violin in the September 2024 issue of The Strad the editors asked me if I would agree to create a poster for this unique violin Could a ‘composite’ violin – even one as spectacular as this – be taken as a benchmark instrument by the new generation of violin makers I decided that this would be a fantastic opportunity to help open up new perspectives in terms of reference criteria in contemporary violin making… Already subscribed? Please sign in We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days Free trial No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010 Subscribe * Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions By 2023-02-16T08:38:00+00:00 French viol music reimagined to audacious effect Description: French viol music reimagined to audacious effect Musicians: Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello) Alexandre Tharaud (piano) Works: Marais: Pièces de viole: selections from Books 2–5 Catalogue number: HARMONIA MUNDI HMM 902315 Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexandre Tharaud exploit Marais’s suggestion (made in Book 3) that his pièces de viole could be played on various other instruments They focus on the Suite in A minor that opens Book 3 but intersperse its various movements with pieces largely from three of the composer’s other collections Queyras’s attempts to reproduce Marais’s prescriptive notation and radiate empathy with the bass viol’s colourful sound idiom mostly convince but many of Tharaud’s inventive accompaniments seem deliberately anachronistic The duo’s varied programme ranges from the quasi-improvisatory meandering and rhetoric of two Préludes (from Books 2 and 3) to the exhilarating bravura variations of ‘Couplets des Folies’ (Book 2) emotional portrait of ‘La Rêveuse’ (Book 4) the bloodcurdling portrayal of ‘Le Tableau de l’Opération de la Taille’ (Book 5) the provocative ‘Sonate à la Marésienne’ and the dynamic vigour of dances such as the somewhat slick gavotte and light gigue (Book 3) Further variety is provided by two solo items Queyras performing ‘Les Regrets’ (Book 2) and Tharaud giving a telling account of the enigmatic ‘Le Badinage’ (Book 4) The recording gives a generous bloom to the tone of Queyras’s 1696 Gioffredo Cappa cello without obscuring detail and nuance Read: I gave up a Montagnana for my c.1696 Cappa cello, says Jean-Guihen Queyras Read: ‘I disagree strongly with idea of a “deeper” Beethoven and “lighter” Beethoven’ – Jean-Guihen Queyras Review: Isabelle Faust, Jean-Guihen Queyras: Beethoven Old and new make for compelling disc-mates on an enterprising album A dive into the world of a viol master proves deeply rewarding US correspondent Thomas May reviews Midori’s performance of the Brahms concerto with the Seattle Symphony under guest conductor Anja Bihlmaier on 23 January 2025 An all-American celebration of the concept of home Fine musicianship can’t quite overcome a flawed programme concept Italy — An Italian cat's devotion to its owner seems to have transcended even death still visits the owner's grave with affectionate little cat gifts — every day for more than a year Owner Renzo Iozzelli and Toldo were very close He adopted the cat from a cat colony when he was only 3 months old "My husband was very affectionate with him," Ada told the Italian website Corriere Fiorentino, as quoted by the Huffington Post "Renzo loved animals (Photo: Corriere Fiorentino)Iozzelli died in September of 2011 at the age of 71 Toldo followed the procession to the cemetery Ada said she found a little piece of acacia on the grave Iozzelli's son found Toldo standing guard at the grave Since that time, he's brought gifts to the grave each day. "He brings little twigs, leaves, toothpicks, plastic cups. A bit of everything really," Ada told the AFP Ada said that some people have thrown rocks at him to get him to leave considering the presence of a cat a desecration But nevertheless he returns as often as he can "He's not going out so much these days He's caught a bit of bronchitis so he's sleeping next to me," she said It is unlikely that he will ever neglect to look up such a thing again "I really encourage people to learn 12 words in French 12 words in German and 30 words in Italian and go around the world." She she moved on and spoke of other things but she didn't let it go: at the end of his lesson she suggested sending him to a French teacher for an hour!The other things she pointed out in the music: "Is this a person dancing on her toes or on her heels?" Sylvia asked There can be a moment of suspense," she said These details have to retain their sense of wonder and spontaneity "but we can't lose sight of the fact that it's special."Ji-Won played the first movement of the Brahms Sonata in D minor.Sylvia asked her to be more aware of when she is leading a section She also wanted her to get rid of unintentional accents and vibrato that causes an emphasis on the wrong notes "You are too artistic to be betrayed by your fingers," she said The climax of the first movement of the Brahms D minor sonata must be so compelling that "I want to hear -- like I MUST hear the end of that story!"Sylvia also drew her attention to the fact that the piano plays an "A" pedal over and over and over in the development and that one must be haunted and obsessed by all those A's as time was beginning to run short in the master class "not that I've telephoned Bach lately," she said and one should be