Tarisio Auctions reported the highest price ever for an early Stradivarius violin at its May online sale, $949,500 for the concert violin used by Jan Kubelik. Additional records included $141,000 for a violin by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume and $130,000 for a violin by Samuel Zygmuntowicz from the Isaac Stern Collection.
The Stradivari Violin Society loaned four valuable violins to four Chinese violinists who have won international competitions, and a gift ceremony and concert were held in Chicago’s Fine Art Center. The violins, crafted by Italian luthiers and valued at nine million dollars, were presented to Li Lukuo, Hou Yijia, Li Chuanshi, and Lu Siqing, with specific years of manufacture noted for each instrument.
The article reports that a quartet of Chinese violinists, including Lu Siqing, performed on Stradivarius violins in Chicago, loaned by the Stradivari Society. The four Italian-made violins from the 16th to 18th centuries are valued at a combined total of 9 million USD. The performers included Lu Siqing, Zhang Liguo, Li Chuanyun, and Hou Xuanjia, and they played pieces such as The Butterfly Lovers, The Sun Shines on Ta Shi Ku Er Gan, along with works by Schubert and Bach.