Carleton College’s music faculty and St. Olaf College musicians will perform an afternoon program for strings and piano, featuring Franck’s Sonata in A and Beethoven’s String Quartet in F, Op. 135. Performers include Hector Valdivia (violin), Mary Horozaniecki (violin), Elizabeth Ericksen (viola) of Carleton, and David Carter (cello) and Kathryn Ananda-Owens (piano) of St. Olaf; the event is at Carleton Concert Hall at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, and is free and open to the public.
The article reports on a police V-man who helped recover a stolen Stradivari violin from Rittergut Bennigsen near Hanover and later sought a reward from the police. The Hanover Regional Court dismissed his claim, stating rewards require a concrete agreement. The instrument was insured for 1.5 million euros, and the man had previously received 160,000 euros from the insurer; no agreement existed for additional rewards.
The article reports that a V-Mann involved in recovering a stolen Stradivari violin seeks 150,000 euros in compensation, plus five percent of the violin’s value, from the police. The instrument had been stolen in 2008 near Hannover and recovered with the thieves detained; the undercover operative had already received 160,000 euros from the insurance.
The article reports that John Michael Maughan, aided by two teenage boys, stole a Stradivarius violin worth £1.2 million from Korean violinist Min-Jin Kym at a cafe near Euston station in London, and also stole a Peccatte bow (£62,000) and another bow (£5,000). During the trial, it was noted that the violin and bows were offered for £100 in a nearby internet cafe, and a £30,000 reward was issued for the instrument’s recovery.
BBC News reports that a young Ayrshire musician had her violin stolen during a break-in and later had it returned anonymously to her family home in Dalry. The teenage girl, who had been invited to play with Nicola Benedetti, was described as delighted, and police were continuing to trace the break-in suspects.
The article discusses the downfall of violin dealer Dietmar Machold as Austrian and Swiss authorities investigate alleged embezzlement and fraud related to a proposed multi-million euro deal involving a collection of historic string instruments. The story mentions a potential 40 million euro order for a private university and orchestra, Machold’s bankruptcy, and a high-profile pursuit leading to his arrest.
The article reports that Bernard Magrez acquired a Stradivarius violin (produced 1700–1720) for his Institut culturel, with an estimated cost of 2 to 3 million euros. The instrument will be loaned to established violonists, such as Matthieu Arama, concertmaster of the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, in exchange for performances at venues connected to Magrez’s patronage.
The Nippon Music Foundation offered the sale of the Lady Blunt Stradivarius of 1721 to support Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. The violin was sold on June 20, 2011 for $15.9 million to an anonymous bidder.
The Atlantic reports that Nippon Music previously paid over $10 million for a 1721 Stradivari violin named Lady Blunt. The foundation will auction the instrument to benefit victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami, with proceeds going to relief efforts; the instrument is described as one of the best-preserved Stradivaris and was formerly owned by Lady Anne Blunt. The sale is coordinated by Nippon Music Foundation and Tarisio, which currently holds the auction record for a Stradivari at $3.6 million.
The article discusses the Lady Blunt Stradivarius, a 1721 Stradivarius violin, and its planned auction by the Nippon Music Foundation in Tokyo to benefit Japan earthquake and tsunami victims. It notes the instrument’s record auction history and comments from Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, highlighting the instrument’s rarity and provenance.