intentional about which voices should be brought out she wanted voices separated during sections of question and answer so there is no sliding or connection between notes during the transition from one voice to another Each voice should -- and does by virtue of the way Bach has composed it -- have its own integrity She emphasized that the codas in the Bach sonatas are always a fantastic commentary on everything that has happened in the movement.Lastly played the first movement of the Mendelssohn Concerto Sylvia asked if she had learned it as a younger child and she said she had."It's a little automatic," Sylvia said Sylvia also said that she is allergic to smoothly slurring the fourth and fifth notes of the piece because there is a dash over the E Marié started explaining the different versions she'd seen edited by different violinists… "Whether it's David She said that when one is trying to get a musical idea across better to the audience My teacher sounds a bit like Sylvia and I love her tons This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments A perfectly-preserved violin by the 18th century Venetian violin maker Domenico Montagnana has been bought for a world record price at auction by the violinist and conductor Jaime Laredo.  The violin which had been offered with an auction estimate of £250,000 - £400,000 made a hammer price of £510,000 which scaled up to the world record price for the maker of £630,000.  In total twelve potential buyers made serious bids for the violin – six on the telephone and six in the saleroom – with the excitement tangible when it sold to Laredo whose representative was bidding anonymously on the telephone.  “It’s a sensational result for Brompton’s,” says its director Peter Horner.  “And the previous owner is over the moon that the violin is coming back to America as he’ll be able to go and hear it.” Laredo currently musical director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra tried the violin in London shortly before the sale and immediately fell in love with the sound.  He was also a friend of Joseph Roisman who owned the violin until 1962 when he was first violin with the Budapest String Quartet.  Although Laredo plays a Stradivari violin the Montagnana will be a valuable addition to his collection as its powerful and dark sound which has much in common with the sound of a Guarneri del Gesú golden tone of his main concert instrument.The violin was in an unusually good state of preservation.  It also retained its original label – a sign of authenticity as well as an indicator of the amount of restoration work an instrument has sustained over its lifetime.  Montagnana violins are notoriously difficult to play; hard to sound sonorous tone when mastered by the right player.  His cellos are also particularly highly prized and players who own or have owned one include Yo-Yo Ma Ralph Kirshbaum and Steven Isserlis.  If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information Chamber Music Society’s upcoming concert offers All Star Piano Quartet The Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society (MVCMS) launched its 49th season Monday with a Summer Festival that will go on to offer three more fine varied programs featuring an array of distinguished and talented visiting artists festival pianist and artistic director Delores Stevens will be on the program Upbeat as ever after decades being part of these annual summer concerts since beginning as pianist for the Montagnana Trio with cellist Caroline Worthington and clarinetist John Gates Delores Stevens welcomed this season enthusiastically “Join us for some great musical experiences,” wrote Stevens in the program outlining the summer plans as she and the society countdown to the gala 50th anniversary celebration next year Along with David Behnke stepping into the role of president this year is marked by several changes in the festival logistics each played in two venues for a total of 10 concerts has been trimmed to four separate programs Two will be held at the Chilmark Community Center This summer’s concerts will begin at 7:30 pm Executive director Louisa Gould commented that this price is still affordable for an evening of excellent music She emphasized that all MVCMS concerts are free for children and students “We have to adjust to the times and the overall musical landscape,” Gould commented “But we will never cut down on the quality of the music we’re doing.” “This summer’s musical focus will be on three string quartets and one piano quartet,” Stevens noted “All players will be familiar to our regular audience since they have appeared on our stage several times and the response is a major reason I am bringing them back to you.” concerts will be followed by a reception where audience members may visit with musicians while enjoying refreshments in a casual setting the Brio Bliss Boffo musical benefit is back for a second star-studded year The fundraiser at the Old Whaling Church on July 29 at 7:30 pm will present a packed program of exceptional musicians from the Island and beyond including the cast of this summer’s Wendy Taucher Dance Opera Theater’s production of Johann Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus.” According to Gould donations are sought to help keep the event accessible to all at modest prices Chilmark Community Center performance welcomes back Scott Woolweaver 5 in c minor” opens Tuesday’s program with intense drama and energy a 1917 violin sonata by Claude Debussy brings a soothing shift to a more serene and lyrical atmosphere despite the fact that the composer’s personal life and the wider world were tumultuous The three-movement piece showcases inventive and graceful interactions between violin and piano The evening concludes with Johannes Brahms’s “Piano Quartet in c minor,” op a composition believed to be suffused with the lovelorn composer’s angst-ridden yearnings for his forbidden sweetheart Especially compelling is the recurring two-note “Clara theme,” and a tender cello solo “The inimitable Harlem String Quartet is returning once again with their always stimulating program the group received thunderous accolades at its 2017 concert that featured Cuban guest pianist Aldo López-Gavilán in a breathtaking performance The ensemble’s concert at the Old Whaling Church offers a colorfully varied program including Brahms and a distinctively Cuban piece by Guido López-Gavilán The Verona Quartet closes the 2019 season at the Chilmark Community Center on Tuesday Violinists Jonathan Ong and Dorothy Ro join Abigail Rojansky and cellist Jonathan Dormand for a program of Beethoven Vineyarders will recognize the ensemble that presented a moving concert at the Old Whaling Church Memorial Day weekend in honor of the late Nikki Langer a longtime friend and supporter of the organization who died in December A major mission of the society remains its youth music education program under the direction of Kim Baumhofer School string instruction is offered to students and more than 60 instruments are available on loan a pilot program in cello instruction was offered thanks to generous grant from the Permanent Endowment of Martha’s Vineyard The group hopes to continue and expand the cello program if future funding can be secured For information or tickets, visit mvcms.org This image appears in the gallery:Steven Isserlis: ten things you never knew which is on loan from The Nippon Music Foundation He also part-owns a Montagnana cello from 1740 and a Guadagnini cello of 1745 which he played exclusively from 1979 to 1998 and part-owns with David Waterman See the full gallery: Steven Isserlis: ten things you never knew See more Steven Isserlis News Julian Lloyd Webber Lang Lang Great soloists aren't defined by their instruments but many will go to extreme lengths to make sure they are matched with the perfect violin on rare historical pieces that have been passed from virtuoso to virtuoso for hundreds of years a musician can hope a wealthy owner will lend them an exceptional instrument which happens often and sometimes anonymously Here are eight instruments that the soloists of the Proms 2017 play and the fantastic stories that go along with them.. [WATCH] Prom 3: Isabelle Faust and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Bernard Haitink perform Mozart's Violin Concerto No 3 (3rd mvt - excerpt) The German violinist plays the Sleeping Beauty Stradivarius made in 1704 and currently on loan from the German banking group Landesbank Baden-Württemberg As the New Yorker reported in 2010 it was bought by the aristocratic German Boeselager family in the 1720s and kept in mint condition for almost 300 years It was discovered in the family bank vault in 1991 and supposedly never used as a concert violin was part of two plots to kill Adolf Hitler one of which was supposed to involve him personally shooting the dictator and his successor Heinrich Himmler The Georgian violinist plays a 1739 Guarneri del Gesù owned by a collector and loaned to her Coming from a distinguished Cremonese family of instrument makers Giuseppe Guarneri (nicknamed del Gesù - "of Jesus" - because his labels after 1731 incorporated Christian symbols) is commonly considered to be one of the top two best violin makers ever - slightly behind or nosing just in front of his contemporaneous rival Antonio Stradivari Batiashvili, who has played two Strads in the past, appears to not be particularly interested in the story of her Guarneri del Gesù. "This violin was so fantastic, I didn't care who was playing it before!" she said in a 2016 interview with Violinist because the sound is always influenced by the people who play on it I could tell that this instrument had been in good hands." [WATCH] Prom 62: Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Chineke under Kevin John Edusei perform Dvořák's Rondo in G minor (excerpt) Last year's BBC Young Musician winner first played his current cello He performed with it again at his Royal Festival Hall debut in September on loan from north London instrument dealer Florian Leonhard an anonymous benefactor bought it for what is believed to be a six-figure sum so he or she could ensure the teenage cellist could use it for life were part of the oldest significant luthier dynasty in the world stretching back to the middle of the 16th centuty They essentially invented the modern shape and set-up of the stringed instrument as we know it and Stradivari learned his trade in their Cremona workshop The Nottingham cellist said of the instrument: "I am thrilled that I can continue to develop my relationship with this cello making the sound more completely my own over time This rare instrument will grow with me and respond to what I need to express and I could not be more happy and excited." his cello is the oldest instrument played by a soloist at this year's Proms [WATCH] Prom 53: The best of Beneath the Underdog having never especially liked the sound of the trumpet (he chose to play it so he could complement his renowned saxophonist uncle Scott began to sketch designs for instruments that would sound more similar to other members of the brass family The Siren is designed to achieve aspects of the trumpet The Reverse Flugel has the range of a trumpet and avoids the shrillness associated with a flugelhorn's higher register while also intensifying its trademark "dark" sound They are built by the Dutch makers Adams Brass [LISTEN] Prom 6: Nicola Benedetti and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales perform Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No 1 conducted by Thomas Søndergård (excerpt) which was worth £6.3m in 2012 and will only increase in value was loaned to Benedetti by the Bank of America's European president Jonathan Moulds after he heard her play It's named after the French engineer who bought it from Vuillaume in 1881 [WATCH] Prom 1: Igor Levit plays Beethoven's Ode to Joy (Liszt's transcription) on the Proms piano (excerpt) Pianists stand alone in the world of concert soloing in that they don't take their instruments on tour; not unless they're the Russian-born American giant Vladimir Horowitz (1903-89) who towards the end of his career paid thousands to have his half-tonne Steinway disassembled and shipped to each one of his concerts In 2004, Steinway estimated that 90 per cent of concert pianists either owned their own Steinway or were in some way affiliated with the company [LISTEN] Prom 7: Alisa Weilerstein and the BBC Symphony Orchestra perform Pascal Dusapin's Outscape conducted by Joshua Weilerstein (excerpt) The American plays a 1723 cello made by Domenico Montagnana Venetian luthier Montagnana is considered one of the finest makers of cellos ever his instruments being shorter but broader than those by his Cremonese counterparts Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù The record auction price for one is just shy of $1m [WATCH] Joshua Bell on his Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius The Grammy-winning star violinist plays the Gibson ex-Huberman Strad, which has a well-documented and thrilling history It was built in 1713, making it a golden-period Strad, and was stolen not once but twice from its famous 20th-century owner, the Jewish-Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman Director Chaim Hecht made a documentary about it in 2012 Huberman's stance against the Nazis and his founding of the Israel Philharmonic It features a performance Bell gave in Częstochowa The first time it was stolen it was quickly returned as Huberman played Carnegie Hall with another violin the Strad was stolen from his dressing room by unfulfilled Juilliard School alumnus Julian Altman Forty-nine years later - two days before his death - Altman told his wife that the violin he had been playing for years was Huberman's Strad Joshua Bell is the soloist in Lalo's Symphonie espagnole at Prom 43 Sign in to the BBC, or Registerif (require.s.contexts._.config.paths['idcta']) {require(['idcta/idcta-1'] function(idcta) {if (idcta && typeof idcta.addUserOrigin === 'function') {idcta.addUserOrigin('id4-cta-0afbef35-1019-4787-bd7a-40668b02ef8a');}});} The English musician was principal cellist of the London Philharmonic and English Chamber orchestras and later formed the Gabrieli String Quartet Despite the large number of young and talented British string players few seem to make an impact as leading soloists on the world stage Charlotte Gardner explores the reasons for this phenomenon What it feels like to play a violin that cost millions – with a bow that cost more than a house but 21st-century string players have an extra pressure: begging the use of a violin or cello worthy of their talent Even Yehudi Menuhin played a borrowed violin Beare for more than $16 million (£12.2 million) to an anonymous patron and is now on lifetime loan to American soloist Anne Akiko Meyers Collectors have always recognised the investment potential especially of instruments from the 17th- and 18th-century Italian workshops of Stradivari Coutts recently reported that they’ve overtaken fine art and classic cars in returns; Nigel Brown estimates annual appreciation of 8% to 10% Antonio Stradivari remains the most coveted (the public auction record is £9,808,000 although other more affordable European makers appreciate just as healthily – Beare’s director Steven Smith reckons £2 million for a good Guadagnini When auctioneer Tim Ingles joined Sotheby’s in 1994 he recalls selling violins for Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume for about £30,000; now expect £100,000–£200,000 On top of concerns that too many instruments are resting in bank vaults comes a new hurdle for players on the cusp of an international career: unprecedented demand from the Far East the Chimei foundation in Taiwan has bought nearly 1,400 important violins – one borrower is the great Yo-Yo Ma Steven Smith has recently returned from Vietnam and China ‘I was completely knocked aside by their pent-up interest,’ he says ‘A vast amount of talent is coming out of there For the past 30 years, UK dealers and philanthropic trusts have co-operated tirelessly to introduce investors to deserving players, but it’s a struggle to keep up. Mr Ingles, who now co-runs his own house, Ingles & Hayday J & A. Beare lends about 30 instruments and its own sponsorship scheme converts as many as possible into long-term loans for the player It is keenly seeking backers for young British virtuosi Timothy Ridout and Sasha Sitkovetsky Guy Johnston remains so grateful to the Godlee-Tecchler Trust for securing his 1714 Tecchler cello – now worth £750,000 – that he actively promotes its Italian heritage in his concert schedule and has commissioned three new works in its honour His need became more pressing when his student cello emerged from its ‘flightproof’ case in pieces After becoming the 2000 BBC Young Musician of the Year he pursued his career with short-term loans of a Montagnana (from mentor Steven Isserlis) a Stradivarius (for Elgar at the First Night of the Proms in 2001) ‘An instrument grows and develops with you,’ says Mr Johnston ‘It’s very rewarding to now have the time to “get inside” it I’m currently playing with covered gut strings which is opening up the sound in a different way – it’s wonderful!’ came up with ‘crowdfunding’ ahead of its time he met Nigel Kennedy to dispense mortgage advice ‘I asked him: “Why hasn’t anyone bought you a Strad?” He replied: “Nobody’s offered Thus the Stradivari Trust was born It’s now run on similar commercial (and social) lines to racehorse syndication The beneficiaries acquire shares piecemeal over 20 years and have so far bought back 17 instruments of 35 owned by the Trust ‘Secured sponsors’ are invited for seven current schemes including a 1685 Giovanni Grancino for violinist Julia Loucks ‘It’s a niche idea and there’s not much else out there,’ says Dr Brown ‘A musician wouldn’t go to a bank for help as they’d never afford to pay it back!’ The most celebrated violist (viola player) of the decade was nearly 30 before he secured a fine instrument: a 1780 Guiseppe Guadagnini It was found in the USA by Hampstead-based Florian Leonhard By the time the Elise Mathilde Foundation was persuaded to buy it for him Mr Rysanov couldn’t imagine a life without it ‘I’ve never played a Stradivari and I am not sure I’d wish to – the Guadagnini gives me everything,’ he enthuses ‘In the 10 years I’ve been playing it The owners are often reminding the borrower to take good care but it’s important the instrument be used as it creates a certain vibration that stops the woodworm ‘The investor who doesn’t trust anyone to play it is making a mistake for the health of the instrument.’ Mr Rysanov has put his own money into a fine bow an idea that appealed to the pianist Kathron Sturrock – antique French bows are unsurpassed in weight Beare achieved a record $288,960 (£220,028) for a Tourté bow Miss Sturrock loans a Joseph Henry bow to Jack Liebeck (violin) and an Émile Ouchard to BBC Concert Orchestra principal Benjamin Hughes (cello) her fellow players in the Fibonacci Sequence Miss Sturrock bought them in memory of her husband ‘It started as a safe place for my money that David would have liked,’ she says the investment has become less important to me – I get a real kick from looking over at Jack and Ben and knowing they’re playing with a really lovely bow.’ Delving into the rarified world of strings dealership was a shock ‘I was asked to look at one bow for £120,000 – with a known flaw,’ says Miss Sturrock you could buy a factory-fresh Steinway concert grand Country LifeCountry Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online Norway’s famed cellist who has made a triumphant return to the stage after a long illness recently received what he described as an “incredible” telephone call from Norwegian investor and philanthropist Christen Sveaas It resulted in Mørk being able to use a Stradivarius cello from 1707 courtesy of Sveaas’ keen eye for opportunity “It’s a dream for a musician to get hold of something like this in his own hands,” Mørk told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) earlier this month “He (Sveaas) said I could play on it if I liked it.” He clearly does incredibly fast to react,” Mørk told DN 304-year-old instrument “elegant and light and just perfect for a new repertoire.” He thinks the precious Stradivarius will lead to new possibilities for him as a cellist “It will take a year or two before I can fully exploit the possibilities the cello can offer not least to explore and play some repertoire I haven’t played much.” Mørk opted for his old Montagnana cello when he performed another highly acclaimed concert this week at the annual cultural festival He wasn’t ready to debut with the Stradivarius yet but Sveaas seems confident his investment and offering will further raise Mørk’s level of playing it was nice to acquire such an instrument for Truls Mørk,” Sveaas told DN “I promised him at first that he could borrow another cello but then he got sick “But then Truls fortunately recovered and then I thought it would be nice to see if it was possible to find an instrument for him that was at least as good.,” Sveaas continued “This Stradivarius popped up on the market suddenly and I bought it at once.” Mørk was plagued by a central nervous system infection that left him lame in his left shoulder. He was afraid he’d never play the cello again, but he worked hard to overcome the side-effects of the infection and made a celebrated comeback last year. A concert he held with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra in January also won rave reviews Both Mørk and Sveaas noted that it’s extremely seldom that a Stradivarius goes on the market A violin sold for NOK 20 million last year (nearly USD 4 million) Mørk says he doesn’t know what Sveaas paid for the cello but doubts it was less than NOK 30 million claiming only that “I hope I can soon see and hear him play it.” Sveaas, a keen art collector who has largely financed the conversion of his family’s historic Kistefos cellulose plant into an art and industrial museum and sculpture part, has a wide variety of interests and investments and also owns the Oslo restaurant Bagatelle. It just closed over a liquor license conflict but Sveaas’ staff indicated the closure will be only temporary If you like what we are doing, please consider a donation. It is easy using PayPal, or our Norway bank account. READ MORE NewsInEnglish.no is a free and independent Oslo-based website offering news from Norway It’s run on a voluntary basis by veteran journalists keen to share insight into Norwegian politics Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Alisa Weilerstein is one of the leading musicians of her generation She returns to City Halls this season to play Shostakovich’s Second Cello Concerto We caught up with her on tour to talk about her life so far and the advantages of music-making with your spouse Your career has really blossomed in the last couple of years I’ve actually been building this kind of life since I was 14 and my career was always very much ‘step by step’ I started out doing maybe one week a month in the US then in past six years I’ve been travelling in Europe more frequently and I visit Asia and Australia once a year as well because even though it was just one week a month it was amazing training because I was also a student at Columbia University and I had to juggle a lot of things at once So by the time I was really travelling quite a lot it really didn’t feel overwhelming in any way I also travel with a large suitcase that has most of my things with me so I don’t feel like completely disconnected and technology these days means I’m in contact with my husband all the time so I had wonderful music constantly in the house but no one told me that I should pick up the cello I kind of demanded one from my mother when I was about four I want a cello and a cello teacher” and she said ‘no you’re too young’ but I kept on at her until she realised I was serious about it and then relented I had many teachers but my first long term teacher was Richard Weiss (First Assistant Principal Cellist of The Cleveland Orchestra) He had this combination of being very kind but very demanding which was perfect for me at the time and I also worked a lot with my father maybe two hours a day between the ages of 9 and 16 He is a highly in demand teacher but he was really amazing because there’s always the issue of whether can a child really practise with their parents but he was amazing at creating a very healthy distance between us when we were working together The last time we saw you in Scotland you played the Elgar Cello Concerto which you’ve recorded to great acclaim How did you approach a piece like that and make it sound fresh I didn’t really consciously try to make it sound fresh I really love the piece and Jacqueline Du Pré was always my favourite and her recordings of that work have always been my absolute favourite So when I was 12 and started learning the piece on my own I forced myself to put those recordings away because her playing is so seductive and so wonderful that I was afraid I would start to copy some of her idiosyncratic touches This season you’re going to play Shostakovich’s Second Concerto How conscious are you of famous interpreters such as Rostropovich I was very lucky to play the first Shostakovich concerto for Rostropovich when I was twenty two but unfortunately I never got to play the second one for him and he talked so much about the duality in Shostakovich’s music: even if Shostakovich was feeling terribly anguished he could never show it on the surface and so much of his music reflects that I grew up with the Rostropovich recordings but again that was something that I had to force myself to put away because when you have such forceful personalities you need to ignore them to develop your own relationships with the works You’re still fairly young but some many of these works were written by musicians towards the end of their life How do you get inside this music which is so full of sadness or despair you could ask the same question of a method actor even if you haven’t had the same experience Empathy is a huge part of human experience and so while I wouldn’t pretend to know exactly what it was like to experience these emotions personally it’s almost impossible not to inhabit it I found it in 2014 and I’m hoping it will become mine soon I’m sure by the time I come to Scotland it will also be resolved I still own my wonderful William Forster cello but the Montagnana is really a remarkable instrument When you come to Glasgow you’ll be appearing with your husband (conductor Rafael Payare) What are the advantages/disadvantages of performing together There are no bad things about performing with my husband – and I’m not just saying that because he’s standing right next to me which helps a lot but we also have a very open dialogue between us so if we disagree about something we always work it out in a very productive way We definitely don’t need to speak too much We just play a bit and one of us says ‘oh that’s what you want to do’ we play it again and then it’s right He’s in a very specific role when we’re doing a concerto and he’s very supportive Alisa Weilerstein plays Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No.2 on Thursday 22 October 2015 at Glasgow City Halls and at Leeds Town Hall on Saturday 24 October The Glasgow City Halls concert will broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 Alisa Weilerstein plays the Second Cello Concerto at City Halls Donald Macleod explores Shostakovich's youth Stephen Johnson explores Shostakovich's First Cello Concerto with Christian Poltera and the BBC Philharmonic Yo-Yo Ma is a world-renowned cellist who was a child prodigy. He was born in 1955 in Paris, France to Chinese parents. His father was a music teacher and composer, while his mother was a singer. At the age of 3, Ma was enrolled in violin lessons, and he was later trained to play the cello. According to Biography Ma had already memorized and played pieces by Johan Sebastian Bach by the age of 5 His father trained both Ma and his sister — who played the piano — to play classical pieces "Those things you've gone through add to your life experience and therefore your understanding of the music and there's more depth to your communicating of the music." Yo-Yo Ma's instrument of choice when performing is his 1733 Montagnana cello that is reportedly worth $2.5 million The cello was created by Domenico Montagnana an Italian master luthier known for creating the finest cellos Ma's cello got its name from a student he met at a school event Petunia made headlines when Ma left the prized violin inside a cab in New York Ma had just finished performing at Carnegie Hall and had another performance at the Anchorage In a rush to get to his hotel room to prepare In 1986, Yo-Yo Ma appeared a total of five times on Season 17 of the children's show "Sesame Street" where he played his cello. He even played a duet with Elmo on the violin and with Hoots the Owl and his saxophone, via Muppet Wiki Ma also shared his recipe of Barbecued Spareribs with Beer and Honey on Miss Piggy's cookbook titled "In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy." That conversation with Ma inspired Neville to create a documentary about Mr Rogers titled "Won't You Be My Neighbor." Ma was also the very first recipient of the Fred Rogers Legacy Award Ma has collaborated with institutions and organizations both in the United States and China to promote cultural transformation. He is also the founder of the Silkroad Ensemble a group of musicians from a variety of nationalities and backgrounds Its aim is for cultural collaboration — "a musical language founded in difference a metaphor for the benefits of a more connected world." He just happened to have his cello in the car but decided to bring it with him when he got vaccinated in fear of it getting stolen It is well known that some antique stringed instruments can be worth a lot of money as the second largest in the string family But have you ever wondered just how valuable they are What follows is a current top 11 list of the most expensive cellos of all time in the world based on the last publicly stated sale price or estimated value.  Not only will the price make your jaw drop but so will the incredible stories of theft not to mention descriptions of their beautiful sounds. Let’s get started!  have recently uncovered an approximate sale price for the Barjansky This cello was sold for over 24 million dollars Previous owners of our first cello, the Barjansky Stradivarius, include Serge Alexandre Barjansky and British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber It was probably traumatic for Lloyd Webber to be parted from his “best friend” after health reasons forced him to retire from performance in 2014 He expressed the wish that the cello should go to a good home to be played and not be stored away in a museum somewhere He also noted that in spite of all advances in modern technology and the superb cellos being made nothing quite equals the power of a Stradivarius—an instrument made by Antonio Stradivari the most famous Italian cello and violin maker (or luthier) Our next cello, the Duport Stradivarius, is another made by Antonio Stradivari in 1711 It is said to have been kicked by Napoleon Bonaparte! To this day although obviously not one which affects the sound The story goes that Napoleon attended a concert at which Jean-Louis Duport Napoleon persuaded Duport to allow him to have a go at playing. Finding how difficult it was to make a good sound Napoleon became frustrated and expressed his feelings by booting the instrument The cello was later played by famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich then bought by the Nippon Foundation in 2008 for $20 million—putting the Duport into joint second place with the Decorado (see below) Known for beautifully decorated purfling along the front edges the 1684 Decorado forms part of a set of five Stradivarius instruments belonging to the Royal Court of Spain In 2012, the cello was unlucky enough to have been knocked off a table during a photo shoot in Spain but imagine the panic and horrified faces when the crash was heard and the cello lay in pieces no exact details about how this happened have been made public as the estimated value at the time of the accident was over $20 million dollars.  Crafted in 1684, the General Kyd is named after British army officer Robert Kyd, who initially owned it. Now owned by Los Angeles Philharmonic, it had been stolen from the front porch of the orchestra’s principal cellist Wheels were obviously not the getaway vehicle of choice as the cello was later found beside a waste bin by a nurse She’d planned to get her boyfriend to add a hinge and convert it into a designer CD rack but luckily heard that a Stradivarius had been stolen from the cellist After a restoration lasting over 18 months the General Kyd was back and as good as new as the most recent valuation for this cello was $9.5 million The King of Portugal cello only travels with a full police escort! Stored in the Museum of Instruments in Lisbon it was only allowed out in 2016 after Russian cellist Pavel Gomziakov arranged for its restoration in 2016 for a series of Haydn recordings Previous owners include Belgian cellist Pierre Chevillard and King Dom Luis I of Portugal—but there is just a chance that it is a fake and some believe it is a brilliant early 19th-century imitation the instrument’s value seems unaffected as the last estimated worth was $7 million Although one of Antonio Stradivari’s finest from 1707 the Countess almost ended up on a rubbish heap in the 19th century! It once belonged to virtuoso violinist Nicolo Paganini Legend has it that back in the 1820s in Milan this cello was wheeled along the street in a wheelbarrow headed for the city dump! Fortunately Previously played by American cellist Bernard Greenhouse, it is also the instrument that first brought Canadian cellist Stéphane Tétreault to international fame. An arts patron loaned it to him after buying it for more than $6 million You probably noticed that every cello listed so far was made by Antonio Stradivari. As one of many skilled luthiers at the time he could not have guessed how significant and valuable his instruments would become This one from 1712 has a true celebrity pedigree and personality. The over $3.5 million cello—named after its first owner, virtuoso Russian cellist Karl Davidoff— was owned and played by the extraordinary cellist Jacqueline du Pré until she was forced to stop due to multiple sclerosis the stewardship moved to another extremely talented cellist who used the Davidoff for baroque music only Nicknamed Petunia, this cello was made in 1733 by another Italian from Venice, Domenico Montagnana, and is played by world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Thanks to him it comes with a fantastic tale of absentmindedness It was 1999 in New York when tired after performing in Carnegie Hall the night before Ma was glad to reach his hotel. He shut the door of his cab and walked toward the hotel entrance it suddenly struck him that he had left his cello in the boot and the cello returned in time for the next evening’s concert. Ma was incredibly grateful to have his magically rich C string cello worth $2.5 million back This 18th-century Venetian cello comes with a tale of violent robbery and a mysterious but happy ending. While the cello was being loaned to French cellist Ophélie Gaillard by a bank, she was held up at knifepoint one evening in a Parisian suburb The thief demanded that she hand over the cello and her phone and fled on foot! In the end the cello was eventually left outside her home in a car with a smashed window The police commented that such instruments are not easy to sell. What a relief for this award-winning cellist because this cello—made by Matteo Goffriller son of renowned luthier Matteo Goffriller—had a reported value of $1.6 million Next on the list is another record-breaking cello this is one of only 40 instruments still in existence by Italian luthier Giovanni Battista Guadagnini The ex-Havemeyer name is because it belonged to the family of American entrepreneur and sugar refiner Henry Havemeyer This cello achieved the highest price at the time of the auction for an instrument by the luthier. The record-breaking price achieved at the New York auction in May 2016 was $1.5 million topping the record of $1.39 million for one of Guadganini’s violins when the Cholmondeley sold at auction in June 1988 it broke all records as the most expensive instrument sold at auction and made world news The Stradivarius name almost guarantees astonishing sound and a high price.  However, this instrument was made before Stradivari’s golden era—roughly between 1700 and 1725, and is, therefore, the least expensive in our list, weighing in at a mere $1.2 million dollars this concludes our list of the most expensive cellos of all time Each of their astronomical prices is as great as their qualities as all cellos mentioned are still played and listened to worldwide It makes us wonder what their 17th- and 18th-century makers would have thought knowing that the cellos they crafted would each be worth a fortune and still have the power to move human emotions Christine Davies Christine Davies is a widely experienced teacher Her drive to make music learning fun led to the publication of her book ‘Games for Music Reading.’ Recently she formed the cello quartet Montycelli which she takes into local schools to expose children to live music and inspire them to learn the cello Learning Or Teaching Music Theory?Signup for Our Newsletter and Get Our Free Ebook With 40+ of Our Favorite Music Theory Resources Here Get In Touch[email protected] Contact Us FAQs Reviews Disclaimer Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms Of Use © Hello Music Theory 2025 | Sitemap